19 days old

I thought I would give another quick update as the boys sit next to me after their most recent feed session.

I think we are going through the three week growth spurt.  The boys seem to be awake a bit more the past day and are always looking for some food.  I just fed both boys 50 mL of fortified breast milk and both boys gulped it down like I had not fed them all day!

Jakob - We had a pediatrician appointment yesterday.  Jakob is up to 5 lbs 8 oz and 19" long!  We have moved Jakob over to the level 1 nipple on the Dr. Brown's bottles.  It was a struggle for Jakob to get the hang of the bottle but as soon as he understood the process he never looked back.  Both boys can now finish their bottle in under 15 minutes.  This is quite the accomplishment from the days we would fight with them for 30 minutes in the NICU to just eat 10 mL by bottle.  Jakob is dealing with some reflux issues.  It seems to be mostly an issue at night.  Jakob will wither around in pain as soon as he has finished his bottle.  It breaks my heart.  We have a bit of success if we let Jakob sit upright in the boppy for about 20 minutes after he finishes a bottle.  The pediatrician also prescribed Zantac (0.7 mL 2x per day) to help with the heartburn we think Jakob is experiencing after eating a bottle.  We give the medicine to Jakob through a nipple and follow the medicine up with a bit of breast milk.  He does not seem to mind.  We hope to see some results in the next week.  We really need something to work because it is making sleep difficult at night.  Jakob has been sleeping on Kara's chest each night.  This makes me nervous but he just melts in her arms and settles into a deep sleep.  However, as soon as I move him to his Rock-N-Play he starts to scream.  Poor little guy.  Jakob lost his umbilical cord yesterday at 18 days old.  We have officially nicknamed Jakob - "Bruiser".

Alex - There is not much new with Alex.  He is a fairly easy baby at the moment (of course as soon as I typed that Alex started screaming).  He sleeps fairly decent in his Rock-N-Play at night.  There are times where he ends up in bed with momma but that is usually as morning approaches and Alex starts to get hungry for a bottle.  Alex likes to hangout in the vibrating chair.  He still does a great job at self soothing.

Kara and I are surviving minute by minute.  We have been fortunate that our "bad" moments seem to come opposite one another.  We are getting tired of people telling us to "sleep when the babies sleep."  That would be wonderful if only we had hired help to take care of the laundry, the cleaning, the cooking, and the animals.  But since it is just us, people are going to have to understand that we are going to be sleep deprived for a few months.  I am still pumping for the boys.  I have cut out my 2 am pump session and that has helped with my mental stability.  By the time I pump at 6 am I am bursting at the seams but will end up with about 9 oz of milk.  I have actually started to freeze some of the milk due to a good supply.  That makes me feel good.  I know that their feeding amounts will increase so I am just doing the best I can do to give them breast milk as often as possible.

Kara and I went to court of May 29th to make our shared custody agreement official.  It was a happy day and a sad day all at the same time.  It sucks that we even have to take such steps.  We sat in the courtroom with our lawyer as we watched all the cases before us.  Guess what?  They were all divorce cases.  It just broke my heart.  It broke my heart that I had to stand-up before a judge and give up my sole custody rights (because Kara's name is not allowed on the birth certificate) just so the boys other mother can have legal rights to Jakob and Alex.  We live in a backwards country.  I am glad that we were able to get the agreement in place when the boys are only 17 days old.  Now should something ever happen to me the custody agreement would give Kara the right to adopt the boys (the state of Ohio does not allow second parent adoptions).  The custody agreement also protects Kara should something ever happen to our relationship.  So the agreement goes both ways.  Anyhow.  We are glad to have that done.  And let me tell you ... the courthouse is a great place for some people watching.

Okay.  The boys are starting to stir.  Until next time...

Mary