Numbers

To answer some questions about having multiples and the numbers of commonly used baby items, here is what we go through on a typical day:

16 - 20 diapers

64 fluid oz. of preemie formula (composed of 1 full can of 12.8 oz. preemie dry formula mixed with nursery H2O)

16 - 18 bottles, bottle liners, nipples, and nipple rings

~ 8 -10 bibs

~ 8 - 10 cloth diapers

2 pairs of pajamas (on a messy day, 4 pairs)

2 sets of clothes and socks (on a messy day, 4 pair)

1 - 2 loads of laundry for just the girls

numerous moments for Mom of "Am I doing this right?"

numerous supportive comments from Dad of "Yes, you are doing fine, Mel."

1 -2 calls to each sets of parents and Sarah (Mel's sister) to confirm we are doing it right

1 pot dark roast coffee


But all worth it to have these girls we have waited for for so long!
Love, Mel

The Life and Times of Lily and Lola

Looking bigger in their baskets, huh?

Post double-time feeding

Pre-double time feeding

Lola with a hat she wore in the NICU. Remember how it covered all of her forehead and ears!

Lola with the hat she wore on the 4th of July, not yet one month old. Fits a little different now!

Lily with 4th of July hat

Lily with NICU hat, sweet girl

Lily playing, she really is enjoying herself, honest!

Lola playing, look at those sweet eyes!

Very effective tummy time. PT/OT/ST friends, I swear I did not leave Lily (on right) with her hips out like that :)

Well this week has included a lot of firsts for the girls and their parents. Last Friday, I loaded both girls in the car for the first time by myself to go through the Starbucks drive-thru. As soon as I loaded Lola in her car seat, she spit up all over her car seat straps. I no sooner cleaned it up and she did it again. Nevertheless, we all made it there and back in one piece. I did stop in the parking lot at Starbucks to make sure everyone was still breathing :) Remember, I am a first time parent.

The girls also began to go on a major increase in hunger and feeding volume. They now are taking between 3.5 oz. and 4.0 oz. every 3 hrs. It is hard to believe at one point we counted their feedings in milliliters! They really do pretty well. Lily actually eats more than Lola on a consistent basis. I was nervous that increasing that much was going to cause major reflux issues again, but they were just so insistent on more formula that I had to try. Thankfully, not a major increase in reflux, although Lola still fights that more than Lily.

Lily and Lola both are raising their heads from tummy position. Lola has also raised her chest off of the ground from tummy position. This is a big deal for them, because although they are a little over 9 weeks old, their "adjusted" age for development is actually not quite 2 weeks old. So, it isn't expected that they would be doing any milestones greater than their adjusted age for now. It all catches up eventually anyway...

Lola and Lily both do a great purposeful smile, albeit inconsistently. It makes those long nights worthwhile to see those sweet grins.

We are trying to go longer than 3 hr. feedings in the middle of the night. So far, we inconsistently make it to 4 a.m. from a midnight feeding. Very, very anxious for that to stretch out to more humane sleeping for Mom and Dad. We still more or less feed the girls individually, but back to back, so when we get up for a feeding it takes about 45 minutes to complete both with diapers, burping, etc. etc. So if I feed them at midnight, I get back to bed just before 1 a.m. and then get up around 3:45 a.m. to ensure I am ready before pandomonium sets in. It is not a very good thing if both wake up hungry at the same time and you are not ready. Lola has a very good set of lungs and she is second in feeding order. We do sometimes feed them at the exact same time, which is above picture on Boppy pillows. However, it just doesn't work so well all the time. I can't lull anybody back to sleep when I have both out. I have been able to rock both at the same time and pick up both at the same time, which is good. So, we may be getting there someday.

The girls continue to show sides of their personality. Don says Lily is very cerebral and Lola is very visceral. I think that is really funny, but true. Lily constantly looks like something is on her mind and she wants to say something. Lola goes from "I am the happiest baby in the world" to "I am going to scream bloody murder until you change something for me" in 2 seconds flat.

Lily loves to watch sun through the blinds, toys with flashing lights, 4 oz. bottles and terry cloth feety pajamas. Lola loves to be held, toys with flashing lights, and when 2 people are talking she loves listening to two different voices at the same time.

Both girls love being in the bath and hate the time just prior and just after bath when naked.

Both girls love music and are partial to Mom singing anything by the Indigo Girls, Dixie Chicks, and American Pie by Don Mclean.

Again we thank all of our friends and family for their support with help and food. Having two newborns is not easy and we really feel fortunate to be so supported. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!

Love, Mel

Chubby Babies!

Those of you who saw the girls in the NICU can truly appreciate how great it is to feel like our girls are now "chubby babies". Tighter clothes, neck fat rolls that milk likes to hide in and chubby cheeks all are signs that our girls are doing great.

Above pics show Lola screaming for the fun she is having dressing up in her hat that her Aunt Eileen made and the onsie her Aunt Bonnie gave her. Lily is the one not screaming.

