25 Weeks Old

I missed the boys’ 24 week update last week due to being off of work and the week before Christmas. I thought I’d write a quick little update on the boys this week.

The boys’ first Christmas wasn’t all party & presents like I had hoped it would be, but we spent it together as a family. (You can read more details about our Christmas adventures in my previous post from Monday.) I know next year will be better and at the age of 1 ½, they will be much more interested in the presents & parties than they were this year.

The boys are sleeping around 10 hours each night. They fall asleep after their 5:30-6 PM bottle which ends up being somewhere between 7-7:30 PM and don’t wake up much for their last bottle around 8:30 PM. They are sleeping in their cribs for the night around 9:15-9:30 PM (most of the time). They sleep until around 5:30-6 AM. They continue to make it the entire night in the crib, with almost no interventions. Great job boys! Colton has been waking up at 5:15 the last three mornings, but he doesn’t usually make that a habit on the weekends, thankfully!

Both of the boys love the exersaucer and are also becoming semi-mobile/extremely squirmy while lying on their backs. I say semi-mobile because they are not rolling over quite yet, although they both are very close, but they do not sit still while lying down. They look all around, roll from side to side and squiggle around.

Wyatt
Wyatt is starting to become one of those babies that need to be held all of the time. He will play on his own from time-to-time but sometimes he wants none of it and starts to fuss. He gets plenty of mommy-Wyatt or daddy-Wyatt playing time, but independent play is important for his development as well. He will start to fuss and then stop immediately as soon as someone picks him up. I’m hoping this is just a phase he is going through.

Colton
Colton loves talking and making noises while drinking his bottle, which you can imagine, does not make for a very productive eating session sometimes. It’s so funny though, you can’t help but laugh with him. He makes this one noise by putting his lips together and blowing – it’s too funny. However, this sometimes leads to a shower of formula if he decides to do it with a mouth full.

Merry Christmas!

Our family would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

We spent the entire Christmas weekend at home as a family – but not just to enjoy the boys’ first Christmas together – we were sick. 1 sick baby + 1 healthy baby + 1 sick dad + 1 healthy mom does not equal a very fun Christmas.

Last weekend we started the first of the holiday parties with my mom’s extended family Christmas on Saturday. We had to travel a little bit to attend the party at my aunt & uncle’s house out of state but it was fun to visit with all of my aunts, uncles, cousins and little 2nd cousin. We had seen most of them at my cousin’s wedding back in November but everyone was still excited to see the boys and see how big they have grown. The boys nap schedule got thrown off a bit but they did fairly well and were able to sleep for most of the car ride to & from the party. Sunday, my parents watched the boys while Cory & I did a bunch of Christmas shopping (it’s a little hard to get things done between feedings with two little ones to haul around).

I took the entire week off before Christmas to get most of my Christmas shopping done, a little more Christmas baking done and to just spend some time with my little boys. I really enjoyed the week away from work and accomplished all of my goals. We even made a trip to the local mall with my sister & nephew on Wednesday to get out of the house and to see Santa. The line was a little too long to stand in to still get home in time before the boys lunch feeding and my nephew is too timid to sit on Santa’s lap so we just walked past him and watched the other kids take their turns. We’ll have to attempt that next year! We took a little break so my nephew could play in the play area while my sister & Colton watched him and Wyatt and myself made a quick stop at Old Navy for a gift. Wednesday night we had our second Christmas party at Cory’s aunt’s house with a bunch of family & friends – it was fun, however Colton wasn’t too fond of having so many people & so much commotion going on in a small space and had a slight meltdown – we’re working on getting the boys out of the house more & more to hopefully settle him down a little bit. Starting Thursday, Cory had off of work – so we each took some time to wrap up some final gift buying alternated with hanging out with the boys at home.

Christmas Eve, we got together with Cory’s mom, dad, brother, neice and his brother’s girlfriend for lunch & gifts. Cory had a slight headache before we went…little did we know that the headache was just the start of things to come. While we were there Colton started to get fussy again – which ended up in 3 huge diaper messes (including 3 times being rinsed off in the tub) and 2 destroyed outfits. Wyatt was able to enjoy some time visiting and opening up presents but Colton just wasn’t feeling up to it – poor little guy. We headed home early (although we live just a block and a half away). I talked to the pediatrician on call in case Colton got worse overnight and ended up making a run to Wal-Mart to pick up some Pedialite just minutes before they closed for the Christmas Eve holiday. Needless to say, we did not make it to Christmas Eve church services this year.

Christmas morning we were only able to open up the boys’ stocking stuffers before Colton decided that he didn’t feel well enough to do anymore. We were able to get a little bit of it on video though but I’m not sure we got many still pictures. We continued opening up presents with Wyatt while Colton slept but made sure to leave Colton’s presents and a few of the “both boys” presents until Colton was up later in the day.

We ended up skipping two Christmas parties on Christmas day (Cory’s mom’s extended family & my immediate family) and one on Sunday (my dad’s extended family). Colton drank the Pedialite really well and finally had some formula back in his diet yesterday. We saw slight improvement in Colton later on Christmas day (even though he slept like crazy) and even more improvement yesterday. Cory felt worse on Christmas day and felt slightly better yesterday. Wyatt and I ended up running to my parents’ house on Christmas day to drop off the gifts for everyone else and just to get out of the “sick” house for a little bit. We both remained healthy through the entire weekend and as of today as well.

So, that is the story of my little boys 1st Christmas. We didn’t go to Christmas Eve church service, we didn’t get pictures of the boys with the mountains of presents or their stockings on Christmas morning, they didn’t wear their cute “Santa’s Little Helper” outfits for everyone to see – but we did spend it together as a new family of four and that is what the spirit of Christmas is all about.

Cory & I were able to spend the entire Christmas weekend with the two greatest gifts in the world – the two blessings sent from above to us by God.

We are planning on getting together at my parents’ house this weekend to have a belated Christmas party and to let the boys open up all of their presents they missed out on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas everyone!

5 Month Checkup Update

We took the boys into the pediatrician yesterday for a second opinion on the flattening of the backs of their heads. Our regular pediatrician is out of the office for 6 weeks (or so) for hip surgery, so a few pediatricians from another near-by clinic are filling in for her.

We loved this pediatrician! He was so friendly and had great information for us. He said they both look great. He agreed with our regular pediatrician in that the boys’ heads look just fine and they are not at the point of needing any further intervention. He gave us a couple of new ideas to try to help minimized the amount of time the boys lay on that side of their heads while they are sleeping. He also pointed out that, with the boys spending more & more time upright (sitting up, sitting in their Bumbos, playing in their exersaucer), they are now spending more & more time off of their heads and they should only continue to get better from this point. Great news!

Even though this was not a scheduled checkup, they still ran a full set of measurements on the boys, so here are their updated measurements (although I think the lengths on the boys aren’t quite accurate as Colton is definitely longer than Wyatt…we’ll mark the inconsistency up to their wiggles they both had while on the scale!):

Wyatt – weighs 16 lbs. & is 25.59 inches long (2 foot 2 in tall!)
Colton – weighs 15 lbs. 9 oz. & is 24.80 inches long (2 foot 1 in tall!)

Wyatt
Birth: 4 lbs 11 oz | 17.5"
1 week: 4 lbs 8 oz | 17.72"
2 weeks: 5 lbs 1 oz | 17.72"
1 month: 6 lbs 8 oz | 19.29"
2 months: 8 lbs 6 oz | 20.47"
4 months: 13 lbs 4 oz | 23.62"
5 months: 16 lbs (35%) | 25.59" (32%)

Colton
Birth: 4 lbs 15 oz | 18"
1 week: 4 lbs 14 oz | 17.91"
2 weeks: 5 lbs 5 oz | 18.11"
1 month: 6 lbs 5 oz | 19.49"
2 months: 8 lbs 4 oz | 20.28"
4 months: 12 lbs 11 oz | 23.43"
5 months: 15 lbs 9 oz (27%) | 24.80" (9%)

On a side-note, Wyatt is soooo close to rolling over. I had the video camera recording him for a while last night but he just didn’t want to take the plunge and roll all the way over quite yet. I’m sure it will be happening soon though!

