Even though I quickly join in with all the parents around the world begging their babies to stay little just a little longer, I think babies actually grow at exactly the right pace. The good parts go by fast enough to make us wistful while the trying parts go by slow enough to make us want to fast forward though a bit of time. It all balances out. Right now I'm at the wistful part, enjoying my babies so much and wishing for them to stay as they are for just a little while longer!
The first 8 weeks with my twins were wonderful and exhausting and magical and hard. I drank those babies in deeply and fulfilled my vow not to wish time away. That said, I was looking forward to getting to the three month mark where countless mothers of twins had told me it gets easier. Now that I'm here, I can say with all happiness: they were right!
There was something so special about the newborn weeks and I cherished them fully for what they were, but now? It's even better. After week 8 I felt that life was getting just a little easier: the twins were sleeping better and starting to let me put them down without crying for just a few moments at a time. I was figuring out how to get out the door with them and Arie. I was feeling more capable. At week 10 I noticed it got a little easier again, mainly because we made a major turn in our breastfeeding journey (more below). Last week when we hit week 12 I felt like we had found our rhythm. I am still wiped at the end of the day but we are starting to fall into a routine and there is so much happiness filling our days! The twins are smiling and cooing and even starting to laugh a little! I, in turn, am filled with happiness at the sight of my smiley boys and the sound of their tiny voices. How I love this age!
Ira
Ira is still my little peanut! At his three month check up he was 22 inches long and weighted 11lbs 8.5oz. His weight puts him in the 5th percentile for his actual age and the 45th percentile for adjusted age. He is still wearing 0-3 month clothes. I am going to have to make sure I buy Ira a few new things as he grows because I have a feeling he is going to be the third wearer (after Arie and Roman) of many hand-me-down outfits! Good thing his brothers have a good sense of style!
Ira loves to smile and "talk." He has all kind of expression to his voice and easily smiles and laughs. He has a pretty chill temperament unless he is upset in which case he cries like his world is coming to an end. He arches his back, gets red faced, and screams high and loud enough to burst your ear drum! Thankfully he is easily soothed by his mama. He loves to be held, to watch the ceiling fan, and- for some reason- to be on the diaper changing pad. He is all smiles on that thing!
Roman
Roman continues to be my big boy! He is now over 2lbs bigger than his older brother Ira! At his three month check up he was 23.5 inches long and weighed 13lbs 13oz. His weight puts him in the 31st percentile for actual age he is and pushing the 80th percentile for adjusted age! He is moving into 3-6 months age clothes which is fun because I get to put him in new things but a bummer because I can't put the boys in their matching or coordinating summer outfits very often anymore! I had to do some shopping (poor me) for Roman because most of the clothes I had for him in the next size were in fall/cooler weather styles. It was fun to get new clothes for him though because summer clothes are now on clearance, so perfect timing for a growth spurt, Roman!
Roman has an adorable soft coo and smile. He is doing this thing right now where I will ask him to smile and tell him I love him and he will smile shyly and try to hide his face. You can imagine I melt into a puddle when he does that! Roman is obsessed with his big brother Arie and is often cranking his head around to try and find him. He continues to be a very cuddly baby, burying his face into our necks when we hold him close. Roman is one to make his feelings known, protesting quickly and loudly when he is unhappy. He already knows how to let out a little yelp when we are near but not paying attention to him. Arie thinks this is hilarious, "Mom! He wants me to pay attention to him! I didn't even know babies knew how to yell like that!" Where Ira's smiles and coos are reactive to attention, Roman smiles and coos to get attention. I have a feeling Roman is going to have the gift of "woo" like his dad!
Life with infants continues to mostly revolve around eating, sleeping, and changing diapers so here are my updates in those categories:
Feeding
As I mentioned above, the biggest- and most helpful- change we've experienced has been with breastfeeding. After 10 weeks of working through our many difficulties- low supply, poor transfer, poor latches, lip and tongue tie revisions, triple feeding (breast, pump, bottle) every three hours, weaning from a nipple shield, weaning from bottles, and many a phone call and visit to the lactation consultant's office- we have finally, FINALLY, overcome our struggles and breastfeeding is going great. What a journey! I'm so glad my friends told me how hard breastfeeding can be at the start so I knew not to give up too soon. I told myself when I was pregnant I would give it two months to overcome any issues; I ended up needing 10 weeks but we did it! The twins are now breastfed right from the source and I only pump twice at night so John can help me with the nighttime feeds. At their three month check-up the boys had not only maintained their percentiles but moved up!
