Let's start with some cuteness ...
Jakob
Alex
The boys had their 2 month pediatrician appointment on July 19th. Both boys are doing wonderful!!! Jakob is tipping the scales at 9 lbs 2 oz and is 22" long. Alex is tipping the scales at 8 lbs 10 oz and is 21" long. They boys did receive their first round of shots at this appointment. And overall both boys did just fine with the shots. Kara and I went in with a game plan in hopes of making the shots a bit more tolerable for the boys. We scheduled a morning appointment (when the boys are happiest) and we schedule the appointment to fall close to their next feeding time. We made sure to shove a bottle in the boys mouth as soon as the shots were done. It worked like a charm. Both boys screamed for only a second but immediately calmed down once they started sucking on the bottle. We just spend an extra 20 minutes at the pediatricians office finishing the bottles and then headed back home. Both boys experienced some fussiness the first 24 hours but it really was not super horrible outside of a restless night of sleep. We did give them a couple doses of Tylenol which seemed to help a bit. The boys are not due to go back to the pediatrician until they are 4 months old.
Jakob - We made the decision to take Jakob off of the Zantac at the pediatrician appointment last week. And at the moment (about 96 hours after his last does) Jakob does not seem to be bothered after finishing a bottle. The pediatrician seems to think we will know within a week whether or not we need to put Jakob back on the medication. I really do believe that the digestive issues were related to the formula. The boys have become so much more alert over the last few weeks. We got our first smile from Jakob on July 17th. Of course I missed it. But Grandma and Grandpa Russell were in town and got to experience it! But now he smiles all the time. Jakob continues to love to spend time on his playmate. There are lights on the mat and he just loves to stare at them. We have been putting the boys in their cribs from time to time and Jakob really seems to love the mobile in the crib. He also loves to sleep on his back.
Alex - We are still waiting on smile from Alex but we think he is getting very close. Alex is not a fan of spending time on his back. We are working on it. But this boy loves to sleep on his belly. It never fails that tummy time turns into nap time for Alex. Alex is also a fan of mirrors. He can stare at himself for hours. He also loves to lay back against our knees when he is fussy. If you try to hold Alex in the traditional "baby hold" he will get pissed off!
I made the decision this week to drop a pump session. I am now only pumping six times a day. I know most breastfeeding experts strongly discourage a woman from dropping pump sessions before 12 weeks postpartum. However, I was really starting to struggle with seven pump sessions a day as that extra pump session always fell in the middle of the night due to my work schedule. I was becoming super sleep deprived. Plus I am making more milk as the weeks go on so pump sessions that used to last 15 minutes when the boys were first born are now lasting 45 minutes. So I now pump at 1:30am, 5:30am, 9:30am, 1:30pm, 5:30pm and 9pm. I tend to get the most milk at my 1:30am pump session. I actually got 12.5 ounces last night. It was crazy! I am averaging about 55 oz - 60 oz per day. The boys are eating anywhere between 22 oz - 28 oz per day.
The boys sleep schedule also fits nicely with my new pumping schedule. We start our bedtime routine at 8pm each night and the boys tend to be asleep by 9pm. I then pump upstairs in the bedroom and I am usually asleep before Kara gets home from work around 10pm. They boys then eat again around 2am after I am done with my middle of the night pumping session. I will wake Kara up before I go to the work in the morning to feed the boys again. We are thrilled that the boys are sleeping so well at night. We don't expect for them to start sleeping entirely through the night until we are able to introduce solids between four months old and six months old.
My office had their annual summer picnic yesterday and we took the boys to meet all my coworkers. It was definitely their biggest outing to date. I think I did a good job not being a paranoid mother. But you were required to use hand sanitizer before holding a baby! And thankfully all my coworkers obliged to my requirement. I only panicked once during the day and that is when I glanced up and could not find Alex. The boys were under a picnic pavilion to avoid sun exposure and for some reason a coworker decided it would be a good idea to walk Alex outside to where all the games were being played. Um?? My child is only 10 weeks old and not wearing any sunscreen!! Thankfully I had a wonderful coworker who noticed the panic in my eyes and she ran out and stole the baby back!! Otherwise the boys did wonderful!
Some pictures from the day ...
And this gem ...
That would be me at the end of the table shoving my face into a pudding filled pie. How do I get myself roped into these things? I will never eat vanilla pudding again.
The boys also had the honor of meeting Grandma and Grandpa Russell this week. I was so glad both were finally able to make the trip to Columbus. We enjoyed having them both in town for a couple of days. I think we wore them out ... !!! Because you know you can't come into our house without being put to work!! We hope that perhaps Grandma and Grandpa will be able to come for another visit sometime this summer. If not, Kara and I will be making our first big family trip to PA for Thanksgiving. I'm already getting nervous about all the stuff we will have to pack. Luggage rack anyone?? Here are a couple of pictures from the visit ...
This is a big week! My parents are on vacation. What does this mean? I will be alone with the boys in the evening each night. A big deal? Not really. It just makes me nervous as evening time is always fussy time. And I am usually tired after a full day of work. But remember ... what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!
Until next time...
Mary
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