Six Months and Growing like Weeds!

Busy, Busy, Busy Kids

The professional six month pictures in this entry were taken my the very talented Meghan Rickard. Her amazing work can be viewed at www.meghanrickardphotography.com

I can't believe it's been six months since these two little guys entered the world! I look back at pictures of them from six month ago and they barely look like the same kids! Everett looks very similar, but Tristan has changed immensely. I can tell now that they weren't quite done "cooking" when they decided to enter the world, well I think it was more Tristan's idea!  Right now life is very busy and I don't expect it to slow down anytime soon. The older they get, the more entertaining they need. They're also eating some solid foods (which I'm making in my "spare time") so my life pretty much revolves around feeding them bottles, solid food, some playtime and naps. It's glorious when all three kids nap at the same time, although that's a rare occurence. I think the boys realize that the opportunities for one on one mom time is very limited, so one of them always seems to be awake during the "usual" afternoon nap time. I don't mind though. It actually gives me a chance to focus on just one child!

Tristan

Since my last entry, Tristan has become a new baby! He smiles, laughs, and is a very happy little boy. Much different than the first four months of his life! He is the most active baby of my three children. Even when you're holding him, he has to "jump". He LOVES his jumper and will be not just content, but extremely happy in it for 30-45 minutes. He was jumping so high one day that I said "Wow, Tristan! I think you're getting some air!" Natalie then says, "Yeah, Tristan, you're an air conditioner!" So Tristan has yet another nickname. His names so far, according to Natalie, are Tristan Bisten, Grug Bug, Air Conditioner and Wild Child. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Tristan is a pro at rolling around and is beginning to scoot. He can hold off on crawling for a few more months, I wouldn't mind! I have a feeling that he'll be the child the gets into everything and climbs up everything! Watch out!

Everett

 Mr. Everett continues to be very charming. He has the sweetest smile and squeals with joy all the time. He's still trying to catch up to his brother with his eating habits. It's just amazing to hold them and spend time with them. They are completely different from each other. Everett is very calm, content, and "chill" as Natalie says. He's still working on rolling over. I think that if he actually tried to roll over, he'd do it. But he just doesn't see the point. He HATES being on his stomach and lasts maybe three minutes before he starts screaming. He's very particular with his solid foods and is still trying to figure out the point of it! Everett is my cuddler. He will sleep for hours if he's being cuddled, but struggles to sleep in his crib for any length of time, except at night. There's usually one feeding at night for lil' E. Natalie has named him Lil' Bug, Everett Keverett, and Chill Boy.

The boys are sleeping from about 8:30 PM until around 7:30 - 8:00 AM. Everett usually wakes up once to be fed. They take an hour or two hour nap in the morning and a two to three hour nap in the afternoon (usually, but definintely not always!). They may also take a short cat nap in the evening. Overall, they're sleeping well and have a pretty set schedule. Days like today make it difficult when Everett wakes up at 6:30 AM and Tristan didn't wake up until 8:30. So for the remainder of the day, their schedules are completely opposite. When one is up, the other is asleep. Trying to keep track of when one needs to sleep and eat gets confusing when their schedules differ.

 

And I don't want to forget about Miss Natalie! She continues to be the best big sister around! She loves her brothers and is beginning to play with them more and more. They smile and laugh at her now so she's pretty excited to play with them. She's learning a lot in preschool and craft time is her FAVORITE! She has to tell me all about her craft everyday. She may take after her mother after all! One of her newest tricks is not one of our favorites. She's having a hard time staying in bed at night, complaining that she's "lonely". I now feel terrible about the insomnia I had as a child and the sleepless nights my parents had to endure with me! I guess I'm getting my payback!

Natalie and Tristan trying out our new stroller.

Natalie is getting super excited for Christmas. This is the first year that she's been excited, especially about Santa. She says almost daily "I just can't wait to see what Santa brings me!" She's also excited to go shopping for her brothers. I asked her one day what she wanted and she said "I want a shirt that says 'I love my brothers'". Now what three year old says that?! I might just have to make that for her! Although she can't wait for Santa's arrival, she didn't want anything to do with sitting on his lap or being anywhere near him.....

