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