I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this victory. It is such a grace from God that I am able to nurse my boys. It was such a deep desire of my heart and I had no idea if I would be able to do it. It was the day before Ira and Roman turned 10 weeks old that I finally felt they were nursing well enough to stop supplementing with a bottle. I called the lactation consultants, explaining how things were going, and got the green light to try drop their supplements. The first day I went without pumping I felt like a while different mother: so much happier, easier, and free from being hooked up to the pump! My babies cried much less also because I was able to hold them after feeding them instead of having to put them down and listen to their wails while I pumped. While they weren't crying, I could have from the sheer relief! I felt like I had won a very hard fought battle.
That first week I did worry that they weren't getting enough to eat but at the end of the week I weighed them and they had both gained more than what my lactation consultant had told me was the minimum.
The moment I truly felt victorious came later that week when John and I took all three boys for a walk through a local nature preserve. It was a cooler morning but the sun was shining and we were enjoying being outside. Arie was running and jumping, picking up sticks and pointing out bugs. John and I were wearing the babies in our carriers. We came upon a sort of playground made from stumps and an old row boat that had been parked and secured for little pretend pirates. While Arie played, Roman began to cry and root around. Behind the playground was a small stream with a bench. I told John I was going to take him over to nurse him.
I did just that.
Arie ran over while I fed Roman and asked if he could take off his shoes and play in the stream. I watched him splashing around, looked down at my baby happily filling his belly, and over beside me at my husband wearing my third son and was overwhelmed with gratitude. Before I would have been stressed at the thought of my baby getting hungry while we were out, feeding a bottle, trying to pump in the car to replace the milk he ate during that feed, getting home to empty the diaper bag and wash out bottles... and now: this was it. My baby was hungry, I fed him, comforted him, and that was it! Life is much easier this way and I am so grateful. I'm enjoying my babies so much more!
Sleeping
Sleep has been all over the map this month, with the boys waking up anywhere from none to three times per night. At time of writing Ira has slept through the whole night (9:30-6am) four times and Roman has done it three times. The last week or so they have either slept through the night or only gotten up once. John and I feel fantastic when they sleep for at least 6 hours in a row! We know the four month sleep regression stage is about a month away so we enjoy the sleep while we can without holding on to it too tightly.
I am thankful that we've only had one night in their whole lives where a baby (Ira, that stinker) would not go back to sleep after getting up. Usually they wake up, eat and have a diaper change, and go right back down. I am one who needs a lot of sleep so I feel very thankful that I have two good sleepers! Arie was also a great sleeper from the first day he was home with us. I have a sense that this is a grace from God, giving me what he knows I need as a parent. And for the nights when the babies are up a lot and I am exhausted, there is grace there too: always a gentle voice telling me I can do this and that he wakeful stage won't last forever!
Diapering
I wrote a whole post on cloth diapering newborns which you can check out here. Not much else to add! I am still using thirsties covers with prefolds on Ira while Roman has mostly moved into my one-size stash which is about 80% bum genius pocket diapers. Everything is going well and I have no complaints!
Other Milestones
This month Ira and Roman have begun to notice each other! They made eye contact one day when John was playing with them, holding Roman above Ira who sat in a bouncy chair. We were all in the kitchen as I was preparing dinner when John called out, "Jill! They are looking at each other!!" Arie and I ran to see and I grabbed the milestone card to snap a photo. It was such a fun moment!
*
Last night John and I got the twins changed into their pajamas, swaddled up, and cozily set up in their cribs. While I did the last rounds of turning on the white noise machine and putting Roman's pacifier back in his mouth six times, John checked on sleeping Arie, pulling up his covers and kissing his sleeping face. We met in the dark hallway, tiptoeing out of our respective rooms and wrapping each other in a warm embrace. All our boys in bed, two exhausted parents, hearts filled to the brim with love and gratitude for our family. We feel immeasurably blessed for these three little lives we have been given to nurture and guide.
xo
The first 8 weeks with my twins were wonderful and exhausting and magical and hard. I drank those babies in deeply and fulfilled my vow not to wish time away. That said, I was looking forward to getting to the three month mark where countless mothers of twins had told me it gets easier. Now that I'm here, I can say with all happiness: they were right!