I also finally ordered our Christmas photo cards last night and I should be able to pick them up today which will leave me enough time to get them out by the beginning of next week which is still one week before Christmas!

3 month Professional Pictures

I found a photographer in town (a mother/daughter team) who are reasonably priced and do a pretty good job (the daughter’s brother graduated high school with me and she graduated high school with my younger sister). They have a neat package deal for a baby which includes bringing them in every 3 months during their first year for photos in which select photos from each session will be compiled into one big book at the end. I did not have the boys newborn pictures taken by this photographer, so their book will contain photos from 3 months and older.

Here are a few of my favorites from their 3 month session:

5 months old photo session...I mean sessions

The boys 5 month old photo session turned into multiple sessions when either one or the other was not having a good day.  We ended up getting a few good shots out of the bunch though!

Colton

Wyatt

Relaxin' in our PJs

A Favorite Quote

I am a little behind on getting the boys 5 month pictures taken.  I attempted to take them this weekend but Colton wasn't having any of that (which is kind of funny because Wyatt was the one who didn't want to cooperate last month)!  I also want to get them taken soon so I can use them on our Christmas photo cards this year; I really need to get them ordered soon!

Today, I want to post a quote that I recently found posted on a message board on www.thebump.com (a website for expecting & new mothers).  I love it!

"I hope that my child, looking back on today will remember a mother who had time to play; because children grow up while you're not looking, there are years ahead for cleaning and cooking.  So, quiet now cobwebs, dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep." ~ author unknown

22 Weeks Old / 5 Months Old

Happy 5 Month Birthday Wyatt & Colton! The boys are growing and discovering new things like crazy lately.

We picked out the boys’ first Christmas tree this weekend, without the help of the boys however. (I can’t wait until next year when they will be two little “helpers”.) Cory’s mom & aunt came over to watch the boys for a few hours so Cory & I could get some Christmas preparation done. We usually cut down our own tree but for the sake of saving time, we choose an already-cut tree this year. We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for Christmas presents – it was really busy. We also took a small break and treated ourselves to a sit-down lunch out. It was a fun & productive day which I really enjoyed with my husband.

The boys are sleeping around 9 - 9 ½ hours each night. They have their last bottle around 8:30 PM and are sleeping for the night around 9-9:15 PM. They are sleeping until around 6 AM. Starting this weekend they have been making it the entire night in the crib, with almost no interventions. Great job boys!

With the boys getting a little bigger now, I want to start doing some single-baby activities now & then to spend some one-on-one time with each of them. Last week when Cory took Colton to the doctor, Wyatt & I headed to Wal-Mart for the weekly grocery shopping trip. It was a very different trip only dealing with one baby & one car seat – we were able to take a single grocery cart! Wyatt stayed awake almost the entire trip and really liked looking around at everything. Yesterday it was Colton’s turn. Again it was the weekly grocery trip to Wal-Mart that he was able to join me on. Unlike his brother, Colton only stayed awake for a small part of the trip – he slept most of the time.

There are only three weeks left until Christmas (this year has flown by) and I have so much to do – shopping, decorating & baking – before the holiday arrives.

This weeks’ goals:
- take boys “5 month old” pictures
- take Christmas card picture and get them ordered
- decorate Christmas tree
- put rest of Christmas decorations up
- make more progress on Christmas shopping
- Christmas baking with my mom & sisters this next weekend…??

Wyatt
Wyatt LOVES standing! We’ve been practicing sitting-up and sitting with the boys more over the past two weeks but Wyatt would prefer to stand. He also loves bending & straightening his legs while standing – we joke that he is doing his daily squats when he does these. Wyatt has also started making this noise that sounds like he’s growling. It’s so funny and when you imitate the noise back to him, he’ll make the sound again.

Colton
Colton has been battling a cold/cough for a couple weeks now. We took him into the doctor last week but everything checked out just fine (on a side note, he weighs about 15 lbs. now with his clothes on!). Poor little guy – you feel so bad for him when he coughs – he sounds miserable; however he has remained in fairly high spirits. Colton has enjoyed tummy time a little bit more this week. Colton likes it better when we use the Boppy pillow which lifts him off of the ground a little bit to begin with. He is getting great at holding his head up and actually trying to look around while on his belly, instead of just getting angry.

Their Very Own Cribs

The boys each slept in their very own crib for the first time last night and they both did awesome!

They have been sleeping together since the day they were born – from the hospital bassinet, to the pack ‘n play bassinet and finally sharing one of the cribs. Until recently, they did not seem to bother each other as they slept even when they fussed or cried in the middle of the night. However, in the past couple weeks they have become more mobile as they sleep, wiggling themselves from laying vertical in the crib to horizontal. I can’t count how many times I’ve went into their room at night, after hearing some fussing, just to find Wyatt’s head buried into Colton’s side. I think this has caused them to wake each other up either by Wyatt constantly nudging into Colton or Colton waving his arms and hitting Wyatt. This past weekend when they boys & I were staying at my parents’ house, they slept separately because of the lack of space. Wyatt slept in the pack ‘n play and Colton slept in the crib – and they did great. So after a couple of sleepless nights this week, continually going into their room to re-adjust each of them, Cory & I decided to try last night with them each sleeping in their own crib. (I did have to clean out the “extra” crib which we had not been previously using because I was using it for storage of the boys’ stuffed animals and extra blankets.)

It was a success! Everyone had a good night’s sleep. I only got up once during the night when I heard some fussing but each of the boys had not moved and were still sound asleep. They slept in their cribs from around 9:30 PM until 5:30 AM (Colton) & 6:00 AM (Wyatt). So I think we’ve said good-bye to the boys being bed-buddies at night, but they will continue to sleep in the same room as each other – just in separate cribs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for in our family this year – most importantly the two healthy and sweet additions that joined our family in July – Wyatt & Colton. We are truly blessed to have these two little boys in our lives. We are also so thankful for the rest of our family, our friends, our health, our house and our jobs (especially in this economy). It’s so funny to think that it was one year ago this past weekend, that Cory & I found out that we were expecting. Of course at that time we did not know that there was not only one, but two babies on the way, but I do remember how excited/scared/happy we were that Sunday afternoon.

We were very blessed to be able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my dad’s side of the family this year, as we have for many years in the past. The boys did pretty good and stuck to their normal feeding schedule but naps were pretty much non-existent. Colton was not too thrilled about having so much activity going on around him and was kind of crabby so he stuck with me or Cory most of the day. Wyatt didn’t seem to mind all the people and activity at all and was much more social.

…and with the passing of the Thanksgiving holiday means the start of the Christmas holiday season – my favorite holiday of the year! This year will be an extra special one in our household as it will be the boys’ first Christmas. I chose to fight the crowds on “Black Friday” (it’s a tradition my sisters and I have had for quite a few years now) and already got a small start on my Christmas shopping. This coming weekend is the Christmas parade in town, however I think the boys will have to wait until next year to attend their first Christmas parade as the temperatures have been quite cold this past week. We are also planning on getting our Christmas tree this coming weekend – I love the smell of fresh cut pine tree in the house for the holidays. Cory & I are so excited to pass along our family traditions, and start some new ones of our own, with our two little boys.

Happy Thanksgiving!

20 Weeks Old

Today is my last day of work this week before a nice, long break over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. I’m so excited for my time off, away from work and home with my boys!

The boys attended their first wedding two weekends ago and did an awesome job. My cousin got married which gave me a great opportunity to get some cute, dressy outfits for the boys. I did not get any pictures of the boys all dressed up (bad mommy!), however I am planning on using the outfits for their 6 month/Christmas pictures so we will capture their cuteness! This past weekend, the boys & I hung out for most of the day Saturday (Cory was gone hunting). My parents came over to babysit the boys Saturday night (also bringing along my nephew who they had staying overnight with them) which allowed me to head out for a much needed “girls night out” which included dinner & drinks with some great girlfriends. I had such a good time visiting and catching up with all the girls – it was a much needed refresher for me. Sunday, the boys and I took some pumpkin bars we made over to a friend’s house for another get-together with my friend and her little girl (who is almost 2 years old) and another friend. They were both excited to see the boys and to see how big they have grown!