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

Closer to Normal

We are now on day 7 of our new schedule! Both boys have been taking short morning naps, 2-3 hour afternoon naps and a very short evening nap. All of which are in their own beds! I'm liking this schedule.....and so is this happy boy!

Dare I Say It's Getting Easier?

Our Silly Kiddos.....

Time is a funny thing. At times it seems like the day is dragging on and on and will never end. Then I'll think about something that I keep meaning to do and realize that I've been meaning to get it done for over a month and think "My goodness! How quickly time passes!" I suppose it depends on the "pleasantness" factor of what you are doing at a certain time. The boys turned five months old yesterday. People say "Wow! How time has flown!" I say "Five months? Really? ONLY five months?" I'm actually hoping that the next five months move a little quicker!

Tristan Update: We saw a pediatric gastro-interologist in Spokane a few weeks ago. Although it was nice to have another opinion regarding Tristan's reflux, I didn't learn anything new or get any answers. Basically he'll just have to grow out of it. Since Tristan is on Nutramigen, which is made for babies who have protein sensitivies, the doctor gave us samples of another type of formula which is like Nutramigen.....on steroids. It's only sold through home health companies and is a whopping $50/can, compared to $25/can of Nutramigen and $15/can of general formula. So unless this makes Tristan turn into an absolutely different child, I can't see us changing too much of his diet. Everytime I think we're making progress with him, he seems to regress back to screaming. I don't know if he's just an irritable child or there really is something wrong with him that we just haven't figured out yet. Either way, although I love him to no end, he pushes me to the limit sometimes! He is starting to jabber more and is a pro at rolling over. He seems more content with his new reflux medicine and enjoys playing on the floor and in his jumping toy. At his four month check-up he was a solid 15 pounds, 10 ounces and 24 1/2 inches long. Nobody thinks of him having a reflux problem because he is such a big boy!!  He had a follow-up appointment with our family doctor today and he is now 16 lb 11 oz at five months. He's a chunk to say the least! He definitely has more of me in him than Kevin. His looks and personality are much more like me.....just a little rounder and high strung!

Everett Update: Everett continues to be the happiest baby. Everybody who meets him comments on his constant smiles, adorable coos, and overall cuteness. Although overall Everett is more laid back, he definitely has a temper. And when he's mad, he's MAD!!! He turns bright red and starts sweating. If he cries for too long he'll be soaked. It's comical, yet scary at the same time! I just learned that Kevin was the same way as a baby. Everett focuses on people very well. He's very content and patient. He's very much like Kevin....looks and personality!!

Natalie Update: Natalie keeps us on our toes. In Natalie's mind she rules her surroundings. She remembers EVERYTHING. She still talks about going to Seattle when Grandma had surgery, and how we got a flat tire last November and Uncle Matt had to come pick us up. She knows all of the states, can locate them and identify them simply by their shape. She makes comments about clouds such as "Look at that one, it looks like Vermont!" The funny part is that she's usually right! She's always talking about her baby dolls. She mimics our conversations, as if it were happening to her with her baby. "Baby got me up three times last night! She just wouldn't go to sleep. So I had to feed her and rock her. My back sure hurts from holding baby all the time!" She's hilarious. Tomorrow is her 3 1/2 yr birthday. I know that sounds silly, but Kevin has gotten her an ice cream cake for each 1/2 birthday since she was 6 months old. It's just a cute thing that Kevin does for her. Although today she said that she doesn't know why she's going to be 3 1/2, when really 4 comes after 3. She's a smart cookie!

