For the first time in 2 1/2 weeks, Adam slept thru the night! That definitely warrants a happy dance! So it may be a one time deal because he was still sleepy from shots...at least it was 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep for me! He was up at 5:45 with a very empty belly--I could hear the milk hit the bottom of his tummy as I nursed him. Sara was stirring so I fed her, too, on my quest to get them back on a schedule over the next month. Adam was still sucking on his thumb hard and breathing heavy. I thought he might like some added breakfast since he had skipped a meal in the middle of the night. Happy dance again! 2t of oatmeal and a spoonful of peaches...that sounds like it could be a song! He seemed a little uncertain when I would give him a bite of the peaches by itself. I got a look like 'mom, am I really supposed to eat this?' I would smile at him, shake my head, and say 'yum!' All went well until the hiccups brought a little up. Once his tummy calmed down, he fell back asleep and I laid him snuggled next to Sara. They are still napping while I am enjoying breakfast.
Hopefully the rain will stay away and Shannon and I can get outside to do the work needed in the flower bed. Seems a little odd with frost on the ground right now!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Great day for a nap!
I thought I would post a couple pictures from the kids' great nap day after their shots. Adam is definitely the squirmer. Every morning I wake up I find him turned so his head is snuggled against Sara's tummy. Maybe I should just lay him that way to begin with and see if he sleeps through the night!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
6 month pediatrician update
The kids visited Dr. Neese today and, as always, we got a great report.
Adam -- 13lb 9oz, 25 1/4" long, 43cm head circumference
Sara -- 12lb 7oz, 24" long, 40cm head circumference
That's a 1lb 9oz/1.75" gain for Adam! No wonder he's hungry all the time. And a 15oz/1" gain for Sara. Adam's head size showed quite an increase on the curve this time so we discussed whether a head ultrasound would be necessary to see if there is anything going on. While this age would be a good timeframe to schedule one, Dr. Neese is not concerned because he had the same jump with his length and typically you look for head size growth to match height growth.
Compared to other babies his age, Adam is in the 1% for weight and 10% for length. Sara is 2% for weight and 4% for length. Gestationally corrected, Adam is in the 25% for weight and 50-75% for length. Sara is 25% for weight and 50% for length. Interesting to me that when they were born, Sara was 1" longer and now Adam is 1.25" longer.
He thinks they look 4-5 months developmentally and is very pleased with their progress.
We discussed food options and he suggested trying to switch them to oatmeal rather than rice because rice can make them constipated. This was certainly backed up by Sara great efforts ast night to poop - her face turned beat red whenever she would push and I thought she was going to pop a blood vessel! Since Adam has been on cereal for a few weeks he can start getting fruits and vegetables and maybe doing 2 meals a day instead of just 1. I talked to him about Adam being up in the middle of the night and he just said he's hungry because he's growing so much right now.
They received their 4 month shots today (3 shots in the thigh and 1 oral medication) and will go back for their 6 month shots in December. Adam cried but got over it quickly. Sara screamed and was not happy at all. More meat on her thighs doesn't help the pain! He suggested they do not need the H1N1 vaccination because of the other immunizations they are receiving. Shannon and I can consider it but we should get a flu shot for sure.
I did ask his opinion regarding keeping them inside more during winter months to protect them from illness since they were preemie. His opinion was the cold weather should not be an issue for them since they aren't newborn. But we should steer clear of some things during the cold & flu season. Church is about the worst place we can be and if there are large family gatherings for the holidays, we should just visit for a few hours rather than stay 3-4 days and definitely don't host a gathering at our house. Shannon and I will have to discuss Dr. Neese's thoughts and decide how we want to apply that to our schedule.
The kids are snoring in their car seats, still in their PJ's, and enjoying the Tylenol they already received before heading home. I snuck in lunch. Rainy day - good nap day!
Adam -- 13lb 9oz, 25 1/4" long, 43cm head circumference
Sara -- 12lb 7oz, 24" long, 40cm head circumference
That's a 1lb 9oz/1.75" gain for Adam! No wonder he's hungry all the time. And a 15oz/1" gain for Sara. Adam's head size showed quite an increase on the curve this time so we discussed whether a head ultrasound would be necessary to see if there is anything going on. While this age would be a good timeframe to schedule one, Dr. Neese is not concerned because he had the same jump with his length and typically you look for head size growth to match height growth.
Compared to other babies his age, Adam is in the 1% for weight and 10% for length. Sara is 2% for weight and 4% for length. Gestationally corrected, Adam is in the 25% for weight and 50-75% for length. Sara is 25% for weight and 50% for length. Interesting to me that when they were born, Sara was 1" longer and now Adam is 1.25" longer.
He thinks they look 4-5 months developmentally and is very pleased with their progress.