The boys made “handprint turkeys” last week for Thanksgiving (thanks to the wonderful creativity & patience of their daycare provider – my sister!). They turned out so cute. They continue to get both sitting up time in their Bumbos and tummy time daily. We’re working on good neck control and getting both of them off of the backs of their heads since they’ve always favored their right side which has become a little flat – nothing their pediatrician is worried about at this point though.

The boys are now sleeping around 9 - 9 ½ hours each night. They have their last bottle around 8-8:30 PM and are sleeping for the night around 8:30-9 PM. They are now sleeping until around 6 AM! The have been making it until 2-4 AM in the crib (before we put them in their bouncers) so we slowly making progress on the length of time spent in their crib at night. Great job boys!

I think we are on the tail-end of making it through our first colds of the season, which I’m sure will be followed by many more to come. We’ve still been running the humidifier in their room, which I think has helped them quite a bit.

Wyatt
Wyatt was my little guinea pig and tried out my Baby Bjorn baby carrier facing outward for the first time this past weekend, which he really seemed to enjoy. It’s a great way for me to continue getting housework done while only one of the boys is up and it gives them more sitting-up/head control practice. He had a blast just hanging out and touring the house with me.

Colton
Colton has been waking up before Wyatt, during their evening naps, happy as can be. He’s had some serious one-on-one play/cuddle/talking time with mom & dad the past two nights. He “hams it up” and tries to tell story after story while he has your undivided attention.

Fight for Preemies – Bloggers Unite: November 17, 2010 (March of Dimes)

Today is the 8th Annual Prematurity Awareness Day®, when the nation is asked to focus their attention on the growing problem of premature birth.

“Every year, 20 million babies are born too soon, too small and very sick – half a million of them in the U.S. November 17th is when we fight!

Do you know a baby who was born too soon, too small, unable to breathe or nurse on their own? With 1 in every 8 babies born prematurely, you probably do. While medical advances give some babies a chance of survival, for many babies premature birth is a life-or-death condition. Babies who survive can face serious health challenges and risk lifelong disabilities.

The rate of premature birth has risen more than 30 percent since 1981. In half the cases, we simply don’t understand what went wrong. The March of Dimes is leading the fight for answers and, ultimately, preventions. November 17 is dedicated to raising awareness of the crisis.” ~ taken from http://www.bloggersunite.org/

In our family, we are celebrating Wyatt & Colton.  I count my blessings every day for the two little miracles God gave my husband & me.

My road to motherhood was not without its complications however, it ended up going very well overall. My boys were born at 35 weeks, 6 days gestation, which means they arrived a little over 4 weeks premature of the normal 40 week due date. My water broke on its own around 9:30 PM on Monday evening (July 5th) which put me into labor. The boys were born at 6:13 AM & 7:44 AM the following morning (Tuesday, July 6th). They both weighed less than 5 pounds; however we were very lucky that neither of them needed any special medical assistance or special care nursery time. God truly blessed us with two little, but healthy boys!

Looking back and seeing how far my boys have come since their birth day truly amazes me. Just 4 months have passed and they have both more than doubled their birth weight and are hitting their development milestones just slightly behind the typical schedule.

To see how tiny my boys were and to know that there are babies born premature only weighing 1-3 pounds, I can’t even begin to imagine what they & their parent have to go through. My heart & prayers go out to all the mothers who do not get to hold their new precious miracles, who have to see their tiny babies hooked up to monitors & machines and who spend countless hours in a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) watching their little ones go through the fight of their life.

Today our thoughts and prayers are with those who have or are currently struggling through this crisis.  Let's remember & celebrate these special babies.

18 Weeks Old / 4 Months Old

The boys turned 4 months old on Saturday. We had a pretty relaxing weekend and spent most of it hanging out at home. I was able to get a few things done around the house while Cory worked outside on the mower & yard for most of the day on Saturday and part of Sunday. The boys & I had our monthly photo session on Saturday, which turned out great, but I’ve been so busy since then that I have not had the chance to get the photos uploaded off of the camera – they will be coming soon!

We are giving the boys more “sitting-up” time in their Bumbos and on our laps as well as more tummy time on the floor & on their Boppy pillows. Tummy time still gets mixed reviews from both of the boys – some days they tolerate it and some days they just hate it. They really haven’t shown any signs of rolling over yet but they change so much from day to day that I’m sure that will be right around the corner. Wyatt wiggles around in bed enough that you’d think he’d start to attempt some of that during the day. We will lay him down for bed at night swaddled from the armpits down (we leave their arms free now) and when you go in to check on the boys or give pacifiers in the middle of the night he has turned his body at least 90 degrees if not more!

It was also daylight savings time this past weekend. I was a little nervous about how it would throw off the great schedule the boys are on but it really didn’t disrupt them much at all. The boys are now sleeping around 7 ½ - 8 ½ hours each night. They have their last bottle around 7:30-8:00 PM and are sleeping for the night around 8-8:30 PM. They were previously making it until around 4 AM for their next feeding but they started sleeping until 5 AM or so this weekend – which is great! The have been making it until 2-3 AM in the crib (before we put them in their bouncers) so we are getting great progress on both the length of total night sleeping time and length of time spent in their crib at night. Awesome job boys!

I got a preview of the boys’ 3-month pictures last week. The pictures turned out great – I am very happy with the outcome & selection, although I may have too many good ones to choose from! It was difficult to get a picture where both of the boys were looking at the camera but that’s to be expected with two little ones. Now begins the difficult choice of narrowing down the photos to get printed.

We also have caught our first colds of the season, beginning at the end of last week. The boys and I all have stuffy noses. I’ve been running the humidifier in their room since the end of last week which has helped them sleep a little better because before that they were waking up in the middle of the night with their noses so stuffed up that they could barely breathe. I’ve been using the nasal aspirator to clean the boys’ noses first thing in the morning which seems to help keep them cleaned out for the most part.

Wyatt
Wyatt just loves sitting on your lap and checking out the whole world from there. His neck is so strong and he shows it when you’re holding him but when he gets time in his Bumbo seat – forget about it. He decides he’s going to be lazy and always looks like he’s tipping over to the side – such a goofy boy!

Colton
Colton is such a wiggle worm – sometimes when he’s awake, he does not stop moving. This includes both during feeding time (which makes it difficult to get him to finish a bottle) and during his play time. During feedings his hands are constantly moving – going from trying to hold the bottle to hitting the bottle to fidgeting with his head or face – he just doesn’t stop. He’s also been known to hit the bottle right out of your hands while you’re feeding him. When we put him under the musical play gym during play time, both his arms & legs are constantly going. It’s too cute! It’s also no wonder he weighs less than Wyatt as he’s constantly burning the calories he consumes.

4 Month Checkup Update

The boys had their four month checkup yesterday. They are just a few days shy of being 4 months old.

The doctor said they are still both looking great. Wyatt’s umbilical hernia is improving very much on its own which is awesome news. They both also were responding to the doctor appropriately for their age – they were making great eye contact with her and both even gave her some laughs.

Here are their updated measurements:

Wyatt – weighs 13 lbs. 4 oz. & is 23.62 inches long (2 feet tall!!)
Colton – weighs 12 lbs. 11 oz. & is 23.43 inches long (1 foot 11 in tall!)

Wyatt
Birth: 4 lbs 11 oz | 17.5"
1 week: 4 lbs 8 oz | 17.72"
2 weeks: 5 lbs 1 oz | 17.72"
1 month: 6 lbs 8 oz | 19.29"
2 months: 8 lbs 6 oz | 20.47"
4 months: 13 lbs 4 oz (20%) | 23.62" (10%)

Colton
Birth: 4 lbs 15 oz | 18"
1 week: 4 lbs 14 oz | 17.91"
2 weeks: 5 lbs 5 oz | 18.11"
1 month: 6 lbs 5 oz | 19.49"
2 months: 8 lbs 4 oz | 20.28"
4 months: 12 lbs 11 oz (12%) | 23.43" (6%)

Wyatt is in the 20th percentile for weight & 10th percentile for height.  Colton is in the 12th percentile for weight & 6th percentile for height.  This was the first time they were finally on the charts with their measurements; prior to this appointment, they were too small to compare with other babies their age.  They also had their second set of vaccination shots. Both of the boys again did very well. They both loved the oral liquid vaccination – Colton drank it down in about 3 big gulps! They both cried at first for the shots but settled down fairly quickly. I have Cory hold them while they’re getting their shots and I do the comforting and re-dressing afterwards – that makes it a little easier on mommy!! The shots did not make boys as sleepy as their 2 month shots but they were both a little more mellow than usual.