Kevin and I: We survive. Kevin has been working long hours lately, which is obviously good and bad. We need the money since I'm not working and we have three kids to provide for. It's hard though when he's not here and we have to depend mostly on my Mom to help us. I know my mom enjoys her grandchildren, but I feel bad that she doesn't get much "off" time away from us. It's slowly getting easier to take care of the kids by myself, but simply with Tristan, I still need help. I've been going to physical therapy for my aching back and my therapist/friend Lisa is doing an amazing job of helping me. Although she keeps telling me to relax and I keep telling her that I am....we go round and round! I've also been having some issues with dizziness/light headedness in recent months. I've gone to my general practitioner who sent me to an audiologist who detected something obscure with my left side peripheral vision which may cause some dizziness in stressful times. Stress? What stress? I talked to my doctor again today about the issue because I nearly fell a few times yesterday and last night due to the dizziness and blurred vision. He gave me an over the counter medication and says that if it gets worse I should see a neurologist. I don't know what worse means. Fainting? Falling while holding a baby? I may take matters into my own hands and just make an appointment with a neurologist.

And so on to the sixth month of this incredible journey. Our doctor said it very well today when he said that our life right now is like running a marathon. Yes, you are exhausted, but it's the mental strength that you must overcome until you see that finish line. I'm not sure where that finish line is, but I'd sure like to see it in the distance! Each week/month gets easier, yet harder. Easier in the fact that they are growing and adapting to our schedule. Harder in the fact that they have their own behaviors that continually change that we must adapt to. It's always a give and take!

Four Months into the Journey

We have hit the four month marker of our new adventure with twins. Since the day they were born I've kept thinking "It'll get better. It'll get easier." I still say that.....hoping and praying that eventuall it does. The good part is that they are mostly sleeping through the night. They'll each wake up once sometime between 4-6 AM, and will go back to sleep until 7 or 8. We are trying to get them into a sleeping routine during the day, but that's proving to be quite difficult. So I continue to say "It'll get better. It'll get easier."

Noteable Accomplishment: Tristan began rolling over last Friday!! Now we can't keep him on his back at all! The scary part is that when he's on his stomach, he wants to scoot around. I have a feeling this child will be crawling in no time!



Natalie at 4 months....see a resemblence?

 Health Update: Tristan's reflux has been worse in the past few weeks. He had an Upper GI done which found nothing other than reflux. I'm relieved that there's nothing seriously wrong with his upper digestive track, yet was hoping to find the culprit of his pain. We have an appointment with a pediatric gastrointerologist on October 5th. Hopefully he has some new ideas for us.

Biggest Joy: Everett is my little chatterbox. He coos and chatters all the time. He has a devilish smile that absolutely melts my heart. He has to be one of the happiest babies I've know. He look completely different from Natalie and Tristan, which is one reason I stare at him so much. He's just the cutest little pip-squeak of a baby!! He definitely has more of the Smith features. He reminds me so much of his cousin Ethan. Kevin says that he reminds him a lot of his Grandpa Smith.

Biggest Shock: Natalie beginning preschool!!!!! I was so excited for her to begin preschool this fall. When the day came, it was all I could do to hold back the tears....before she left! I barely held it together while I dropped her off, but was a mess by the time I got back to the car. I had no idea how difficult it would be to watch my little girl become so independent; independent to the point of not needing me ALL the time! The funniest thing she's said so far goes something like this:
Driving home from preschool....
Gramma: Natalie, what did  you have for a snack today?
Natalie (very excited): A cupcake!
Gramma: A cupcake? Was is somebody's birthday?
Natalie (very uninterested): I don't know.
About 3-4 mintues passes....
Natalie (very non-chalantly): Well, maybe it was that girl with the crown. I don't know.
Then off into never never land she went....  I don't know if it was just they way she said it or her lack of awareness in her surroundings that caught me as being funny.

And Another Month Passes....