Lola enjoys showing that side of her personality frequently and loves, loves, loves to be held.

Lily will go to the "dark side" :), but continues to be more easy going.

Lola and Lily both are smiling, but Lola has definitely shown a big smile purposefully and that makes the "dark side" worthwhile....

Love, Mel

Two Months Old!!!

The girls turned two months old yesterday, as well as reaching 40 weeks gestation. It is amazing to think these beings could still be inside me! What we have witnessed watching them grow over the past two months!

Lily and Lola had their 2 month well baby check-up today. Both girls doing very well. Lily has surpassed Lola now, by just a little, weighing in at 8 lbs. 1 and 1/2 oz. Lola weighs 8 lbs. Lily is now 21 and 1/2 inches long and Lola 20 and 1/2 inches long. We all thought they were in the 7 lb. range, but 8 lbs. was really great to see!

Our pediatrician still wants us in until Spring and to limit visitors. We are all getting used to the idea. It is hard and I feel cooped up at times, but whatever is best for them is best for all of us. We should learn sometime in the next month or so if we qualify for the RSV vaccine and if so, that would make us all feel so much better.

The girls had their first immunizations today and I tell you, I am not sure they have "premature" lungs :)

It was pretty exciting to see how well they are filling out their carseats as well. It still took me nearly all day to get ready for a 3 p.m appointment, but much smoother overall.

Lily is in the yellow onsie and yellow dress and madras dress in above picture. Lola is in the green onsie and the purple dress. Everyone tells me they look so much alike, but to me they are so different unless I look at pictures.

Take care!

Love, Mel

Suffering for Fashion

Nothing too exciting to post, but I wanted to show these onsies that say "this is my little black dress". As you can see, Lily (top picture) is busting a move to get out of her Boppy and Lola (middle picture) loves to dress up. Bottom pic ends up looking like Lily is punching Lola, but it was much sweeter in person.

Love, Mel

This Week with Lily and Lola

I am sorry it has taken me so long to post pics and an update. This week started off way crazy and with little sleep, but wrapped up to be much better. Our moms helped us get some sleep and I feel sane now. I had no idea what true sleep deprivation felt like. I felt like I was in P.T. school all over again, only I couldn't sleep the next day after being up all night studying. We had several nights of both girls waking up between feedings. However, we can gladly say the last 3 nights both girls have slept between feedings! HOORAY! It is amazing how different sleeping for almost 2 hrs. feels vs. 1 hr.

We did end up being successful in using the Moses baskets for sleep in place of the cribs. The cribs were just too big. We also have a wedge at the head of the bed in the cribs, but the girls just keep sliding down and off and sometimes upside down. So, it was getting to be a bit ridiculous to think it was helping with the reflux issue. Several nights we would find Lola with her fanny at the top of the wedge and her head at the bottom. I am no expert on reflux, but I do understand gravity and I think that position definitely was not helping.

We also went down to 2.5 oz. vs. 3.0 oz. every 3 hrs. for feedings. It has helped tremendously. Lily has really no reflux to speak of anymore. Lola still has hers, but less and less frequent. Yea! It comes out her nose and I am sure that really burns.

We have graduated to actual newborn 8 - 14 lb. diapers too! I don't think the girls are 8 lbs., but they can at least wear the diapers!

Both girls continue to be more and more alert. Above pics show the girls watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics, tummy time (which you can see Lily loves and Lola tends to sleep through :), napping together, Boppy chairing together and watching their mobiles. The teddy bears were gifts from the Parkeys. I love them and the girls look so cute next to them.

Both girls are really gaining with head control and able to hold their heads independently for a bit. They can pick their heads up from tummy position and switch to other side. They continue to show me the "rooting" reflex every feeding, which is so funny because they are so insistent. Lola continues to have a fussy period between 9 and midnight (Dad's shift :) , however, it is improving.

Well, I had better get to the next feeding before the craziness breaks lose!

Thanks to everyone for the dinners, messages, offers to help and words of encouragement this week. It has helped more than you know.
It is amazing watching these little beings grow and develop. We are the luckiest people in the world.

Love, Mel

Hanging in There

Well the news is we are all trying to hang in there. Very, very little sleep the past few days as Lola's reflux has increased with trying to increase the volume of her feedings. She has the saddest little (well actually very loud) cry when it happens. I think it scares her. Both Lily and Lola have decided to take turns (how sweet) on being fussy between their 3 hr. feedings from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. We are going to go back down on the volume of feedings and see if that helps. We are also going to try sleeping somewhere other than the crib, like their Moses baskets. During the day they nap great in those, we are thinking the crib may just be too big and they are used to much more boundaries from NICU bedding.
They have to both be gaining weight as their 0 - 3 month onsies are getting tighter! They have rolls of fat on their legs and tummies. Yea girls.
Will try to post pictures later this week.
Love, Mel