The boys also had a great time celebrating their first Halloween!!

Wyatt



Colton



Happy Halloween!

16 Weeks Old

Next week is the boys’ 4 month checkup. They have not been to the doctor since the beginning of September so I’m excited to see their new height & weight stats. I weighed them on our home scale on Saturday which showed that they each weigh around 12 lbs.

The boys have made two more art projects since my last post – they painted with leaves and painted with their feet. My sister is so creative and so patient to do this with them. The boys both have very good neck strength so we started to put them in their Bumbo seats for a little bit each day. (A Bumbo seat is a small seat with a high back that can be used when a child has good neck control but cannot yet sit up on their own.) It’s good to use to get them sitting up and off of the back of their heads a little bit. Some days they love the seat and other days they are not so sure about it – just a new point of view of their little world.

We had a fun weekend and spent the afternoon on Saturday at Cory’s aunt & uncle’s house for a grill out. On Cory’s side of the family there were a total of 5 great-grand children born, including our boys, between May & September of this year. Cory’s aunt wanted to gather all the little ones (the oldest one being 5 months old and the youngest being just over a month old) for a picture in camouflage outfits. All of the kids did awesome for the pictures and only started to get a little crabby at the end. It was fun to see them all together and to see what a difference a few months make in a baby’s first year! We had a good time visiting with Cory’s extended family and the boys did awesome.

I had their 3-month pictures taken yesterday and they did awesome. My sister came down with me to help out during the photo session. We fed them at the photographer’s studio and then began pictures immediately after. They were both wide awake and in good moods for the first part of the photo session. After two wardrobe changes, they both got sleepy but not too fussy. We rocked them to sleep and then got a few more “sleepy” pictures in but by the end of that part they were both awake again, but very content. I can’t wait to see how the pictures turned out.

I’m also in my third full week back to work. I can’t say I’m really enjoying it much. I’d much rather be spending the day at home, hanging out with my boys. It’s hard because by the time I get home in the afternoon we get a little bit of playtime in before a short nap and then they have their last bottle of the night and go to bed.

Wyatt
Wyatt had another sleeping milestone this past Friday night – he slept from around 8 PM until 4 PM in the crib. This is the longest either of them has slept in the crib in one stretch. Wyatt has been doing better during nap times too and stayed sleeping in the crib for 45 minutes or more. I even put him down “drowsy but awake” for a nap on Saturday morning and he put himself to sleep and stayed sleeping for the entire naptime. Way to go Wyatt!!

Colton
Colton makes the cutest sound right after he sneezes. He’ll sneeze and then make this “ooooooooooooooooh” noise. It’s always stretched out and just the cutest thing (although I heard Wyatt do this same thing yesterday, so maybe he’s picked it up from Colton). On a side-note his sleeping habits are not very good at all. He doesn’t like sleeping in the crib and will only stay in there at the most 45 minutes during the day (rarely) and an hour or two at night. He’ll sleep forever in the swing or bouncer – and they don’t even have to be moving or vibrating. I think he just likes the cozy feeling of them vs. the crib mattress.

Happy Fall!

First Laugh

Both of the boys have been smiling, cooing and talking like crazy lately – it’s too cute! It’s so much fun to get these reactions out of the boys; it’s like you’re having little conversations with them.

On Sunday when we were packing up to go home from my parents’ house after the baptism & party, Cory was putting the boys’ hooded jackets on. These jackets each have a little animal on the front of them – Wyatt was wearing the one with a frog and Colton was wearing the one with a bear. After Cory put Wyatt’s jacket on he was playing with him a little bit – he held Wyatt’s hands in his and pulled up just a bit to lift Wyatt’s upper body off of the floor slightly and said “Ribbet…ribbet” (like a frog). Right after Cory would do this Wyatt would reply by letting out two good chuckles – this was the first time one of the boys has actually laughed!! It was so cute. Cory kept him laughing off & on for a bit before Wyatt decided he was tired of the game. Unfortunately we didn’t have the video camera with but hopefully we’ll be able to capture some more laughs from the boys soon.

Boys’ Baptism

We welcomed in the newest members of God’s family – Wyatt & Colton.

The boys were 14 weeks old when we had them baptized on Sunday. Wyatt’s godparents are Cory’s cousin & his wife and Colton’s godparents are my sister & her husband.

I really meant to plan it sooner than this but with a few complications trying to schedule it earlier it just ended up working out best this past weekend. The boys did great during the baptism itself (no crying or squeaks when the water was poured on their heads) and throughout the rest of the church service. They were both awake for the baptism but fell asleep in our arms shortly after and stayed sleeping through the rest of church.

We had a small party at my parents’ house following the church service. Many of our family & friends were able to make it out to celebrate. The menu consisted of hot beefs, BBQs, cheesy potatoes, pasta salad, fruit and pumpkin cake for dessert.

14 Weeks Old

The boys and I have had quite the week this past week – but we made it through it and I’m so proud of us!

Cory & Bailey arrive home today from their week-long duck/pheasant hunting trip. It was the first time I had been with the boys overnight by myself and of course the longest Cory has gone without seeing the boys. We have really missed him and are so excited to see them both today! I really have to give a great, big “Thank You!!” to my sister and my parents – I could not have made it through the week without them. My sister stayed overnight with me at our house and helped me out with the overnight feedings during the week. (I can’t even begin to tell her how much that meant to me.) The boys and I also stayed overnight at my parents house over the weekend and both of my parents helped out with the boys a ton! My dad even got up for each of the overnight feedings to help out as well – so awesome. It was the boys’ first overnight trip away from home and they did great.

I also started back to work during this past week – two days part time and then back into full time. It was really bad timing with Cory being gone at the same time I had to go back to work, but I survived!

My husband has been the absolute best since the day the boys were born, (OK, actually since the day I found out I was pregnant!!) but his absence this past week has made me appreciate him and the team we are a hundred times more. He is definitely my other half and I couldn’t imagine going through this journey of live & children without him.

Both of the boys are becoming more aware of their surroundings and taking more interest in things moving around them. They will now try to follow you with their eyes if you are close to them and then move away or around them. They are even turning their heads and looking around a little bit more.

The boys also made their first piece of artwork last week. They finger painted pictures with their aunt, who is also their daycare provider, and cousin during the day on Friday. They turned out so cute!

Wyatt
I swear Wyatt’s looks change daily. He has been filling out so much more that I can’t believe how different he looks from his newborn pictures. He loved playing with the musical play gym at his grandpa & grandma’s this weekend and worked his arm muscles so much by using his fists to punch the little characters that hang down. He’d concentrate so hard before taking a swing.

Colton
Colton loves kicking. We have a fish-themed play gym at our house that he loves. It has a small beach ball near his feet and he is constantly kicking it and gets so excited when he does. Maybe we have a future pro-football field goal kicker on our hands??!!

3 Months Old

I did not get the chance to post this last night...

Happy 3 Month Birthday Wyatt & Colton!

I can’t believe my baby boys are 3 months old today – wow, how much has changed in the 3 short months they have been a part of our family. They both have about doubled their birth weight and consistently give us smiles & laughs. This last week, they also had their first away-from-home babysitting experience. They took a trip over to Grandpa & Grandma’s house (my parents) Saturday afternoon/evening for a few hours while Cory & I attended a friend’s wedding. Tuesday we also used up the last of the newborn size diapers. They are starting to get a little small for the boys, which means it’s time to move up to the next size. We were using Pampers Swaddlers but the size 1 seems to be a big jump from the newborn size we were using. I’m trying out some Huggies Little Snugglers size 1, which seems to be just a small step up from the Pampers newborn size.