I've been meaning to update this for the past two weeks. Such is life with two 12 week olds and a three year old. This past month has been the busiest yet. The boys are thoroughly done with the sleep, eat, poop routine. They are now on to the eat, fuss, sleep, fuss, play, fuss, eat, fuss, sleep, fuss, play, fuss, etc. Did you notice the pattern? Yes, a lot of fussing, crying, and screaming in this house. I'm am not joking or exagerating when I saw that even when the boys are asleep, I still hear them crying. I actually go check on them to make sure that indeed I'm hearing things. How sad is that? Over the past month we've noticed some good changes along with some more unpleasant ones.

Natalie taking Tristan shopping.

The Good:

• The boys have finally exhausted the three hour feeding routine. They are now on to four hour feedings. You may not think that's much of a change, but it makes a world of difference.  I find this interesting because I'm not giving them much more food per feeding. They just slowly spread out their schedule. We're still stock piling formula and go through about two large containers per week. If I were super-mom I would have breastfed them longer, but I chose my sanity over our checkbook!




Everett top, Tristan bottom


• Along with the four hour feedings, their night time feeding schedule has changed drastically. They now eat at 8:00 PM, are usually down for the night by 9:30, are up between 1:00-2:00, then again around 5:00. With only two feedings at night and more sleep in between, we are much happier parents. Well, I'm happier since I feed them! Kevin will help with one feeding per night when he has to go to work so it's not uncommon for me to be up for a couple hours at a time for at least one feeding. It's not ideal, but it's getting better.




Everett


• Playtime is becoming more interactive. The boys will lay down and play with their floor toys. They smile and coo and make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Everett especially chatters. He has the cutest little voice right now. He's so reserved most of the time that it catches me off guard when he's chattering away. Tristan is just now beginning to coo. Usually when Tristan is awake he is screaming, so we know he can use his voice, but not "in a positive way" (how's that for a teacher term?).

• Natalie. Natalie is my good. She has grown so much in the past few months. We went though our jealous stage, our defiant stage, our angry stage and now we've moved on. She loves her brothers. I take that back. She absolutely adores, cherishes and is enamored with her brothers. She wants to play with them, help us with them and is always talking to them. She has now nicknamed Everett, Everett Keverett and Tristan is now....get this...Tristan, Bistan, Wistan, Histan, Kistan. Yes, indeed she knows how to rhyme. Tristan is also known as spit-up boy. I love seeing her with the boys. She's an absolutely amazing little girl. She's also beautiful, but I'm a bit prejudice!

The Bad

• Poor little Tristan. Tristan, Tristan, Tristan.....sigh. Tristan screams. That's it. He screams. When he is awake, he screams. When he is asleep he doesn't. That is the life of Tristan. Did I mention that he rarely sleeps? Did I also mention that I may lose my mind trying to console this child? He's constantly burping, spitting up, tooting, and has a very gurgly belly. We've tried all sorts of formula with none making any difference. Natalie also screamed, but with some reflux medicine and some outragously expensive formula, she turned into a happy baby. None of those tricks have worked with T-man. Lord help me.

• Stress. Did you know that it's stressful to have a toddler and a set of newborn twins? I'll be the first to tell you that it is unlike anything I've ever thought of. I don't have much time to think about it, but on those rare occasions when I sit down and realize that I'm exhausted, my body aches, and I have absolutely no idea what I've done during the day, where I've been, what I've said, and pretty much turn into a pile of nothingness.....I find myself thinking "Oh, boy. When will this end?" And then a baby cries and I have no more time to ponder. I have people ask me "How do you do it?". I completely understand what my mom has always told me when I'd ask her how she handled my brother and I being 13 months apart. "You just get up and you do it. "  It sounds so simple, and it is until you look back and fully understand what "it" involves.




Everett is in Natalie's "tent".