There was something so special about the newborn weeks and I cherished them fully for what they were, but now? It's even better. After week 8 I felt that life was getting just a little easier: the twins were sleeping better and starting to let me put them down without crying for just a few moments at a time. I was figuring out how to get out the door with them and Arie. I was feeling more capable. At week 10 I noticed it got a little easier again, mainly because we made a major turn in our breastfeeding journey (more below). Last week when we hit week 12 I felt like we had found our rhythm. I am still wiped at the end of the day but we are starting to fall into a routine and there is so much happiness filling our days! The twins are smiling and cooing and even starting to laugh a little! I, in turn, am filled with happiness at the sight of my smiley boys and the sound of their tiny voices. How I love this age!
Ira
Ira is still my little peanut! At his three month check up he was 22 inches long and weighted 11lbs 8.5oz. His weight puts him in the 5th percentile for his actual age and the 45th percentile for adjusted age. He is still wearing 0-3 month clothes. I am going to have to make sure I buy Ira a few new things as he grows because I have a feeling he is going to be the third wearer (after Arie and Roman) of many hand-me-down outfits! Good thing his brothers have a good sense of style!
Ira loves to smile and "talk." He has all kind of expression to his voice and easily smiles and laughs. He has a pretty chill temperament unless he is upset in which case he cries like his world is coming to an end. He arches his back, gets red faced, and screams high and loud enough to burst your ear drum! Thankfully he is easily soothed by his mama. He loves to be held, to watch the ceiling fan, and- for some reason- to be on the diaper changing pad. He is all smiles on that thing!
Roman
Roman continues to be my big boy! He is now over 2lbs bigger than his older brother Ira! At his three month check up he was 23.5 inches long and weighed 13lbs 13oz. His weight puts him in the 31st percentile for actual age he is and pushing the 80th percentile for adjusted age! He is moving into 3-6 months age clothes which is fun because I get to put him in new things but a bummer because I can't put the boys in their matching or coordinating summer outfits very often anymore! I had to do some shopping (poor me) for Roman because most of the clothes I had for him in the next size were in fall/cooler weather styles. It was fun to get new clothes for him though because summer clothes are now on clearance, so perfect timing for a growth spurt, Roman!
Roman has an adorable soft coo and smile. He is doing this thing right now where I will ask him to smile and tell him I love him and he will smile shyly and try to hide his face. You can imagine I melt into a puddle when he does that! Roman is obsessed with his big brother Arie and is often cranking his head around to try and find him. He continues to be a very cuddly baby, burying his face into our necks when we hold him close. Roman is one to make his feelings known, protesting quickly and loudly when he is unhappy. He already knows how to let out a little yelp when we are near but not paying attention to him. Arie thinks this is hilarious, "Mom! He wants me to pay attention to him! I didn't even know babies knew how to yell like that!" Where Ira's smiles and coos are reactive to attention, Roman smiles and coos to get attention. I have a feeling Roman is going to have the gift of "woo" like his dad!
Life with infants continues to mostly revolve around eating, sleeping, and changing diapers so here are my updates in those categories:
Feeding
As I mentioned above, the biggest- and most helpful- change we've experienced has been with breastfeeding. After 10 weeks of working through our many difficulties- low supply, poor transfer, poor latches, lip and tongue tie revisions, triple feeding (breast, pump, bottle) every three hours, weaning from a nipple shield, weaning from bottles, and many a phone call and visit to the lactation consultant's office- we have finally, FINALLY, overcome our struggles and breastfeeding is going great. What a journey! I'm so glad my friends told me how hard breastfeeding can be at the start so I knew not to give up too soon. I told myself when I was pregnant I would give it two months to overcome any issues; I ended up needing 10 weeks but we did it! The twins are now breastfed right from the source and I only pump twice at night so John can help me with the nighttime feeds. At their three month check-up the boys had not only maintained their percentiles but moved up!
I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this victory. It is such a grace from God that I am able to nurse my boys. It was such a deep desire of my heart and I had no idea if I would be able to do it. It was the day before Ira and Roman turned 10 weeks old that I finally felt they were nursing well enough to stop supplementing with a bottle. I called the lactation consultants, explaining how things were going, and got the green light to try drop their supplements. The first day I went without pumping I felt like a while different mother: so much happier, easier, and free from being hooked up to the pump! My babies cried much less also because I was able to hold them after feeding them instead of having to put them down and listen to their wails while I pumped. While they weren't crying, I could have from the sheer relief! I felt like I had won a very hard fought battle.