I also started back to work (part time) today. My 12 weeks of maternity leave went by way too fast – I really enjoyed being home every day with my two little guys (OK – maybe it was a little stressful in the beginning). It was very hard to head back to the office and be away from my boys.

Wyatt
Wyatt slept in the crib for 4 straight hours last night! This is a big deal because both of the boys have not liked sleeping in their crib for any length of time and usually only last ½ hour – a couple hours at a time. He slept like a champ and didn’t even fuss much in his sleep. The boys usually end up sleeping in a bouncer at night if they get to fussy in their crib. I think some of it has to do with their reflux issues and having to lay down flat in the crib but we’ll see if that improves with time.

Colton
Colton has started to take shorter cat naps during the day which last about ½ hour or so. He is up for a little bit and then sometimes goes back down for a little bit before the next feeding. He is still sleeping the same at night so luckily it hasn’t seemed to effect that a bit.

12 Weeks Old

The boys were 12 weeks old yesterday. They both continue to grow & change each and every day. I can’t believe how much I fall more in love with them every day.

We had to change our formula last week but the boys seem to be tolerating it pretty well. They still continue to get about half breast milk, half formula in their bottles. We were using Similac, as we had received a bunch of it for free, but it was recalled due to the possibility of beetle parts & larva being found in the formula from one of their manufacturing facilities. I used their website online to look up the lot numbers of the formula we had on hand and it was all recalled. I took the recalled cans back to Wal-Mart, which I received store credit for, but our local Wal-Mart was all out of the Similac liquid formula (which was the equal substitute for the powder and had not been recalled) and all of the Similac powder formula had been pulled due to the recall. I had no choice but to select a different brand. We decided to change to Gerber/Nestle Good Start Protect Plus, as a friend of ours also had breastfed and had no issues switching to this brand of formula. The boys were a bit constipated for the first few days but they both seem to be doing better this week & spitting up a little less.

Both of the boys are smiling more consistently now. They love when you sit with them one-on-one and talk happily, sing and smile at them. They are still a bit selective with their smiles but we see them emerging more & more everyday.

Wyatt
Wyatt is my little snuggler. Even when he starts to get a little crabby right before he falls asleep, he loves being held on our chest with his head resting on our shoulder. I am enjoying the snuggling time I get with him now because I’m sure those days will come to an end as he grows up.

Colton
Colton has times where he would rather play on his own than have you hold him. I think he just likes having his own time sometimes. He loves to play under our “fish-themed” playmate and he is now long enough that he can bat at the fish toys by his head and kick the beach ball that hangs by his feet.

Happy 30th Birthday Cory!!

I wanted to write a quick post today to say Happy 30th Birthday to my husband. I'm not going to make any jokes about his age though, as I am coming up on the very same milestone later this month!!

We will be celebrating as a family tonight at home. My parents will be coming over tomorrow night to watch the boys so Cory & I can go out and celebrate on our own - either supper or a movie(haven't been to one of those since mid-pregnancy) - it'll be his choice.

Happy Birthday Cory/Dad!!

10 Weeks Old

The boys were 10 weeks old on yesterday. They also just had their 2 month birthday and check up last week and boy – are they growing!!

They are both still feeding well – they get a combination of breast milk & formula, which they seem to be doing fine with and are gaining weight right on track. Pumping, instead of breastfeeding, has given me more time

Both of the boys are on the edge of starting to smile at us – Wyatt a bit more than Colton. If you sit with them one-on-one and talk happily and smile at them, they sometimes have the start of a smile or smirk. This is so much fun to see, I can’t wait for this to progress into full, responsive smiles!!

Wyatt
Wyatt makes this cute little noise when his sleeping (when he’s not sound asleep) that sounds like a chipmunk. We call him our “little chipmunk”.

Colton
Colton is so alert when he’s awake – he started out in this world with his eyes wide open; he’s always focused on something. I think he’s just sitting back & taking this big world all in.

2 Month Checkup Update

The boys had their two month check up last Friday. These first two months have flown by & what changes we’ve already seen in the boys.
The doctor said they both looked great. Wyatt has an umbilical hernia, which is an outward bulging (protrusion) of the abdominal lining or part of the abdominal organ(s) through the area around the belly button. It is very common in infants and is nothing to be worried about at this point. Here are their updated measurements:

Wyatt – weighs 8 lbs. 6 oz. & is 20.47 inches long
Colton – weighs 8 lbs. 4 oz. & is 20.28 inches long

They also had their first vaccination shots, since leaving the hospital, at this appointment. Because they needed more than one shot – two nurses were in the room so they could give the shots at the same time – less traumatic for little ones since it’s over with in one swoop. Both of the boys did very well. They both cried at first but settled down quickly so because of that it was fairly easy on their mommy too!! The shots made the boys pretty sleepy for the rest of the day on Friday and on Saturday too.

8 Weeks Old

The boys were 8 weeks old on Tuesday. We are quickly coming up on their 2 month birthday and check up next week and boy – are they growing!! Just yesterday I started dressing them in the regular “newborn” size clothing. Up to this point we had been using preemie and very small newborn size clothing.

The boys are settling into a bit more of a routine with their feeding & sleeping. They eat approx. every 3 hours during the day and are giving us one, long 5 (or so) hour stretch at night. The 5 hour stretch includes eating & rocking to sleep time - which leave around 2 ½ - 3 hours for sleep, which feels great. They then usually go either for another 3-4 hour stretch at night, depending on the night. I’m hoping this time span will slowly increase as they get a little bit older.

Breastfeeding has not been going as smoothly as I had hoped. The first 7 ½ weeks went fairly well. With some complications this last week, we have gone to pumping and bottle feeding, with the need to supplement with some formula. The boys are doing an awesome job with taking bottles but they have been a bit fussy so I believe that their little bodies are still getting used to the breast milk/formula mixture. I am just happy that I have been able to make it this far being able to give them exclusively breast milk and the longer I can continue to give at least a portion of each bottle of it to them, all the more benefit.

The boys and I have been making more & more trips outside of the house. I took the boys out to a softball tournament that Cory’s softball team puts on every year last weekend – it was windy but we had enough cover to protect us. We also made a big trip to Target this week. I had to get a big box of both diapers and wipes (that I had a coupon for) so instead of being able to use the under-basket of the stroller, I had to pull a regular shopping cart behind us. It worked out perfectly, but boy, let me tell you – we were a spectacle. :)

I can’t believe I’m down to only 1 month left on maternity leave. The past two months have flown by and I have really cherished every day I have been able to spend at home with them – even if some days are better & go smoother than others.

Me & my boys

Our family of four

Newborn Size Diapers

As of yesterday we used up the last of the preemie size diapers and are now using newborn size diapers on the boys. They had not totally outgrown the preemie size but they are now big enough that the newborn size fits them OK. This gives us more options when buying diapers because there were only certain brands (Pampers, Huggies & Luvs) that carried diapers small enough to fit the boys at their small birth weights. Moving up into the newborn size will give us more options and allow us to buy larger boxes of diapers - costing less money per diaper, which is a big deal when we go through an average of around 20 diapers per day. (The preemie size diapers only came in very small packages of 30-40 each.)

6 Weeks Old

The boys were 6 weeks old yesterday. We are continuing to learn new things each day.

The boys are having more “awake” time every week. We use this time for cuddling, swings, bouncers, baths or “tummy time”. They are also getting a little bit more on a feeding/sleeping schedule – every 3 hours during the day and around 3-4 hours at night. At their 1 month check up, the pediatrician told us that we no longer had to wake them up during the night for feedings and we could allow them to go as long as they would sleep. We had previously been waking them up every 3 hours, even at night, since they were born in order to help them gain weight faster. We are also getting out of the house more & more during the day. The boys and I have made trips to the doctor, chiropractor, ball games and Target. They are a handful to get ready & out the door but with some planning each trip is getting a little bit easier.

Tuesday night the boys had another milestone – it was the first time they went for 5 hours between nightly feedings!! How awesome is that??!! That also meant a good 3 hours of continuous sleep for their mom, which was much appreciated. That was the longest span of sleep I have had since before they were born. Then again last night they had another 5 ½ hour span. I’m not counting on this continuing yet but it has been nice to get a little more sleep at night.