The Ugly

• Having twins sucks when it comes to body image. Now six pounds away from pre-babies weight.....and holding steady. Six pounds....nothing right? I'm now thinking that weight from other parts of my body have migrated to my stomach, hips and thighs because I'm 100% certain that if I lost 6 pounds, I STILL would not fit into my clothes. This just sucks. Sucks, sucks, sucks. No time to exercise (yet), no energy....just a feeling of "Oh gross, is that me in the mirror?" To all of you saying "Oh, Sarah, you just had twins. The weight will come off. It took nine months to put it on. You look great (I love it when they add "for having twins")." I have this to say....  Yes, I know the weight will come off, I know it doesn't matter right now, I know that there will be time to exercise. But at this moment it's just one of those things that irritates me. I feel great, I just want to look how I feel.

And so another installment of the thoughts of a crazy, frazzled, mother of three comes to a close. Even through my venting, I wouldn't have my life any other way. Kevin and I are extremely happy. Probably happier than we've been in awhile. I feel extremely loved and continue to have my amazing mom help me every single day with my children. She's a God-send. I WOULD NOT be able to do this on my own and feel as though God has given me such wonderful gifts in life. I always imagined myself being a self-sufficient, independent woman. This gift of twins has taught me that aksing and accepting help allows you to see the things that are most important in life. It's the people you surround yourself with. It's your family, your friends and those whom you didn't even know cared for you until allowed them to become part of your life. I thank everyone who has either given their time to help me or simply offered.

I need to check on Tristan, he's been asleep for two and a half hours.....what's wrong????

Closing in on Two Months

Some may say "Wow! Two months already?". I say..... "Wow, it seems like it has been more than two months!". Everybody comments on how big they are and how time is flying. I'll let you in on a secret. When you are at home with two newborns and a three year old time does go by quickly in the sense of not enough hours in the day to get everything done, but when the boys need to be fed every 3-4 hours day and night, diapers need to be changed, clothes need changing, baths need to be given, etc, etc, etc, it really does not feel like time is flying by. Maybe when the boys are able to easily go 4 hours between feedings, sleep more soundly at night and are able to be awake without crying, maybe time will feel like it's flying by. As for now, each day is pretty much the same. Life is on hold and I sometimes feel like a prisoner in this never ending cycle of bottle making, feeding, diapers, laundry, dishes, cleaning/picking-up, and trying to actually spend some time with Natalie. I never understood why people wanted to "get away" and do nothing on vacation. I've always wanted to travel somewhere so that I could "do" something or see something new. I have to admit that right at this moment, I understand the desire to go somewhere and do nothing.



They just can't leave eachother alone.

 Now, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't change the fact of having three incredibly healthy and loving children. And yes, I know that I'll look back at this time and wonder how it went by so quickly, but right now, today, at this moment it seems like a long road ahead! I have a lot of people helping so it's not that I'm overwhelmed by the amount of work to do, it's just the cycle of doing it over and over again...and again....and again...and again. I long for the time when the boys can interact with us and eachother. I have to admit that even with Natalie I was not a fan of the newborn stage. They are cute and are definitely miracles, but I'm more of an "infant" and toddler kind of person. Maybe that's a bit selfish, but I'm not trying to sugar coat anyting!

Unhappy babies on the 4th of July

As the boys approach their two month milestone, they've grown tremendously and are continuing to change. As of a week ago, Everett weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. Knowing this, we're assuming Tristan is at least 11 pounds! I had to take Everett back to our wonderful doctor because he was still struggling with his snorty nose. It always sounds like he's congested, yet we can't ever get anyting out of his nose. He struggles to breathe when he eats and snores like an old man when he sleeps. Our doctor referred us to an ear, nose and throat specialist to probe into a possible cause. We visited Dr. Theil yesterday and I believe Everett may still be traumatized by the visit (I know I am!)! Dr. Theil took a long probe and inserted it into Everett's nose and down his throat. You can imagine how much fun that was! I was wearing a cranberry colored shirt, and his poor little face was camoflauged into it during the procedure. The findings were good and bad. I was hoping it was nothing serious, but "fixable". It turns out that it's not serious, but it's also nothing that's very fixable at the moment. Everett's soft pallette hangs down lower than most people's, therefore it vibrates more. When asked if there were any snorers in the family I had to laugh. Kevin snores like a freight train! So we can blame that on Daddy. I asked the doctor if she could cure Kevin's snoring and she said she could try.....I see an appointment in the near future! Also, since Everett has a recessed chin/jaw, his poor tongue does not have much room in his mouth so it has to fall back further. So the combination of the pallette hanging down and his tongue being pushed back causes them to irritate each other and make him congested. He should grow out of the soft pallette issue mostly, but he'll always have that problem. Dr. Theil just said that since he makes so much noise we'll always know where he is. I guess that's the silver lining! She mentioned that we might want to take him to a maxilofacial oral surgeon at some point to correct his jaw. She told us to start saving our pennies.

