Show & Tell

We made our first road trip with Bennett & Kendyll this weekend. Tim's grandma, Mary, turned 80 over the weekend and the family had a big party to celebrate on Sunday. We made the 5+ hour round trip journey to help mark the occasion. B & K were all decked out in their finest and spent quite a bit of time being passed around. It was a big occasion for us, too, because it marked the first time B & K were out and about in a large group of people (yes, technically flu & RSV season is still in effect until the end of the month and we probably shouldn't have exposed them to so many people this early -- we have our fingers crossed that B & K didn't pick up anything while being passed around!). It was really nice to see some of Tim's extended family and we were happy to spend the afternoon celebrating a remarkable milestone.

On another note, the kids have turned a corner where sleep is concerned . . . they slept for over 5 hours straight Saturday night and in several 4 hour blocks over the weekend as well. Whoo-hoo! We'll see if we can keep this up!!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend event (including our first real family photo). We're going to have "real" pictures taken this coming weekend (thanks Sarah!), so keep an eye out for a post about that soon!





Bennett still needs to grow into some of his clothes (this cracked me up!):

Random

I have wanted to write about a few different things, so I thought I'd put them all here in this "random" post:

Sleep
We are still working on the sleeping in chunks of time thing, but we are cautiously optimistic that we turned a corner this weekend. Friday night our friends Mandy & Chad came over and B & K slept so, so well while they were here. I started to call Mandy the "baby whisperer" and told her if they slept well all night she was going to have to come over every night to put them to bed. :-) And they did sleep very well . . . only getting up for their feedings & then right back down. Score! Saturday we ran a bunch of errands (side note: we are FINALLY updating our kitchen, so keep posted for a blog entry on that . . . the joys of remodeling with infant twins!). . . B & K slept the entire time. We figured we were in for a LONG night, but they went down at 8:00, slept solid until 11:00 and then slept until 4 AM!!! I actually woke them, sort of . . . I shot out of bed and ran into their room -- both were sleeping, but starting to grunt & wake up. We fed them and they went back down until 8 am!! It was awesome!! Last night was a similar story . . . no fussing between feedings and lots of sleep for mommy & daddy! Tonight they went down at 8:00 again, but I've been upstairs 4 times for fussy babies, so we'll see what happens . . .

Eating
Bennett & Kendyll are up to eating between 3 & 4 oz a feeding. The pediatrician told us we could feed them up to half of their weight (i.e. since Bennett is almost 8 lbs, he can have up to 4 oz) -- anything more and they run the risk of becoming obese (a funny thought to me, especially since they were so tiny to begin with!). For some reason our "champ" eater, Kendyll, has been a bit off for the past week and Bennett has become the new "champ" (which is OK with us since Miss K has a whole pound on him!). Burping is a pain, too, and by far my least favorite part of motherhood. I'm proud to say that Bennett has finally gotten with the program and let a belch so loud and hard this morning that I almost dropped him! But Kendyll has now become much more difficult & time consuming to burp. Oh the phases they go through!

Tabasco
My first, furry baby. Everyone has been asking how he is doing and I'm happy to report he is fine. He has adapted to having the babies around pretty well and other than trying to take their toys every once & a while (and who can blame him -- they squeak just like his toys!) he has been very good. He still goes through his phase every night where he wants our undivided attention -- sometimes he gets it, sometimes he has to wait -- but overall he is the same. He is very protective of me & the babies and he still barks a TON, but thankfully it doesn't seem to phase B & K. :-)

Development Stuff
It is still too early to tell how or if B & K will be "behind" at all based on their prematurity. The pediatrician told us last week that their head control is consistent with a baby around a month old, but it really isn't anything to be alarmed about at this point. Kendyll is on the move these days . . . her legs are REALLY strong -- she pushes them on us when we hold her and she uses them to scoot around her crib. Twice last week I found her all the way to the side of her crib with her head near her crib bumper (remember how I mentioned we weren't supposed to have those in the cribs??). Well this morning I found miss on-the-move face FIRST into her crib bumper. Thankfully she was fine, but I spent the next 15 minutes taking down the bumper in both cribs. She was always on the move in her isolett & open crib in the NICU, too, so I think we have something to keep an eye on here! Bennett is finally starting to control his head more, too, and I think it is only a matter of time before he takes off and catches up with his sister. They say boys develop a little slower (especially preemie boys), so we're sure he'll get with the program soon.