We had the boys’ pictures professional taken when they were three weeks old. The photographer sent me a preview of a couple of the shots but I am still waiting on the rest of the proofs. My goal is to get the boys’ birth announcements out before they are 2 months old (which is only 2 weeks away) but at this point I am waiting on the photographer.

1 Month Checkup Update

The boys had their one month check up yesterday. I can barely believe our baby boys are 1 month old already!
They both looked great. The doctor decided to check both Wyatt & Colton's bilirubin levels this time, just to see where they were at; their levels came back a bit elevated but the doctor said that this is normal for breastfed babies and is not worried about it.

Wyatt – weighs 6 lbs. 8 oz. & is 19.29 inches long
Colton – weighs 6 lbs. 5 oz. & is 19.49 inches long

The doctor also gave us the go-ahead to start using regular car seats instead of the car beds that we have been using up until this point. This is very exciting news for us as it allows us more ease getting the boys in & out of the vehicle and more freedom by allowing us to use the Snap ‘n Go stroller to take the boys places.

Whoo-hoo – way to “grow” boys!!

The Boys' First Outing - Dad's Softball Game

The boys had their first outing (that was not a doctor's appointment) on Saturday. Cory's softball team was playing in a benefit tournament this weekend. The weather was beautiful on Saturday afternoon and one of Cory's game times coordinated nicely in between the boys' feeding schedule so the boys & I headed down to catch one of Cory's softball games. It was so nice to get out of the house, enjoy the day and visit with friends.

Both boys did fairly well - we used the Double Snap 'n Go stroller (LOVE it!!) for the second time and they both seemed to enjoy it. While at the game, Wyatt wasn't too happy but did end up settling down some-what easily and Colton slept for almost the entire time. We were able to stay just long enough to catch the game (although, they lost) and for a little visiting afterwards before we headed home for the next feeding. We were also sure to take a bunch of pictures - it was the boys' first softball game.

Cory & the boys



Wyatt

 


Colton

Mommy Brain

The "mommy brain" - is it a myth or a fact of becoming a mother??

I've heard from other moms that you get the "mommy brain" (being very forgetful) starting when you are pregnant and it continues even after your children are born. I had my first major "mommy brain" moment today (or maybe I can just blame it on my major sleep deprivation).

I adjusted the boys' feeding schedule, got them dressed, packed up and in the truck to go to their 1 month check-up aapointment today only to find out that the boys did not have an appointment today (their doctor isn't even working today), but NEXT Monday. Uuuuggggg!!! I made sure to double check their appointment day & time with the doctor's office before heading back home. I was so proud of myself - our first day - just the three of us, and I got us ready & out of the house before 10 AM. I was just so sure that their appointment was today but when I arrived home and checked my calendar.......I do have it written down for next Monday, just like the doctor's office had it.

On the bright side - at least we got out of the house today! ;)

2 Week Checkup Update

As I look forward to the boys' 1 month checkup on Monday (I know - I can't believe my little guys are almost 1 month old), I realized that I did not write an update with their measurements after their 2 week appointment 2 weeks ago.

The boys went back to see their doctor again when they were two weeks old. They both looked great. The doctor decided to check Colton's bilirubin levels again because he still appeared a bit jaundice but she still wasn't overly worried about it at this point; it will just be something we continue to monitor.
Wyatt – weighs 5 lbs. 1 oz. & is 17.72 inches long
Colton – weighs 5 lbs. 5 oz. & is 18.11 inches long
Yipee - both boys have made it above the 5 lb mark!!

After this doctor's appointment I was excited to made an appointment at the hospital to have the boys "re-take" the car seat test now that they were both above 5 lbs. The car seat test has the baby strapped into the car seat for a total of 1 hour with their vitals being monitored to make sure that their body is ready to be in that position for an extended period of time. Both of the boys had a drop in their respitory rate before the hour was up - both FAILED, so at this point we are still stuck with using the car beds. The good news is that we do not have to re-take the car seat test even though both boys failed. Our pediatrician will work with us as to when the boys are ready to move into the car seats from the car beds. Grow boys, grow!!!

Wyatt & Colton Arrive

We welcomed two new baby boys – Wyatt & Colton – to our family last week!

Here are the details:
They were born at 35 weeks 5 days into the pregnancy, which is awesome for twins!
Wyatt (Baby A) – born at 6:13 AM weighing 4 lbs. 11 oz. and 17 ½” long.
Colton (Baby B) – born at 7:44 AM weighing 4 lbs. 15 oz and 18” long.

We are all at home and doing great! The boys were kept a few extra days in the hospital because of being a little jaundice and I was kept for a few extra days in the hospital because of some high blood pressure issues. We were all able to finally come home on Saturday, July 10th. We have been home for almost a full week now and things are going pretty well. The first night was rough, as to be expected, but the second night seemed to be a little bit better. The boys are starting to get settled into their new home and Cory & I are starting to get settled in as “new parents”.

Monday we had the boys’ first doctor’s appointment. Our pediatrician said both boys are doing great. They are both almost back up to their birth weights and which means they are continuing to gain weight, which is great news.
Wyatt – weighs 4 lbs. 8 oz.
Colton – weighs 4 lbs. 14 oz.

We are starting to work on a little bit of “tummy-time” each day. Both of the boys seem to be just fine when we put them on their bellies and both of them try to move their head around and lift their necks up. Wyatt seems to be a little more active on his belly as Colton will try for a little while but then be content just laying on his belly.

I realize how hard it is to feed the boys, spend awake time with them, rest, shower, housework & go online in 1-hour increments throughout the day. I usually set 1 or 2 small goals each day and try not to take on too much. We have had a couple nights where the boys have slept for a 4-hour time stretch, which is nice to feel like we’ve been able to get some good sleep here & there – welcome to parenthood!

34 Week Update

Happy July 1st! OK – so July 1st really isn’t a holiday, but looking back at my pregnancy and not knowing when these boys would make their appearance I am so happy that it is finally July and the babies decided to hold off through June and continue growing into the month of July.

This past week was a humid one which has not helped my leg/ankle/foot swelling at all. We pretty much have the nursery complete now. This past weekend we (well, mostly Cory) worked on the finishing touches – putting up the blinds, organizing more clothes, cleaning up a swing and bouncer that my sister is borrowing us and organizing the new “playroom”. It was actually a very productive weekend.

At my doctor’s appointment last week I had a high blood pressure reading – which is sometimes an indication of pre-eclampsia but after another test which came back that I had normal protein levels – I was able to hold off that diagnosis. I am now going to the doctor weekly and will have an ultrasound (biological profile – checking their development) and blood pressure check weekly until the boys arrive. At my appointment yesterday my blood pressure level was a bit elevated again (vs. my normal level) but still in the “acceptable” range. The boys checked out perfect on their ultrasound, so we’ve made it through another week. I should get updated weight estimates at my appointment next week.

Have a great 4th of July weekend!

34 Weeks

*How far along? 34 weeks 4 days
*How big is baby? The babies are as big as honeydew during this 8th month.
*Genders? Two boys!
*Total weight gain? I am up around 40 lbs or so from pre-pregnancy weight. My doctor is very happy with this, as I am right on track for total twin pregnancy target weight gain.
*Maternity Clothes? All maternity clothes now! Not much fits well anymore.
*Stretch marks? They are still just the start of one’s which are concentrated around the middle part of my belly that is sticking out.
*Sleep? Very bad to poor. Depending on the day/night, I may only wake for bathroom breaks or other nights (like last night) I may be awake every hour trying to get comfortable or with slight belly pains.
*Movement? Everyday – their movements are a little more coordinated now and not so random & jittery.
*Food cravings? Anything frozen – ice cream, malts, frozen yogurt, slushies!
*Labor signs? Still nothing consistent at all but I seem to be getting a mixture of both Braxton Hicks & regular contractions from time-to-time.
*Belly button in or out? It’s “popped” all the way out; I don’t my “innie” left anymore.
*What I miss? Slim feet & seeing my ankle bones – my legs, ankles and feet are now constantly swollen that I have to constantly keep them elevated and try, as much as I can, to lay on my left side which has helped to reduce the amount of swelling.
*What I am looking forward to? Ultrasound on Wednesday – I get to see the boys again! This week I begin going to the doctor for weekly checkups until the boys arrive – also due to a high blood pressure scare I had last week and to keep that monitored.
*Best moment this week? I had a few of them – seeing the boys on ultrasound again and having them both make it over the 4 lb mark, putting up blinds in the nursery, cleaning & putting together a second swing & bouncer borrowed to us by my sister and just getting the nursery organized more in general.