Tristan discovers the mirror and sees a handsome boy!

Between Everett's jaw and Natalie's missing teeth, we may have to have a dental fund started before a college fund! So far Tristan is just fussy, but nothing medically wrong......still waiting for his "ailment" to appear! I think his ailment is simply a bad temper and impatience. I wonder who he gets that from! 

Natalie's 4th of July new pool.

Sicne we spend so much time caring for the boys, Natalie many times has to wait for attention. I know older children go through this, but it doesn't make it any easier to know that it's normal. Kevin and I are leaving the boys with their grandmothers on Friday to take Natalie to "A Day out with Thomas" in Snoqualmie. She loves Thomas the Train and I couldn't resist buying tickets for the exhibit and train ride. I was a sucker and bought the conductor's package that comes with an engineer's hat, a lanyard with a Thomas train at the end and a Thomas the Train whistle. I can't wait to see her reaction when we arrive. I also can't wait to get out of the house!!!! Did I just say that?! We plan on hitting the oulet stores and visiting with my cousin's family who lives in Snoqualmie while we're there. They're creating quite the buzz with their little boy dancing at a recent Mariner's game. It's been a long time since we've seen them and I'm excited to finally catch up.

Speaking of cousins, Natalie said yesterday that she has two cousins. She asked how many cousins Daddy had. I told her two. Then she asked how many I had. Oh boy! I couldn't tell her so I started telling her all of their names. You can imagine her first reaction of "Wow, that's a lot!" to her utter boredom and eventual walking away from me! She'll learn one day that having a large family is more exciting than just listing names!

Ava and Natalie helping Papa open his birthday presents.

One more Natalie"ism" before I sign off..... During a recent trip to Costco, Natalie and I were pushing the cart back into one of the parking lot stalls. I turned quickly and lost my balance and bumped into her. Here's the ensuing conversation:
Me: Oops! Mommy lost her balance.
Nat: (Looking very inquisitively) Where did it go?
Me: Where did what go?
Nat: Your balance. Did you leave it in the store?
Me (lauging) No. When you almost fall down you say that you "lose your balance."
Nat: But where is it? I think you left it in the store. Maybe we should go look for it.
Me: Yes, maybe we should, but it's late and we need to get home.

So from now on, Costco not only carries bulk items, but it also has Mommy's balance!

Tristan and Everett at 8 weeks

Tristan (on left) was fussing, so this is what I found when I went to "save" him. I don't know who the culprit was!

Hurry and take the picture so we can feed them!

Different Looks, Different Personalities

It's becoming more and more evident that the personalities of our two boys are pretty much polar opposites. While they were in-utero, Tristan was the feisty one, always kicking, jerking around, hiccuping....the one who I ALWAYS knew was present. Everett on the other hand was more quiet. He would stretch, squirm, gently push, but nothing sporatic or too surprising. I find it funny that out of the womb, those behaviors are continuing.

