3 months

I know, I know, this post is a week overdue but these kids are a full-time job :)  Plus, my semester is finishing up this week, so life has been a bit busy.

The kiddos are doing great!  We moved them into separate cribs last week because Rowan was scooting himself all over the crib.  We found him kicking Norah in the face.  He had a huge smile on his face...and Norah had her usual scowl.  At 3 months they are A LOT happier.  They love to smile and kick and play on their play mat.  They will usually scoot themselves or turn their heads whenever the TV is on so they can watch it.  They have been much more clingy too.  They LOVE to be held and rocked-especially when they are over tired.  Neither one likes to have "tummy time" but we are working on it.  They seem to like sitting in the bumbo, but not for more than 10 minutes at a time.  Both are in size 2 diapers and still wearing 3 month clothes, although some of it is getting a little short and tight.  Bath time is getting better.  They usually only scream when I take them out.  It is a fight to get them dried off and dressed.  Although you can't tell by these pics, they are both smiling a lot.  They always get a bit scared when I take the camera out, and all smiles go out the door.

Facts on the boy:
*Our pediatrician switched his formula and meds again because he still seemed so unhappy.  Now he is on hypoallergenic, lactose free formula and Zantac twice a day.  He seems happier.  He still gets himself so worked up sometimes and just can't be satisfied, but it is usually when he is really tired. Thank goodness for insurance because the formula isn't cheap.

*He is not sleeping through the night yet, but is doing a lot better.  He usually goes down around 7 and sleeps until 1 or 2.  Most of the time he wakes up screaming, so it is too hard to ignore him and let him try to fall back to sleep on his own.  And let's face it, I can't risk him waking up Norah in the middle of the night.  He is usually wide awake wanting to talk and play after eating at 2am and I am not, so he usually goes into the swing for the rest of the night.  He is napping usually 3x times a day. 

*When he is awake and happy, he never stops moving and he needs a lot of attention.  I'm a little worried about that he is going to be into everything once he starts getting mobile.  I think he will definately have an extroverted, type A personality when he grows up.

*Is not interested in his pacifier anymore...a good thing or a bad thing?  I haven't decided yet :)

*HATES his car seat!

"aww mom, do we really have to do this again?"

Facts on the girl:

*She is sleeping through the night most of the time.  Usually from about 8-6.  Every now and then she will still wake up around 1 or 2 and eat, but usually not.  She naps 3x/day too. She is still on a gentle protein formula and seems to be doing just fine with it.

*She is usually the happier and more content of the two.  She is able to play on her own without needing constant attention.  She, on the other hand, will probably be more of an introverted, quiet personality when she gets older. 

*Is easily satisfied by sucking her thumb and/or pacifier.

* I just don't have as many fun facts about her because most of the time she is pretty easy-going and only cries when she is hungry, tired...or jealous of the attention her brother is getting :)

Unfortunately, I don't have too many of them together right now.  It's rare that they are both happy at the same time...AND I remember to get the camera :)

Fresh out of the bath and ready for bed.  Thanks for the blanket Aunt Cheri!

As for Doug and I, we are doing quite well.  My semester is wrapping up, I just have to complete my 75 hours of gyne clinical by the end of May.  I started later than everyone else with hours, so while my classmates are already on their summer vacations...I have one more month to go.  At least all of my exams are taken and passed, and I have 2 of 5 total papers yet to write.  I just have one more year to go now.  I'm proud of myself for sticking with it right now.  There are many times I've thought about quitting or at least taking a break for awhile, but Doug has talked me out of it.  The sooner I finish, the sooner life will get back to normal.  I am looking forward to June, July, and August with no school or work.  And let's face it, you can be sure to find me glued to the TV during the Olympics this summer.