Belly Shot Catch-Up

I know I have been totally slacking on posting these bi-weekly belly shot pictures!
Here are my belly pictures from weeks 26 - 34. (Kind of fun to see them in a row though!!)

26w5d


29w3d


32w6d


34w3d

Ultrasound Update

I just want to start this off with a little celebrating – I am 34 weeks today!! The 34 week mark has been a longtime goal of mine since the beginning of the pregnancy when we found out we were expecting twins.

Our ultrasound went great yesterday. The babies look great and they are both growing and developing right on track. Baby A is still in the head down (vertex) position and Baby B is higher up and laying sideways (transverse). Baby A is weighing 4 lbs 5 oz and Baby B is weighing 4 lbs 8 oz. This is great news!

The not-so-good news is that my blood pressure was elevated yesterday (140/90), so they had to run a test to check my protein levels (which came back normal) and then do a re-check of my blood pressure. The good news is that is dropped enough during our waiting period (130/82) as to now be in the “normal” range but this will be something they will keep a close eye on and could lead us to an induced delivery of the babies. I will now begin going to the doctor weekly and have my blood pressure re-checked and along with an ultrasound each week until the boys arrive.

33 Week Update

Looking back at the beginning of my pregnancy, 34 weeks seemed like a long way off and now I can’t believe that I am 1 day away from reaching that milestone. I thank God & pray that he continues to give me & my body strength to continue this pregnancy until the boys are ready to come into this world.

After delaying the decision & ordering of the dresser for the nursery (we ordered it just last week from Babies ‘R Us) it has arrived! Cory & I made a trip to Babies ‘R Us on Saturday to pick it up – it was very exciting to get it home & in the nursery and also to begin putting clothes & other items in it, which is making the nursery look & feel more organized & complete.

Father’s Day was on Sunday and even though Cory is a Father-to-be this year, I got him a gift. He has been so helpful throughout this entire pregnancy, I can’t thank him enough & could not have done it without him. For his gift I gave him the go-ahead to pick out running boards for his truck – not a big deal for me but he was very excited & has wanted to purchase some since the day he bought his truck. Monday night we were down at my sister’s house for a CPR class which included both adult & infant instructions. It is very valuable knowledge that I have wanted to learn for a long time now. I hope I never have to use it but am glad that I have the knowledge. Today we have another ultrasound, which I am so excited for. We get to see the boys again and see how much they’ve grown and see what their current estimated weight are. I am hoping they’re into the 4 lb. range now.

33 Weeks

*How far along? 33 weeks 4 days
*How big is baby? The babies are as big as honeydew during this 8th month.
*Genders? Two boys!
*Total weight gain? I am up around 30-35 lbs or so from pre-pregnancy weight.
*Maternity Clothes? All maternity clothes now! Not much fits well anymore.
*Stretch marks? They are still just the start of one’s which are concentrated around the middle part of my belly that is sticking out.
*Sleep? Very bad to poor. Depending on the day/night, I may only wake for bathroom breaks or other nights (like Saturday night) I may be awake every hour trying to get comfortable or with slight belly pains.
*Movement? Everyday – their movements are a little more coordinated now and not so random & jittery.
*Food cravings? Anything frozen – ice cream, malts, frozen yogurt, slushies!
*Labor signs? Nothing consistent at all but I seem to be getting a mixture of both Braxton Hicks & regular contractions from time-to-time.
*Belly button in or out? It’s “popped” all the way out; I don’t my “innie” left anymore.
*What I miss? Making a “quick” run to Wal-Mart for groceries without being wore out by the end of the trip!
*What I am looking forward to? Ultrasound on Wednesday – we get to see the boys again and see how much they’ve grown!
*Best moment this week? We had a couple this week – we had a fun time getting some maternity pictures taken. I still have to get the photos on CD but when we were previewing them on our friends camera – it looked like we got some good shots. We also were able to pick up the dresser we ordered from Babies ‘R Us this weekend so it is really nice to have that in the nursery and to start putting more clothes away & getting more organized.

P.S. I promise to get some updated belly shots uploaded this week - I've been slacking & am way behind - sorry!!

32 Week Update

The weeks have just been flying by for me lately but we’ve been getting a lot done on the baby-front so that makes me feel better. Last Friday, Cory & I headed to Babies ‘R Us for the afternoon and bought a bunch of things that were still left on our registry. We also made a couple other stops and got me a couple more shirts (slowly, even my longest maternity shirts have been getting too short) and Cory picked out a pack of cute-patterned onesies.

This past weekend was kind of rainy so we got a little shopping done including looking at video cameras, which we still want to buy before the boys arrive. My parents are enjoying a week’s vacation at a cabin this week, so on Sunday we went up to visit them and were able to fit in a boat ride and some fishing, which was a blast – especially with my little nephew along.

Last night I had a friend of ours take some maternity pictures of me and some including Cory as well. Just previewing the images on her camera, it looks like we got some good shots. I will try to get a CD with the pictures on it in the next few days & get some posted, so be watching for that!

Also on my work front – full days in the office were starting to really wear on me, so beginning this week I am working a half day in the office and a half day from home. I am so lucky & appreciative that my company & boss are so accommodating. This allows me time during the day to be at home and elevate my feet, as I’ve had some swelling issues in the past week or so.

32 Weeks

*How far along? 32 weeks 4 days
*How big is baby? The babies are as big as squashes during this 7th month.
*Genders? Two boys!
*Total weight gain? I am up around 30 lbs or so from pre-pregnancy weight.
*Maternity Clothes? All maternity clothes now! I even had to buy a couple of longer shirts this weekend as a lot of the shirts I had are getting too short.
*Stretch marks? Bad news – they are starting to form around the middle part of my belly that is sticking out the farthest – the boys seem to love to settle into that particular spot. They aren’t too bad at this point, so we’ll see where it goes from here.
*Sleep? More & more difficult each day – some nights sleep seems to be non-existent. Last night I moved to the couch right after midnight and that seemed to help for my sleep position. That may be my new bed.
*Movement? Everyday – it doesn’t seem like they’re moving body positions as much anymore, but I could be wrong on that.
*Food cravings? Anything frozen – ice cream, malts, frozen yogurt, slushies!
*Labor signs? None really – nothing consistent at all but I seem to be getting a mixture of both Braxton Hicks & regular contractions from time-to-time.
*Belly button in or out? It’s “popped” all the way out; I don’t my “innie” left anymore.
*What I miss? Sunny days – that past couple weeks have been off-&-on rain, which I know we need but I love warm, sunny summer days!
*What I am looking forward to? I’m having a friend take some maternity pictures of me (including some with Cory). She does a really good job and I thought I’d be a good way to capture this time in our lives to look back on.
*Best moment this week? Cory & I had a fun afternoon at Babies ‘R Us ordering the dresser for the nursery and getting to rest of the items that were still left on our registry that we really needed.

31 Week Update

I was able to enjoy a day off of work and Cory & I were able to enjoy another relaxing camping trip this past weekend, along with my parents & aunt/uncle. The weather cooperated with us for the most part and I was even able to get a little bit of fishing in with my parents. On Sunday when we got back home & unpacked, my sister came over and helped me sort through all of the clothes I had and all of the clothes I got as gifts to see what I had too much of and what I still needed. She was such a big help – I thank her very, very much! My grandparents are also in town for a couple weeks so I was able to visit with them for a short while on Sunday evening out at my parents’ house.