Tristan

We like to say that he's just a bit high maintenance. He's extremely vocal, has a bad temper, agitated quite often, grunts, growls, in general he just has a hard time relaxing. He eats like there's no tomorrow. He'll inhale four ounces in a matter of 10 - 15 minutes, produces burps that any bar mate would be proud of, and always wants more. He would eat 24 hours a day if we let him. That's why he's such a chunk! Other than his eating habits, he reminds us a lot of Natalie. Natalie was a very wound up baby, even after her stomach issues were resolved. Unfortunately I don't think I can blame these traits on Kevin. I believe they are most definitely traits they inherited from their mother! I believe Tristan also inherited my body shape. He's a chunky little boy, long torso and short little legs. He has my olive skin tone and dark brown hair. He definitely has a Nipper chin and a Whitish nose. I can definitely claim this one as my child.



Tristan's growly face.

Everett
Everett on the other hand is our ONE child that is relaxed!! Kevin refers to him as "chill-dog". We can put him on the floor to play, and he plays. We can put him in his swing, and he swings. We can just hold him and he'll simply look around, happy as can be. He takes his time eating and I'm sure gets upset that his brother wants to eat all the time! He rarely finishes his bottle, takes his time burping, falls asleep during feedings, and unless he has an air bubble, rarely fusses. He takes a long time to fall asleep because he just looks around. He always looks like he's on the verge of telling you the world's most important secret. He has pale skin, reddish/blonde hair, and a long lean body. In a nut shell, this is a miniature Kevin. Thank goodness for Everett. I love my Tristan and Natalie, but I was ready for an Everett!


Everett after a rough night.

Even as I type this, Everett is sound asleep in his swing and Tristan is squirming, grunting and fussing. He just can't let go of that control! So, as you can see, these boys' differences go far beyond their appearances. We are asked all the time if they are identical. We think this is such a bizarre question. They look completely different and I don't believe that I think this because I'm their mother. They really truly are their own little persons.

And what about Natalie? Natalie calls Everett her little duck (because his hair looks like a little duck after his bath) and Tristan her little rabbit. We have no idea where rabbit came from. I think she's getting a little tired of "the brothers". She's always saying now "Put down that brother and ......", "The brother can go to bed now." It's much t0o time consuming to figure out which brother it is!


The boys first time on their bellies.....definite personality differences!

Growing by Leaps and Bounds

Natalie and the Brudders

One month old and growing like weeds! The boys have been growing and changing. The one thing that is not changing is their eating schedule....still eating every three hours. That means we're still not getting much sleep at night. I'm hoping that'll change sometime soon!

The boys had their one month check-up yesterday and we found out that they are little chunks! Everett weighed in at 8 lb 1 oz, and Tristan is up to 7 lb 14 oz. When they were nearly two weeks old, they hit their lowest weight. Tristan was 4 lb 15 oz and Everett was 5 lb 1 oz. So in three weeks Everett gained three pounds and Tristan gained three pounds one ounce. The first question our doctor asked was "What are you feeding these boys?!" At our appointment about ten days ago he cautioned us about feeding them too much, telling us not to give them more than 1.5-2 ounces per feeding. At that time they were easily downing three ounces. Since that time they've worked up to four ounces per feeding.....we didn't mention this to our doc! Overall the appointment went well. Everett is on another round of antibiotics to see if we can clear up his nasal passages.



Tristan and Everett



Natalie has been a big help with the boys. She loves making sure that they have toys to play with, pacifiers in their mouths, and burp rags on hand. She has enjoyed playing with them on the floor. She shows them her toys and shows them how to play with their toys. She especially enjoys showing them her Thomas the Train engine along with the others in the set. When they grunt or make funny noises she always says that they are talking "crazy talk". She also laughs when they contort their faces just before they get ready to cry. She points and laughs at them and says "look at his face!!!".



Princess Natalie and and her Prince Everett



Natalie showing Tristan how to play with Thomas the Train.





Baby Natalie.....may be a little big for this toy now!





Our little chunky monkeys. Already sharing their toys...like they have a choice!

