The Countdown Begins

When we found out my due date a while back, Doug said, "Heather, that is going to be a really busy time in my program and school will be tough." I don't know why I didn't grasp it then, but I didn't. The last 4 months have been stressful for my great husband. He has intense school and work schedules to deal with and then comes home to me--many times beside myself with frustration. He wakes up to burp a baby for every feeding in the middle of the night as well. We have both been looking forward to the end of June, when he'll complete his coursework for his PhD program and move on to work on his dissertation for a year and then internship for one year. It finally feels like it is getting closer!


Tonight I looked at the calendar and realized we're just 30 days away from the end of his summer term. I couldn't resist a childhood activity of making a paper chain counting down until that day. Now I just need to figure out what we'll do to celebrate.




It still looks so long...

Doug took this photo of me last night when we were up feeding the babies. We both look tired. I was burping Syd with her sitting on my nursing pillow and leaning forward...it's the easiest way with that big pillow around me.



Our cute babies are constipated most of the time. We are giving them iron and fortifying one bottle per day with formula. This is a recipe for disaster. Last night we opted to purchase suppositories for Ethan after a few attempts I made myself...


It's amazing the things you do to help your baby feel better. He was pretty miserable and had a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep. My brother, Dave, stopped by for the fun times.

Top Ten Things I Wish I Knew...

10 Weeks Ago! (when they came home)

10. Sometimes they just cry and you can't do much to stop it. It is just okay to listen to them cry.

9. Thumb sucking can be a very, very good thing.

8. Baths don't have to be only twice per week like the NICU nurses said.

Doug always says that I am too obedient.

7. Babies sleep better after a bath.

6. I can stop feeding them or put them down so I can grab something to eat.

I actually eat now - even if it's just a piece of bread!

5. Ethan does go to sleep - all he needs is a blanket touching his head

4. After being home for 8 weeks, they would start letting me get some sleep at night - it's really happening!

3. I can make a recliner with a few pillows and now when I set them down (to burp the other baby) they stay asleep and don't puke.

2. When they are sucking on their hands, crying, and rooting it doesn't mean they are hungry. They are usually tired.

1. Babies sleep in between every feeding - Ethan was sleeping 30-45 minutes per day before.

When I was alone without a second set of hands to rock him to sleep. He would fuss and act hungry right after I fed them and I would feed them all OVER AGAIN. Why does that sound so crazy now?

I guess that's what being a new mom is all about. I need to learn as I go - just wish I learned these things really fast!

Hey you guys! We're 4 months old!

Ethan is smiling in his sleep. It's the cutest.

Ethan had his doctor's appointment to look at his foot on Monday after we'd soaked off his cast Sunday night. Dr. Faux said his foot looked "perfect". He said it is exactly the way he wants it. He is back in the brace again (or as family and friends call it - his skateboard) and will wear it full time for 2 more months before moving to night and nap time only until he's 3 years old.

They love their baby gym. So glad they both fit still.

They are loving their baths. Sydney especially...

Adventures in BABYsitting

I love these babies. I am starting to adjust to having two babies at home, but still have my days where I wonder how I will brush my teeth. A few highlights from this last week:

My mom came over Monday and was helping me with the babies. She put them in the crib after I fed them and was talking to them. It was so adorable because they loved it.

When I burp Sydney, she has a cry that is really funny. She takes 'breaks' and even smiles and then gives me a sad face and bursts into tears. It makes me laugh - unless it's 3 am...

We've finally made the move from sleeping on their back to sleeping on their belly. I know this isn't recommended, but they sleep a WHOLE LOT better. The first night we tried it, they went 7 hours between feedings (too bad it takes about 2 hours to get them down to sleep after eating). We were thrilled.

I have gotten 'creative' in trying to get both babies settled when I feed them and I am by myself. Ethan usually wakes right up and starts fussing. In the past, I've just let them sleep on my nursing pillow, but then I don't leave the couch for hours (literally). So, my new solution is what I call their 'recliner' where I prop them up. It works beautifully. Ethan was sleeping so peacefully until I shot this video, but even still--he was calm! Woo hoo!