Routine
We're still working on a real routine / schedule. Our nanny, Becca, has been trying hard to get B & K into a napping schedule during the day, but honestly they are still a little too young for that. We're trying to get into a new routine at night, too -- we try to fit in dinner, a walk, baby baths (which they are FINALLY starting to not hate as much . . . I won't go as far as to say they like them, but they don't scream like we're cutting off their arms anymore) and then jammies & bed. We try to have this all wrapped up by 8:00 -- oh, and if we're really good we'll fit in a book there somewhere. Hopefully we'll have this all worked out soon, but so far we're managing just fine.

Exercise
Tim & I used to go to the gym together in the morning before work before I got pregnant. Ten weeks of puking, nine weeks of bedrest and now taking care of two babies have caused me to boycott the gym for the past 10 months or so. Somehow, remarkably, I am smaller now than I was before I got pregnant. Seriously, I haven't been on the scale recently, but 2 weeks after my c-section I was 4 lbs lighter than when I started. And now that I'm back at work ALL of my work pants are huge on me. I told Tim I need to go shopping. And if you had told me a year ago that I'd be a mother of twins AND smaller than I was this time last year I would have said you were smoking crack!!!! I can not believe it! Now I'm not saying everything is nice, firm and tight (I did have twins for goodness sake!), but I'm all about my clothes fitting so well (or not fitting for the good reasons in this case). My exercise these days consists of taking walks with the dog & kids (thank God spring is finally here) and running up & down the stairs a million times a night to sooth a fussy baby in bed. Maybe I'll get back to the gym . . . someday.

Last, but not least -- Things I never thought I'd be able to do:
1. Feed two babies at one time (bonus: feeding one while burping the other).
2. Carry both "wet noodles" babies (read: limited head control) at the same time -- and up stairs at that!
3. Pick up a pacifier with my foot while holding both babies at one time and chuck it onto the couch so Tabasco wouldn't get it!
4. Walk the dog while pushing the stroller (especially difficult when there is another dog / animal / human near by because Tabasco goes nuts).
5. Give both babies a bath -- we still haven't tried them both at once, but I have mastered giving them both baths & getting them ready for bed by myself while Tim was traveling.

Here is a picture of the kids in one of their double strollers after our walk yesterday. Yay for spring!!

Yay -- Football!!!

Today is the spring games for Notre Dame (Tim's alma mater) and Ohio State (our hometown school & where Grandpa Z played football). I asked Tim if he thought ND would win their game today -- ha ha! :-) The kids have been all decked out in some of their gear over the past two days (thanks to Nana & Papa and the Moreland family!). Enjoy the pics!

PS -- for my fellow UD grads, they do have UD gear, too (thanks Mindy P!), but it is a little too big . . . we'll save that for the real football / b-ball season.

Role Reversal

This week has gone by fast. Work has been good and it is nice to be in a real routine again. B & K seem to have reversed roles over the past two weeks: Bennett used to be our mellow, good sleeping baby and Kendyll was the fussy, dramatic one. Now Kendyll is sleeping great (even falling asleep on her own) and Bennett is super fussy and won't sleep more than 2 hours at a time. Kendyll used to be our belching champ and it would take an act of God to get Bennett to let one go . . . now Kendyll takes FOREVER to eat and burp and Bennett is finishing all of his bottles and letting 'em rip. It is funny how they have changed . . .

This pretty much sums it up these days:

Two Months Old!!

Bennett & Kendyll turned two months old yesterday! Everyone was a bit cranky in the evening, so I couldn't really snap a good birthday shot, but we did get a few. They had their 2 month check-up & shots today. My how they have grown!!!

Bennett Michael
At Birth: 4 lbs 4 oz, 17.3 inches
Today: 7 lbs 9 oz, 20.5 inches
(although we think he is longer . . . we measured him at almost 22 inches over the weekend . . . I don't think the nurse had his leg pulled all the way straight!).