Happy Friday all.  I promise more updates once May is over :) 

A belated happy Easter!

two months

I'm a week delayed in this post, but better late than never.  The babes were 2 months old last week Sunday!  I told myself from the beginning that I wanted to get these kids on a strict schedule as quickly as possible, but I have come to realize that they are going to what they want to do-when they want to do it.  We ARE however, getting into a little bit of routine when it comes to playing and naps.  I continue to go to bed around 9pm and sleep un-interuppted until 1 or 2am, and then Doug will go to bed until he has to get up for work at 7am.  We are having fun, but quickly realizing we miss a lot of the little things we were able to do when we were without kids. It's one thing to take one baby out, but to take two is a lot more hassle. I miss our weekend trips to Home Depot. I miss eating dinner together. I miss being able to watch a 1/2 hour t.v. show un-interuppted.  BUT, we love these kiddos with our whole hearts and wouldn't change a thing :)

Some thoughts on Rowan at 2 months:

*he was 11lbs 15oz and 23 1/4 inches long at his 2 month visit
*he continues to be the fussier of the two
*our pediatrician thinks he may have reflux (because he grunts and fights us so much with eating) so after switching his formula with little improvement, he is now on Prevacid everyday
*he will usually give us one stretch of sleep in the late evening for 4-5 hours, otherwise is still eating roughly 4-6oz every 3 hours for the rest of the day.  Hopefully this will improve with the Prevacid.
*he LOVES to be held and snuggle on our chests much more so than his sister
*hasn't given us a true smile yet, but I think it is close
*likes the bouncy seat more than the swing, but needs pretty constant attention if he is not sleeping otherwise he will begin to fuss
*he has an umbilical hernia that we have to keep an eye on
*he has a fairly large hemangioma on his chest

And some thoughts on Norah:

*she was 11lbs 3oz and 23 inches at her check-up

*she is much more self-sufficient when it comes to sleeping

*she will usually give us two long chunks in the evenings of about 5-6 hours, and during the day will go 3-4 hours.  She also takes 4-6 ounces at a time.

*is by far the happier of the two and is usually content in either the bouncy or the swing, just as long as she has something to look at

*is smiling more each day...usually when we are changing her diaper

don't try to take her pacifier away from her

And some sibling love...sort of :)

it's like she knows he has her pacifier

Rowan has turned into quite the little scooter when he is on his belly

is it too early to learn to share?





announcing...

weeks 6 & 7

I can't believe these 2 kiddos are going to be 2 months old already next week.  At times the days can feel so long, but the time is flying by quickly!   

in 10 seconds...

                  

one month

I tried to plan their photo shoot around eating and nap so that they would be happy...but as you will soon see, it didn't go so well.  Oh well...this is how it is and I just couldn't find the energy to try again.  Maybe month two will be smoother :)

Some thoughts at one month:

*Both kiddos eat about 4 ounces of formula every 3 hours.  On a good night, they can go 4 hours.
*They are both sleeping in their crib at night...although it's not without a fight.
*They HATE bathtime and will scream their heads off the entire time.
*They fight over who gets the bouncy seat...the swing is only second best. 
*They are getting much better at head control, although they still tend to bobble around if not supported.
*They have not lost any of their dark hair yet.  I'm really hoping that they don't.

Rowan is definately the more fussy of the two, especially in the evening hours.  Doug has initiated baby yoga and it seems to help him feel better.  He also seems to calm down whenever we put music on for him.  This week he is definately the better eater of the two.  He is always quite squirmy and never seems to stop grunting while he is awake.  A good swaddle helps him to calm down and sleep well at night.  Nicknames include buddy, buddy boy, bubba, old man, mr. fussypants and brother.

Norah seems to enjoy her tummy time much more than her brother.  She is definately "daddy's girl" and loves to be held.  The pacifier is her friend.  She is definately not a dainty girl and is a much better burper than her brother.  She is the better sleeper two and we often have to wake her up to eat because her brother is hungry.  Her nicknames right now are baby, baby girl, sister, catfish, and narwhal (norahwhale) because of how much she was eating as a newborn :)

And yes, we are hanging in there.  We have been blessed to have wonderful family on both sides allowing us to sleep, nap, and get out for awhile.  We are having so much fun learning about and loving on these two kiddos.

meeting their family...



We've had a lot of family (near and far) come for visits in the last the few weeks...

 Auntie Nat & girl Jelsema cousins

Kooyenga cousins

Auntie P

 Van Wyngarden cousins

Grandpa & Grandma Van Wyngarden

Great Grandma Voss

Grandpa & Grandma Sasveld