That first week I did worry that they weren't getting enough to eat but at the end of the week I weighed them and they had both gained more than what my lactation consultant had told me was the minimum.
The moment I truly felt victorious came later that week when John and I took all three boys for a walk through a local nature preserve. It was a cooler morning but the sun was shining and we were enjoying being outside. Arie was running and jumping, picking up sticks and pointing out bugs. John and I were wearing the babies in our carriers. We came upon a sort of playground made from stumps and an old row boat that had been parked and secured for little pretend pirates. While Arie played, Roman began to cry and root around. Behind the playground was a small stream with a bench. I told John I was going to take him over to nurse him.
I did just that.
Arie ran over while I fed Roman and asked if he could take off his shoes and play in the stream. I watched him splashing around, looked down at my baby happily filling his belly, and over beside me at my husband wearing my third son and was overwhelmed with gratitude. Before I would have been stressed at the thought of my baby getting hungry while we were out, feeding a bottle, trying to pump in the car to replace the milk he ate during that feed, getting home to empty the diaper bag and wash out bottles... and now: this was it. My baby was hungry, I fed him, comforted him, and that was it! Life is much easier this way and I am so grateful. I'm enjoying my babies so much more!
 |
| I asked John to snap a picture, knowing this would be a moment I will remember and cherish forever! |
Sleeping
Sleep has been all over the map this month, with the boys waking up anywhere from none to three times per night. At time of writing Ira has slept through the whole night (9:30-6am) four times and Roman has done it three times. The last week or so they have either slept through the night or only gotten up once. John and I feel fantastic when they sleep for at least 6 hours in a row! We know the four month sleep regression stage is about a month away so we enjoy the sleep while we can without holding on to it too tightly.
I am thankful that we've only had one night in their whole lives where a baby (Ira, that stinker) would not go back to sleep after getting up. Usually they wake up, eat and have a diaper change, and go right back down. I am one who needs a lot of sleep so I feel very thankful that I have two good sleepers! Arie was also a great sleeper from the first day he was home with us. I have a sense that this is a grace from God, giving me what he knows I need as a parent. And for the nights when the babies are up a lot and I am exhausted, there is grace there too: always a gentle voice telling me I can do this and that he wakeful stage won't last forever!
Diapering
I wrote a whole post on cloth diapering newborns which you can check out here. Not much else to add! I am still using thirsties covers with prefolds on Ira while Roman has mostly moved into my one-size stash which is about 80% bum genius pocket diapers. Everything is going well and I have no complaints!
Other Milestones
This month Ira and Roman have begun to notice each other! They made eye contact one day when John was playing with them, holding Roman above Ira who sat in a bouncy chair. We were all in the kitchen as I was preparing dinner when John called out, "Jill! They are looking at each other!!" Arie and I ran to see and I grabbed the milestone card to snap a photo. It was such a fun moment!
*
Last night John and I got the twins changed into their pajamas, swaddled up, and cozily set up in their cribs. While I did the last rounds of turning on the white noise machine and putting Roman's pacifier back in his mouth six times, John checked on sleeping Arie, pulling up his covers and kissing his sleeping face. We met in the dark hallway, tiptoeing out of our respective rooms and wrapping each other in a warm embrace. All our boys in bed, two exhausted parents, hearts filled to the brim with love and gratitude for our family. We feel immeasurably blessed for these three little lives we have been given to nurture and guide.
xo
Beautiful post Jill. Love reading the updates on your family and CONGRATS on the breastfeeding milestone! Whoever said it was "natural" must have bottle fed. Huge hurdle accomplished.
ReplyDeleteIra is growing at the same rate as my son. He usually wore the size that corresponded with his age and was just under 18 pounds at a year. My girls, however, were always ahead of their age and at a year were wearing 24 months size. Each one is so different.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh this makes me want another baby. But I don't want to have five children, 6 and under! Deep breaths...
ReplyDeleteSo, so, SO happy for you.
One of my favorite night verses is Psalm 134:1-3:
"Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.
May the Lord bless you from Zion, who is the maker of heaven and earth."
...not gonna lie, I've literally raised my hands in my kids' bedrooms when I needed a heart check in the middle of the night. Turns out the Holy Spirit IS awake at 3 in the morning! ;)
Congrats on making it to the three month mark. Congrats on conquering breastfeeding! Congrats on everything! I'd love to hear updates on big brother Arie, as well :)
ReplyDelete