This week Cory & I have been busy continuing to work on nursery items – our second crib mattress came in, so that is great to have purchased; I have taken tags off of & washed a ton of clothes/bibs/burp rags & blankets we received as gifts; we also have both the bouncer & the swing put together (as of last night). I feel like we are making progress which makes me a bit more relaxed.

I also had a checkup appointment with the doctor yesterday. I saw a different doctor this week because my normal doctor is out on vacation. It was actually kind of interesting getting another doctor’s prospective on my pregnancy & twin pregnancies in general. Everything is still looking good and everything seems to be right on track – we thank God everyday for good health & growth without complications for both me & the babies!

31 Weeks

*How far along? 31 weeks 4 days
*How big is baby? The babies are as big as squashes during this 7th month.
*Genders? Two boys!
*Total weight gain? I am up around 30 lbs or so from pre-pregnancy weight.
*Maternity Clothes? All maternity clothes now!
*Stretch marks? None yet – keeping my fingers crossed!
*Sleep? More & more difficult each day – some nights sleep seems to be non-existent.
*Movement? Everyday – my favorite part of this still is when Cory can see & feel them moving and interacts with them.
*Food cravings? My new favorite snack is frozen Yoplait Whips yogurt – strawberry – so yummy!!
*Labor signs? None really – I believe I’m having Braxton-Hicks contractions daily but nothing consistent at all.
*Belly button in or out? It’s “popped” all the way out; I don’t my “innie” left anymore.
*What I miss? My energy.
*What I am looking forward to? Cory & I are making a final “big” trip to Babies ‘R Us this weekend sometime to get everything else from our registry that we still need.
*Best moment this week? I had a blast camping & fishing with my parents this past weekend. It was nice to get the camper out for a second time this summer (maybe the only other time until after the babies are born) and enjoy the outdoors (although Saturday turned out to be a little rainy). I also made a lot of progress on the boys’ clothes with the help of my sister yesterday – thank you!! It was also great to visit with my grandparents last night, who are in-town for a couple weeks.

30 Week Update

It’s official – we’ve finally hit the BIG 3-0!! No, I’m not talking years (although both Cory & I will be hitting this milestone later this year), I’m talking weeks in my pregnancy. I am very excited to have made it this far & hope that both my & the babies’ good health continues.

Last Wednesday we had another ultrasound & checkup. The boys looked great and got all their “points” during the ultrasound (meaning that everything the ultrasound tech was checking for health & organ wise looked great). Baby A was estimated at 3 lbs and Baby B was estimated at 3 lbs 6 oz. Cory guessed within 2 oz of each what their weights were going to be – the ultrasound tech was impressed! Baby A was head down (vertex) & very low and Baby B was still laying sideways (transverse) & very high (but not quite in my ribs – yet!!). They are starting to run out of room in there but still have time & space to move around before labor hits, so it’s still on unknown if we’ll have to have a scheduled c-section or not. We tried to get some 3-D shots of the boys but since they are running out of room in there, it was very difficult. I guess we’ll just have to wait to see them more clearly the good-old-fashioned-way…….at birth!!!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend camping. The weather was great (a bit hot, but bearable) and we spent almost the entire time outdoors – relaxing. Bailey had a blast too! She was really wiped out when we got home on Monday morning – she slept most of the day. I really can’t wait to take the boys on their first camping trip, which will probably end up being next year. Both Cory & I grew up camping during the summertime and we love the outdoors – so I can’t wait to share these passions with our boys.

On the nursery home-front, we picked out & ordered blinds for the nursery last night. They are estimated to take 2-3 weeks to come in, so we’ll see if they are here before the boys arrive. I’m crossing my fingers that they are!! I also picked out some fabric last week and am having a good friend make bed skirts for the cribs. She is so awesome for doing this for us and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

30 Weeks

*How far along? 30 weeks 5 days
*How big is baby? The babies are as big as squashes during this 7th month.
*Genders? Two boys!
*Total weight gain? I am up around 30 lbs or so from pre-pregnancy weight.
*Maternity Clothes? All maternity clothes now! I’m even starting to have the issue of some of the “larger” shirts becoming too short.
*Stretch marks? None yet – keeping my fingers crossed!
*Sleep? More & more difficult each day – bathroom breaks are still frequent and rolling over is pretty much impossible without putting myself in pain.
*Movement? Everyday – I don’t consume a lot of caffeine but when I do, it’s an all-out circus in there.
*Food cravings? My new favorite snack is frozen Yoplait Whips yogurt – strawberry – so yummy!!
*Labor signs? None really – I believe I’m having Braxton-Hicks contractions daily but nothing consistent at all.
*Belly button in or out? It’s “popped” all the way out; I don’t my “innie” left anymore.
*What I miss? Clothes that fit.
*What I am looking forward to? Another weekend full of camping & fishing and just relaxing.
*Best moment this week? It was great seeing the boys again on an ultrasound last Wednesday. Everything checked out perfect and they are growing well, which was great news – Baby A is around 3 lbs. and Baby B is around 3 lbs. 6 oz.!

29 Week Update

Well, here we are – the last week in the 20’s…I’m so excited to be hitting the 30 week mark tomorrow. Each week that passes without complications is a blessing and that’s how we’re taking it – week-by-week!

Last Friday afternoon I worked from home because my hands & feet were really starting to swell up at work because it was really hot & humid in the office – being at home really helped out a lot. Cory put up the closet organizer in the nursery that afternoon and I played around with its design Saturday morning (it’s a re-arrangeable one). Saturday morning I also did a little summer maternity clothes shopping and picked up some shorts, capris and tank tops. Saturday afternoon I went to a baby shower for Cory’s cousin’s wife who is due and expecting a little boy at the end of June – it was a rubber ducky themed party and had a ton of fun games and beautiful decorations! Saturday evening I did a little more organizing in the nursery closet and Cory & I also put together the pack ‘n play. Sunday was my last baby shower which was with my mom’s side of the family. All of my aunts and almost all of my girl cousins were able to make it & we had a good time and I received a ton of nice gifts – Thank You everyone!!

This week has been dedicated to searching for a dresser to match the cribs (more difficult than I thought it would be), washing & organizing all thrift sale & second-hand clothing so I can see what we have and look through all the brand new items to see if we still need anymore. This afternoon we have an ultrasound, which I am really looking forward to so I can see the boys again. Tonight I’m also visiting some of the local fabric stores with a good friend to pick out some fabric; she will be making bed skirts for the cribs in plain dark brown to match the bedding we already have – she is the best!

29 Weeks

*How far along? 29 weeks 4 days
*How big is baby? The babies are as big as squashes during this 7th month.
*Genders? Two boys!
*Total weight gain? I am up around 25-30 lbs or so from pre-pregnancy weight.
*Maternity Clothes? All maternity clothes now! I had to break down this weekend and finally buy some more capris, shorts & tanks to add to my wardrobe with the warmer weather here for the summer.
*Stretch marks? None yet – keeping my fingers crossed!
*Sleep? More & more difficult each day – bathroom breaks are more frequent and rolling over is more difficult day by day. I’m getting up on average every two hours so I guess my body is starting to get trained for when the boys arrive!
*Movement? They have to be starting to run out of room to move around so freely in there but they still remain two active little boys in there.
*Food cravings? My new favorite snack is frozen Yoplait Whips yogurt – strawberry – so yummy!!
*Labor signs? None really – I believe I’m having Braxton-Hicks contracts daily but nothing consistent at all.
*Belly button in or out? It’s “popped” all the way out; I don’t my “innie” left anymore.
*What I miss? A good night’s sleep, although I know I’m still a long way away from that again.
*What I am looking forward to? Of course I’m really excited about seeing the boys at our next ultrasound on Wednesday. I’m also looking forward to camping & relaxing during the long Memorial Day weekend.
*Best moment this week? Passing my 3-hour glucose test! (This means no more worries about Gestational Diabetes at this time.) I also had a great time at my baby shower yesterday which was thrown by my godmother, cousin & sisters. It was nice to see and visit with all of my aunts and a couple cousins and the games were a blast. We also received a bunch of very nice presents including our baby monitors (yeah!!), bottles, onesies, hooded towels & hand-made blankets – thank you everyone!