Kendyll Samantha
At Birth: 4 lbs 7 oz, 16.9 inches
Today: 8 lbs 11 oz, 20.5 inches

I survived my first day back at work and Tim survived his first full night at home on baby duty again last night (we had grandparents visiting over the weekend). All is going well and I'm going to try my hardest to continue to keep the blog updated, even though I'm back at work. :-)

Here are a few pictures from my debacle photo shoot last night. We'll try again later this week . . . it is time to break out the Notre Dame and Ohio State gear in honor of the spring games this weekend. Woo-hoo!!

One more day . . .

It has been a rough week for both Mommy & Daddy, but only one more day until our family is all together again. My new "bedtime" has backfired and I have now reverted to "expert" help . . . I bought a book this morning and I have a new plan of action . . . I don't want to say too much because I don't want to jinx myself, but I'll be sure to keep everyone updated on how it is going. Tim has one more day to survive in his M & A class at Northwestern. As much as it has been hell for me to go on 2 - 3 hours of sleep a night this week, it has been hell for him, too, to be in intense class every day (starting on Sunday) from 8a - 9p, plus doing his job after that. We have called in reinforcements . . . Grandma & Grandpa Z are coming to town tomorrow night to give us both 2 nights of good sleep. I'm going to need it to get ready for back to work next week!

I have to give a MAJOR shout-out to my cousins Leslie, Julia and Rachel. They have all been a HUGE support to me this week. While I thought I could be "super-mom" and do it all myself this week, they have offered their support by talking me through my craziness and coming to spend a few nights -- it is comforting just to have someone else around (and a help to feed a baby or two at times!). And thanks to my friends Mary & Erin for coming over to visit and joining me for dinner (and holding & feeding babies). :-)

Just a few new pictures . . . sorry I haven't put more updates out this week, but it has been a crazy one. Thanks to "Aunt" Pam and "Uncle" Larry for the cute onsies!! Enjoy!

New Bedtime

In preparation of Mommy going back to work next week, I am experimenting with a new bedtime for Bennett & Kendyll. Technically since they are developmentally less than one week old (and really only almost 8 weeks old) it is sort of too soon to put them on a real schedule. They eat every four hours (which I'd LOVE to adjust the times they eat, but I'm lucky to have them going every four hours so I'm not going to get greedy) and other than that there is no real schedule for their awake / sleep times. However, for the most part they have slept on & off between their 7p & 11p feedings and we have kept them near us, either sleeping in their boppy pillow or in their swing (or in our arms) during this time. For their next feeding at 11p we'd move them up to the nursery, play some lovely alternative rock while we feed them, put them in their cribs and wait for one or the other (or if we're really lucky BOTH) to be super fussy & awake between the 11p & 3a feedings (which most times I handled since I didn't have to get up to go to work the next day). They then would normally sleep solid between 3a & 7a and then solid again between 7a & 11a. Mommy would try to get some catch-up sleep in that last block, but since Mommy will now be at work during that time she thought it might be wiser to try to shift the sleeping pattern up a bit. I really don't mind if they are fussy & having a hard time falling asleep between 7p & 11p as long as they then sleep solid between all other feedings through the night (we're still dreaming of the day when they'll space out the night feedings even more, but I have a feeling that is still a ways off). And since Nanny Becca will be here at 8a every day, it also makes sense to have them awake (or at least up & out of their cribs) when she gets here. In theory, by waking them earlier (and not letting them sleep until 10:30a) it will hopefully help them settle down and sleep better at night.

So last night I was all proud of myself because I put them in their cribs and they fell right asleep after the 7p feeding and slept pretty much until 10:30p. Mommy practiced her new skill of feeding both at 11p (actually, at all of their feedings last night) and then put them back down hoping they would fall right back to sleep, however I was totally prepared for Miss High Maintenance Kendyll to be fussy. It was actually Mr. Laidback Bennett who was fussy last night and didn't go back down to sleep until 1:45a!!! It is one thing to leave him awake in his crib just chilling, but the poor little guy was upset about something and was only content if Mommy was holding him (I think he was missing his Daddy).

So far we're off to the same start tonight . . . they went down right after the 7p feeding and I'm trying to remain optimistic that we'll have a better outcome tonight. "Aunt" Leslie (one of my many savior cousins!) is on her way over tonight to provide some reinforcement. Hopefully I won't have to bug her too much, but it is nice to have another person around for support just in case.

On another note, Bennett & Kendyll took their first overnight trip to Nana & Papa's house this past weekend. They had a lovely time and came home in super cute new outfits. Enjoy!