Life is busy. I had no idea how busy I'd be. I'm exhausted and stressed yet have never been happier. This past month, although sleep deprived, has probably been the quickest month of my life. I can't believe how much the boys have changed and how our family has adapted to all of the changes. My Mom spends the night on Sundays and Tuesdays (Thank God for MOM!!!!). Monday and Wednesday nights are mostly up to me, but I enlist Kevin when I'm at my wits end! Kevin works Monday through Thursday, so he's up with me Thursday night through Saturday night. Coffee and Spark are my go to's in the morning. My stressful times are at night when I'm exhausted. Yet when the light of day comes, Natalie wakes up and everything starts rolling, I get a burst of energy and can't wait to get the day started and enjoy all three of my kids! My Mom helps me throughout the day and I'd definitely be insane by now if she weren't here!

Growing and Changing

All five of us piled into our car today and went to see Dr. Krause. The boys had their one week check-up for their circumcisions and Natalie was seen for a constant runny nose. All three kids came home with prescriptions for antibiotics. They boys are a bit swollen, which indicates a slight infection, and Natalie seems to have a sinus infection. So between giving Tristan his eye infection medication, Natalie's Dimatapp, and all three of their prescription antibiotics, when is there time to do much else? The business of life sure does multiply when you go from a family of three to a family of five!

On the upside, all three children were weighed today and all had weight gain. I wish this was a good thing for me as an adult! Natalie is now up to a whopping 29 pounds....almost into the 30th percentile for weight! I swear we're going to bring her to her first day of kindergarten in a car seat! Tristan weighed in at 6 pounds 1 ounce and our hungry boy Everett weighed in at 6 pounds 4 ounces. This puts the boys at almost the 10th percentile for weight. Granted, these percentiles are based on full term babies. Considering they were four weeks premature, I believe they're doing extremely well!

Our three kiddos.

Like I said before, life is very busy.  I remember with Natalie how extremely exhausted and overwhelmed I was. I couldn't find time to do anything and just wanted to sleep. I don't know the exact reason for the difference in the way that I feel after giving birth to these boys, but I actually feel great! Yes, of course I'm tired, but that's to be expected. I've thought of some possible reasons for this change in disposition.

Everett & Tristan

1. I felt absolutely miserable for eight months, and even worse than that for the last month of pregnancy. So now I'm thrilled to be able to sleep (when I'm allowed), move the way I want to, clean what needs to be cleaned, cook, play with Natalie, and do all of the things I haven't been able to do since last September.

2. Disproving everything people told me about having a c-section, this birth and recovery seems to be a lot easier than the previous with Natalie. Yes, the first few days were very painful and I'm still reminded of the damage that was caused to my midsection, but overall I feel great. I have a lot more energy and am able to move around really well. We go for walks everyday and I've lost almost all of the pregnancy weight. Only 8 pounds to go. Of course my body looks completely different!

Family time at the park.

3. I have amazing help! Kevin, Natalie and my mom have been absolute life savers. It will be a sad day when Kevin goes back to work on Monday! Natalie helps me so much and always wants to be part of the action. My mom helps us at night a few times a week and is always ready to come over and help us at any time. We are so blessed to have so many people who want to help us!

Gramma and her boys.

4. I'm not a novice. It's amazing how much calmer and confident I am with these boys compared to Natalie. Even though there are two, the struggle seems to be with scheduling, not caring for them. I'm not as uptight, worried or anxious. I'm able to lay them down even if they're not sound asleep. I can listen to them grunt and whine while they're sleeping and not run over and pick them up. I'm able to give them a pacifier and walk away. I don't worry about their runny nose or their spitting up. I know they are healthy, happy and that makes me the same!

Already fighting with eachother!

So, for those of you wondering how things are going here.....they're going extremely well! We're busy feeding, diapering, cleaning and cuddling, but all in all life is good. We have three very healthy children, a wonderful extended family, great friends and a supportive church family. We're also very thankful for Kevin's great job and great health benefits. After racking up over $80,000 in medical bills since March, we've had to pay a total of $200 out of pocket! Thank you tax payers! (Kevin's a government worker!)

I hear someone filling their pants......better check who the culprit is. More to come......