First Halloween

 

Henry Abram and Mary Catherine

almost five months (November 3rd)

Bath Time

mary catherine and henry

things are going well.  i have not  blogged in forever because life has been so busy.  home schooling three children with infant twins is very time consuming.  i often think about the things i would want to blog about, but never seem to find the time.  i will attempt to update you very briefly.

lately, these are things we have noticed.  my friend sharon told me that her twins switch personalities, but i am not sure how often this happens.  our twins do switch fussiness levels.  for awhile we called mary catherine, "princess fussy pants", but lately we have "high maintenance henry" instead and she's so calm and sweet.

mary catherine has been blowing raspberries like crazy.  she also loves to lie under the jungle gym thingy that has animals hanging down.  she reaches and grabs all of the animals, especially 'mr. banana-man'.  she coos and babbles the entire time she's awake.  mc only wants to be held upright so she can look around.  she will no longer allow anyone to hold her cradle style.  i remember kinz and kerr being the same way.  it makes me a little bit sad.  she will let me do it for a little bit. 

henry can coo and babble, but doesn't do it as often or as much.  (hmm...fulfilling stereotypes already?) he does a lot of squealing when you are talking to him.  he will give you a million dollar smile however!  he has the kind of smile that just lights up his entire face.  he still has to be swaddled with his arms in during naps and night time.  i have this vision of henry at 3 years old and jason and i wrapping and rolling him in twin sized blanket before bed, "okay henry, it's time for bed!  arms by your side buddy!"

even though the girls are fabulous with the twins, sometimes the twins just want jay and I to hold them.  if they are fussy they can only be calmed by us, and sometimes only by me, which can be a problem.  thankfully times like that are few and far between. 

overall, things are going well.  i intended to blog more often to share the daily drab, but it's just not possible.  i am sure i will lose the pathetic following that i had to begin with, but what can you do? 

Cousins

We tried to take some pictures when Parker came over for dinner.

"You didn't want to see her did you?"

I like to call this one, "Parker and her homeys."  It looks like she's saying, "What Then?"

She just has to touch her.

Mary Catherine

Fifteen Weeks

Mary Catherine and Henry @ Fifteen Weeks

They are jabbering away about something the entire time that they are awake. Mary Catherine rolled over from belly to back on my bed the other day. They are still sleeping well and eating well. I think my milk is low, but I am trying some things to bring it back. I pray it recoups.

Bath Time

We've moved from baby bath tub to the real tub.  I just put a little bit of water in the bath and put them both in there.  I did this with Jackson as well and I thought it was so much easier and saved on water.

Henry is hysterical.  I will get video next time, if I remember.  He flips around like a fish out of water.  He thrashes his arms, knocking Mary Catherine in the face, and keeps turning his face likes he's trying to drown himself.  While he's doing this he has a panicked look on his face somewhere between excitement and fear.

Mary Catherine is happy as a clam and just vigorously kicks her legs, like her cousin Parker!

Henry and Mary Catherine @ 14 weeks

10 lbs 14 oz & 10 lbs 4 oz

Swaddling

I am a huge fan of swaddling babies.  I strongly believe it is the reason that all of my babies have been good sleepers.

Now that the twins are three months and getting bigger I have been trying to wrap them with their arms out.

Unsuccessfully.

Last night they slept terribly because of their thrashing arms.  They were up several times during the night and when breastfed babies wake up during the night, guess what they want to do?  EAT.  I am not sure if bottlefed babies are the same, but I suspect so.  So, after weeks of sleeping through the night they are acting like they are 8 weeks all over again.  I don't mind nursing them during the night, it's just that nursing two babies requires more stuff and more work.  You can't lie down and go back to sleep when nursing twins.

After they ate at 6 am, I wrapped them with arms in the swaddle.  Henry was so mad.  He was struggling to get them out like he was in a straightjacket.  Eventually he gave up and slept well until right now.  He's starting to stir.

Three Months Old

The babies were smiling away until the flash and then all I got were these sullen faces!

I tried over a dozen pix with the same results!

Henry and Mary Catherine are three months today!

Things are going well. It's been a tough three months, but worth all of it.

Just to update you on the latest, if you have been a blog follower.

~The babies nurse exclusively. I was hopeful through all the trials that we would get to this point eventually and I'm so glad that I stuck it out. It's been this way for about a month. I know that nursing is not for everyone, but I will say that I am so glad that I am able to do it. Calming a fussy baby by nursing it is so easy and when you have two babies it can be a life saver.

~Henry's weight gain is going okay. He gains about 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce a day, so that is within the normal range. Considering he spits up about an ounce a feeding, I'm thankful he gains that much.

~The yeast issue is being held at bay right now. I have been pain-free nursing for a couple of weeks. I can still *feel* it, but I am not experiencing the level of pain that I was. I have exhausted all remedies and medication known to me via friends and Internet. It is and has been up to the Lord to fix. If it returns to the level I experienced before it might cause me to stop nursing. It is excruciating.

So, that is the update for us right now. If you missed the *saga* of our last three months, please feel free to read the earlier posts.

We're very blessed to have healthy happy babies. It seems like they've been here much longer than three months. We are all adjusting well to their arrival. Someone just asked me today if it has been harder adjusting to having five children. I think the thing that is the most difficult is leaving the house. There is very little time between feedings and I cannot nurse them in public. If I feed them bottles then I have to pump at that time to keep up my supply. So, overall I don't go out unless absolutely necessary.

I know this is just a *season* of life, so it's okay. But if you are wondering why you have not seen me much or heard from me much it's because we're here feeding and taking care of the twins.