We discussed food options and he suggested trying to switch them to oatmeal rather than rice because rice can make them constipated. This was certainly backed up by Sara great efforts ast night to poop - her face turned beat red whenever she would push and I thought she was going to pop a blood vessel! Since Adam has been on cereal for a few weeks he can start getting fruits and vegetables and maybe doing 2 meals a day instead of just 1. I talked to him about Adam being up in the middle of the night and he just said he's hungry because he's growing so much right now.
They received their 4 month shots today (3 shots in the thigh and 1 oral medication) and will go back for their 6 month shots in December. Adam cried but got over it quickly. Sara screamed and was not happy at all. More meat on her thighs doesn't help the pain! He suggested they do not need the H1N1 vaccination because of the other immunizations they are receiving. Shannon and I can consider it but we should get a flu shot for sure.
I did ask his opinion regarding keeping them inside more during winter months to protect them from illness since they were preemie. His opinion was the cold weather should not be an issue for them since they aren't newborn. But we should steer clear of some things during the cold & flu season. Church is about the worst place we can be and if there are large family gatherings for the holidays, we should just visit for a few hours rather than stay 3-4 days and definitely don't host a gathering at our house. Shannon and I will have to discuss Dr. Neese's thoughts and decide how we want to apply that to our schedule.
The kids are snoring in their car seats, still in their PJ's, and enjoying the Tylenol they already received before heading home. I snuck in lunch. Rainy day - good nap day!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
All about Sara
When I was rocking Adam back to sleep at 3:45 this morning (it's never good when he looks at you in the middle of the night with eyes wide open and starts talking to you..."ooohhh") I realized that a lot of the blog lately has been about Adam. Adam standing. Adam eating rice cereal. Adam's physical therapy. Adam kicking Sara in the crib. Adam not sleeping through the night. Adam rolling over.
What about Sara?
So this post will be all about Sara. It's like when I was in college and my mom thought nothing was going well. That's because I only called home when something major happened and something major usually meant something bad about my day. So with Sara, there hasn't been anything major - bad or good. Just plugging along one day at a time. But when I think about it, a lot of little things add up, too. It's just that I see the kids every day so I have to pause to celebrate when it's small steps.
First of all, I love that Sara's hair is getting longer. There was a while there that she was at that bald state and had Shannon's hairline. It's not as dark or as thick as when she was born but it's very soft and fluffy.
At this point, it appears that Sara's eyes will be staying blue. We find it interesting that we might have a boy that looks like Shannon but has my eye color and a girl that looks like me but has Shannon's eye color. And not really Shannon's color so far, either. His are more blue/green that can change color depending on his shirt. Sara's are bright blue, very vibrant when she looks at you and they sparkle. If her hair stays sandy brown like it is, that will be very unique.
Sara has been talking up a storm lately. And giggling! She loves to look at you and talk to you. Her eyes light up, her little lips curl into a big smile, she puts her hands together, and just talks and talks. Even looking in the mirror she can amuse herself for quite some time.
She finally decided a few days ago that she would like rice cereal. And not just a little - she usually takes between 11 and 14 teaspoons mixed with breast milk for dinner. Keep in mind that is after I have nursed her! Her mouth pops open like a little bird when she is ready for a bite. The trick with her is that from time to time, she wants to stop and suck her thumb. So I wipe her mouth a little so it doesn't get smeared all over and then let her suck away. When the thumb comes out, she's ready for another bite! Pretty good communicator.
We have recently seen Sara lean to sit up more rather than be slightly reclined in her high chair. She also helps when pulling to sit up and has started putting weight on her legs. Can't be a lumpling forever!
Let's see...what else is awesome about Sara? Oh yes - she is still sleeping through the night! She's usually asleep between 8-9pm and wakes between 6-7am.
That's my girl!
What about Sara?
So this post will be all about Sara. It's like when I was in college and my mom thought nothing was going well. That's because I only called home when something major happened and something major usually meant something bad about my day. So with Sara, there hasn't been anything major - bad or good. Just plugging along one day at a time. But when I think about it, a lot of little things add up, too. It's just that I see the kids every day so I have to pause to celebrate when it's small steps.
First of all, I love that Sara's hair is getting longer. There was a while there that she was at that bald state and had Shannon's hairline. It's not as dark or as thick as when she was born but it's very soft and fluffy.
At this point, it appears that Sara's eyes will be staying blue. We find it interesting that we might have a boy that looks like Shannon but has my eye color and a girl that looks like me but has Shannon's eye color. And not really Shannon's color so far, either. His are more blue/green that can change color depending on his shirt. Sara's are bright blue, very vibrant when she looks at you and they sparkle. If her hair stays sandy brown like it is, that will be very unique.
