October 12, 2008

Wow...I have posted EVERYday since the boys were born, and then they FINALLY come home and where am I? Did you wonder? I am here, at home, with my family. Since the boys have come home, we have all endured a bit of a learning curve. Curt and I are learning to parent 3 children, instead of 1. We are also wrestling with Olivia, trying to help her adjust to life at home with two other babies, and let her know she's so so loved. She has DEFINATELY been testing us in the past 3 days. If we tell her red, she says green. She has been doing things very purposefully to test, and to act out. She is definately adjusting in her own way, but right now seems to be struggling a bit, and it comes out behaviorally. She will push the babies swings after being told not to (she pushes them like they'd like an under-duck). She pokes them when they're sleeping... I don't want her to feel like she can NEVER touch them, so we do let her touch them, hold them, play with them, etc. But...there ARE times when it's not okay for her to be touching them (like after they have had a rough time getting to sleep, when they are sleeping soundly, etc.). Not only will she do the thing that she shouldn't, but when told NOT to, she will go RIGHT back to do it again. OR she will yell at Curt or I and tell us we are "sassy" or that we are "not being listeners". I have tried SO hard to include her...getting diapers, helping with bottles, holding them, etc. We have also tried to be sure that she also gets ALONE time with us, so she knows how important SHE is to us. Curt took her outside for hours on Saturday which she love, and I took her shopping with me today, and then played Chutes and Ladders with her. She promptly went back to her "testing" behaviors after each of these things. We *know* her behavior is normal after bringing home babies, but it is SO hard. Her behavior thus far has been MUCH harder then care of the twins. But...we're getting through it!

The boys have been sweet, wonderful little guys. I have been lazy about pictures and will get some up soon! They are on an every 3 hour feeding schedule. They usually do NOT wake to eat, so we must wake them, every 3 hours, round the clock. Between that and pumping, there is not alot of sleep to be had ;) Curt and I have somewhat of a system here though. I take the 11pm/11:30 pm feedings, and the 2/2:30 am feedings, while he sleeps, and he takes the 4/4:30 am feedings and the 8/8:30 am feedings while I sleep in until 9 or 10. So we each get a little block of sleep at night. How that'll change when he goes back to work in a week, I don't know ;) I also pump after the 2/2:30 feedings, and then whenever I get up (and then again throughout the day, every 2-3 hours).

Alec is eating between 60-70 cc's. He has taken 80 a couple times too. He has been pretty sleepy tonight though, making US work to get him awake enough to feed. It worries me actually. I hope he snaps out of this and gets back to waking fairly easily for his feeds. He has been a small bit of a spitter, which started just before discharge. I will mention it to the doctor when we're in tomorrow. We see the pediatrician now, not the neonatologist. Hope it's nothing. Alec is the pokey eater of the two...slow and steady wins the race seems to be his motto. Alec SEEMS a bit bigger to me, but I'm anxious to see how he weighs in tomorrow!

Evan is also doing well. He's officially made the move to "newborn" clothes and has retired his preemie clothes (although Alec is still very much in preemie). He eats like a DREAM. He drinks his bottles quickly, burps easily, and sleeps well. He looks SO much like Olivia to me. Evan left the hospital on 65 cc, and since then, we went up to 70 cc, and then to 75, and have him at 80 cc now, and if he doesn't finish, he doesn't. He usually finishes...haahhaha. I have to think he'll gain based on his eating!!!

We are pretty disappointed in the new bottles we got for the boys. The nipples collapse and the boys have to work pretty hard with them :( We got 2 Dr. Brown's bottles for a gift, and got those out, and the boys did GREAT with them. Auntie Katie was sweet and offered to let us borrow Max's small size Dr. Brown's bottles since he's in the larger sized ones now. It has helped us out a TON! We think that we'll stick with the Dr. Brown's since the boys do real well on them. I wasn't sure about them at first b/c of all the parts to clean, but it's not too bad, and the boys do great with them. So, once they outgrow these small bottles, we'll be buing ANOTHER set of bottles! Figures!

Both love the swing, much like their big sister did. We like to keep them elevated a bit, as they did in the NICU, to prevent some of the spits. They seem to like that!

I can't think of a ton more to report. We're all home...settling in. Boys are doing well...we're tired, but feel SO blessed!

I'll report more when we get home from the pediatrician tomorrow!