I had to include this one, too, -- Tim snapped a picture of Bennett, deep in thought.

Mommy has a new skill . . .

I survived my first full night alone last night. It looked like it was going to start out pretty rough . . . Kendyll was gassy as usual and screaming and Bennett wanted some attention, too. I was able to get them to both to calm down (and actually watch some TV!), but by the next feeding time at 11:00 they were both SCREAMING to be fed. My normal routine alone is this: change Kendyll, stuff a pacifier in her mouth (which she doesn't really take), sit her in her boppy or swing (which she doesn't like), change Bennett (because he DOES NOT like to be dirty) and then sit him in his boppy or swing with a pacifier (which he loves both). I almost always feed Kendyll first for a couple of reasons: a) she is faster and eats like a maniac, b) she SCREAMS & YELLS until you feed her. Bennett will normally be a calm, patient baby -- sometimes even falling back asleep (remember the boy loves to sleep) -- and waits his turn after his sister. There is a big part of me that hates to always make him 2nd, but I gotta do what I gotta do.

As you may recall, the grandpas where here to help out this week, which was GREAT. Unfortunately, the twins somehow fell into a routine where they were both being fed at the same time (I guess the help is a double-edge sword . . . I never really thought they would get so far off the separate schedule). So last night my little routine did not work -- Kendyll was screaming bloody murder to be fed and Bennett was also screaming bloody murder to be fed. I could not bring myself to listen to my poor, sweet boy scream for food so I put Kendyll in her rocker/vibrating chair and Bennett in a swing and I stuck a bottle in both of their mouths. It ended up not being too bad . . . we still had to stop often to burp, but I managed OK. It ended up that the same thing happened again for the 7:00 feeding (I was able to keep them separate in the night feeding), but again it worked out well. Woo-hoo! So the grandpas in town was a double blessing . . . I had help (and sleep) for two days AND I was forced to learn that I can feed both at once . . . this cuts down on so much time!!

I tried to snap a picture of the aftermath last night, but of course my camera needs new batteries. Oh well!

Due Date

Today was my original due date. We can now refer to Bennett & Kendyll's "adjusted" or "corrected" age; because they are preemies, they are technically allowed a 7 week grace period developmentally because they were about 7 weeks early. What this means is that they may develop according to their "actual" age (based on their birthday) or they may develop according to their "adjusted" age (based on their due date) or they may develop somewhere in-between. Preemie parents often refer to their children this way -- Bennett & Kendyll are 7 weeks actual age, 0 weeks adjusted age. We're hopeful we won't really have to worry about this much (and honestly I find it very confusing, so I'm probably just going to refer to their actual age), but I thought I'd share this info for future reference. Most preemie babies catch up by age 2. As one other twin mommy shared with me (her twins were born 5 weeks early) -- "I didn't know any different, so when they started walking at 16 months it didn't phase me".

One of the things we do on a daily basis (OK, we TRY to do on a daily basis) is Tummy Time. They don't really care for it much and only last a few minutes, but this is supposed to help strengthen their necks and upper body. I try to fit it in when they are both happy to begin with and we rarely do it with both babies at the same time . . . they usually have a meltdown after a while (which is funny to me because they used to sleep on their bellies in the NICU isolettes).

7 Weeks Old!!

Can you believe Bennett & Kendyll turn 7 weeks old today?!?!? My how time flies!

Mommy is in a good mood today because Grandpa Z & Papa W arrived last night and offered to take all night shifts. Woo-hoo!! That meant 6+ straight hours of sleep for mommy!!! (although I did wake up periodically through the night).

My friend Elizabeth came over to join us for lunch today. And in typical B & K fashion, they both had HUGE #2 diapers while our guest was here. Lovely. The weather outside is very sunny (but not too warm) and we are all getting ready to make Tabasco VERY happy by going for a w-a-l-k around the block this afternoon (we have to spell the word in our house because Tabasco knows what it means . . . if you say it, you'd better be ready to go for one!).

I tried to snap a few new pictures today in honor of the birthday. Enjoy!!

PS -- a big thank you & shout out to my online friend Marie (a mommy of beautiful triplet girls!) for telling me how to put pictures side-by-side in my blog . . . now my posts don't seem like they scroll on forever! :-)