Sara has been talking up a storm lately. And giggling! She loves to look at you and talk to you. Her eyes light up, her little lips curl into a big smile, she puts her hands together, and just talks and talks. Even looking in the mirror she can amuse herself for quite some time.
She finally decided a few days ago that she would like rice cereal. And not just a little - she usually takes between 11 and 14 teaspoons mixed with breast milk for dinner. Keep in mind that is after I have nursed her! Her mouth pops open like a little bird when she is ready for a bite. The trick with her is that from time to time, she wants to stop and suck her thumb. So I wipe her mouth a little so it doesn't get smeared all over and then let her suck away. When the thumb comes out, she's ready for another bite! Pretty good communicator.
We have recently seen Sara lean to sit up more rather than be slightly reclined in her high chair. She also helps when pulling to sit up and has started putting weight on her legs. Can't be a lumpling forever!
Let's see...what else is awesome about Sara? Oh yes - she is still sleeping through the night! She's usually asleep between 8-9pm and wakes between 6-7am.
That's my girl!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Adam rolls over
Sara got up early this morning and had breakfast with me while Adam took a little cat nap. He needed it since he got up twice in the middle of the night! So as Sara was winding down, I heard Adam start to make noises. Walking in the nursery to check on him, he had rolled over from his back to his tummy and had a big grin on his face!
Ready to start the day now, I got him dressed and decided since he was so full of energy, I would put him on his playmat for some tummy time. I laid him down and put his arms under him. When I let go, he flopped his arms down, stretched one arm straight above his head and rolled over from his tummy to his back. Just like that. No effort. Just decided today would be the day. What a big boy!
Ready to start the day now, I got him dressed and decided since he was so full of energy, I would put him on his playmat for some tummy time. I laid him down and put his arms under him. When I let go, he flopped his arms down, stretched one arm straight above his head and rolled over from his tummy to his back. Just like that. No effort. Just decided today would be the day. What a big boy!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Crazy night
Who says twins are exactly alike?
8:00pm -- Sara heads to bed. Adam naps in the swing.
9:30pm -- Too many middle of the night feedings...I head to bed. Adam wakes up for a bottle.
10:30pm -- Adam heads to bed.
2:30am -- Adam has a middle of the night meal. Sara sleeps through.
5:30am -- Adam has early morning breakfast. Sara sleeps through.
7:15am -- Adam is chatty in his crib so Shannon gets him up to enjoy breakfast. I sleep in. Sara agrees.
8:30am -- Adam goes down for a nap. Sara? Still not up.
9:30am -- Both are starting to stir.
This was the scene at 7:15 this morning when Shannon went in. Adam was talking to her 'Sara get up and play with me!' Sara kept trying to tell him she was still sleeping. That was evident because once the wrestling match was broken up, she went right back to sleep.
8:00pm -- Sara heads to bed. Adam naps in the swing.
9:30pm -- Too many middle of the night feedings...I head to bed. Adam wakes up for a bottle.
10:30pm -- Adam heads to bed.
2:30am -- Adam has a middle of the night meal. Sara sleeps through.
5:30am -- Adam has early morning breakfast. Sara sleeps through.
7:15am -- Adam is chatty in his crib so Shannon gets him up to enjoy breakfast. I sleep in. Sara agrees.
8:30am -- Adam goes down for a nap. Sara? Still not up.
9:30am -- Both are starting to stir.
This was the scene at 7:15 this morning when Shannon went in. Adam was talking to her 'Sara get up and play with me!' Sara kept trying to tell him she was still sleeping. That was evident because once the wrestling match was broken up, she went right back to sleep.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Happy birthday dad
One day late as far as the blog goes but we all wished Shannon Happy Birthday yesterday. Birthday kisses all around - although mine are a little more on target than Adam and Sara's. It is so much fun to see the kids enamored by Shannon. They know his voice and love to hear him talk about his day. When they see his face, theirs lights up into a big smile. I always thought he would be a good dad but he has certainly far exceeded my imagination! Always willing to jump in and match any duty I have tackled...well except nursing, of course. Sara tried a long time ago but it just left her frustrated. And I don't think he has tried trimming fingernails yet. But easy things like laundry, snuggles, feeding them bottles, and rocking them to sleep. Harder things like waking for middle of the night feedings, getting them dressed, comforting them when they cry, cleaning spit up, and giving them a bath. Challenging things like gross poopy diapers and feeding them rice cereal. He handles them in a unique way different than me but without him, our partnership wouldn't be complete, and our kids wouldn't be thriving as much as they are.
So Adam and Sara Mak say you're awesome dad...and I think you are pretty great, too!
So Adam and Sara Mak say you're awesome dad...and I think you are pretty great, too!
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