Another cast

My days blend together lately. I feed and burp babies and then change diapers and find a few moments to eat and brush my teeth. Showering is a bonus. I had to laugh today when I put E&S on their play mat right after feeding them, burping them, and changing their diapers. It's a good thing I love these guys so much.

You'll see in the video that Ethan had the tendonotomy on Monday in the doctor's office while Doug & I comforted him. I asked them to get some Sweet Ease from the NICU and mention it was for Ethan (he was a patient there so recently). I gave him the Sweet Ease (a.k.a. sugar water) while the doctor numbed his Achilles' area with a shot and then took a scalpel and made a very small incision and completely severed his tendon. He then immediately put a cast on his foot (bringing his foot flat, it's looked a little 'pointed' before).

The cast will be on his foot for 2 weeks and after that, the tendon should be completely healed, but longer. The doctor (Dr. Faux) said that there may be blood that seeps through the cast and form a red spot. He was right. I wanted to cry when I saw it. Dr. Faux said that he shouldn't be too fussy, but he doesn't know our Ethan. He's had a hard time. I've noticed if I set his cast down too hard, he cries in pain. I don't know how much more this sweet boy will have to handle. I admire his courage already.

Items on my wish list:

- Warmer weather for walks and jogging

- Faster eaters

- Easier burping

- Less spitting

- More sleeping at night

- No more thrush

- No stuffy noses and suctioning (Even if Syd nearly holds still for it when she realizes it helps her)

- No more pain for Ethan

Daddy's Little Monkeys

Doug had a very busy week this past week.  He had a huge (what I call) 'project' (which he calls his therapy comp) due Friday at midnight. I had a lot of family and friends help out because he was on gone all day and into the evening every day.  Our 4 year anniversary was Thursday but we weren't able to celebrate until Saturday.  

Friday night, my mom was over helping me and I decided to make some Super Charge Me Cookies that we both love and dress the babies in matching outfits (our only ones) that say "Daddy's Little Monkey" to celebrate him being finished.  They looked adorable, so of course we had to take a photo!  

Let me just start out and say how much I love this boy.  He is a tough baby.  He has some colic issues and is just really sensitive.  He gulps his milk (twice the speed of his sister when they have a bottle) and overeats and has some serious throw up issues.  In moments like this one, however, he makes me melt.

He is so animated and full of life.  I call him my "passionate boy" because it sounds a whole lot better than "fussy baby".  Life has been hard for him--and I remind myself of that when he is screaming with a burp and kicks his sister with his brace on my nursing pillow.  We are going to the doctor tomorrow morning at 8:30 am to look at his foot.  We find out tomorrow if the doctor will recommend surgery.  We are hopeful that the brace alone will do the trick, but remind ourselves that 90% of babies require this small procedure where they 'nick' his Achilles' tendon. Because he is so 'passionate', the doctor wants to put him under in the OR.  We're anxious to hear the doctor's recommendation.

So happy to celebrate being a mom today with my cute babies.  Mother's day hasn't been my favorite holiday.  I can hardly believe these babies are ours.  Prayers are answered, just not always on our timetable.  

Making it

I think my favorite thing to say to Doug these days is just that..."we're going to make it."  We average 3-5 hours of sleep each night and spend our days without naps at work and school (doug) and work and spending time with E&S (me).  They are getting bigger and starting to smile at us more and more.  We love that.

We have gotten pretty creative when trying to hold two babies at once.

We made Sunday dinner last week together and just when we were ready to eat, the babies woke up.  This was our solution.

Then, we've had great help and extra hands:
My parents

My brother, Matt

My mom

And many others.  I couldn't do it without them.

We've also had a horrible 3-person case of thrush.  I got desperate enough when the prescription wasn't working fast enough and they both nearly stopped eating.  We opted for Genitian Violet and sacrificed 3 onsies, 3 blankets, and 2 burp cloths to the purple liquid.  Here is Sydney just after we swabbed her mouth.  She wasn't a big fan.

Ethan fell asleep with me and I snapped a cute photo of him in our bed.  He is such a cuddly baby.  Both E&S have a cold or something as of today, so that makes them more cuddly.

Here is Sydney today.  She is starting to feel better after just 24 hours.  We started with echinacea and some saline in the nose as soon as we noticed a change in her yesterday.  

We're making it.