Due Dates and Checkups

This was me and the boys on their due date, already 2 months old at this point.

Warrior at Heart. Some days I truly feel like I have to be in warrior mode. It’s a constant battle to simply keep sanity I think. Most school days go a little something like this (some of the times are estimated based on how the babies are sleeping):

-1:00am- feed babies (occasionally both by myself, but that is pretty rare because ZED is amazing and usually gets up to feed babies with me. The only times he doesn’t get up with me is when I don’t wake him up because he’s got a big day going on.)

-2:00am-pump & clean up

-2:40-back to sleep

-5:00am-feed babies

-6:00am-pump & clean up

-6:30am back to sleep

-7:30/8:00am-breakfast for the big boys & myself (hopefully)

-9:00am-feed babies

-10:00am-pump and clean up

-10:30am-lunch for Mr. J and Otis

-11:00am-big boys brush teeth and get ready for school and the bus. Lucky for me the bus picks up both boys outside our house. Mr J is in kindergarten and Otis is in Preschool, both at the elementary school campus.

-11:15am- shower

-12:00pm-lunch for myself

-12:30pm-feed babies

-1:30pm-pump & clean up

-2:20pm-pack up twins and pick up Otis from preschool—the bus doesn’t bring preschoolers home.

-3:15pm-Mr J comes home from school- I work on snacks and starting homework

-3:30pm- feed babies

-4:30pm-pump and clean up

-5:00pm-Me time/cleaning/laundry/piano practice, etc.

-5:30pm-start cooking dinner

-6:30pm-dinner time & clean up

-7:00pm-feed babies

-7:30pm-baths

-8:00pm-bedtime routine

-8:15pm-pump and clean up

-9:00pm-Zed and I can finally & hopefully relax a little.

Mr J in SOO loving to these sweet babies. He always wants to do something to help them.

So most nights the babies will sleep 4-5 hours in between feedings. I always pump right before or after feeding times when possible (less possible when we are not feeding the babies at home). During the day they eat every 3-4hours, so the times I gave were kind of just examples. But by time I finish pumping and feeding babies I usually have 60-90minutes before I have to start all over. A lot of times making dinner gets pushed back because the babies need to eat. Sometimes everything gets out of order because one of the babies stays awake, and needs to eat sooner than the anticipated 3-4hours; or one or both are incredibly fussy for no apparent reason in between feedings and nothing gets accomplished in that time that I normally would have to do something…anything.

The other day Zed took a whole bunch of time to treat me to housework. He did ALL the laundry, which means he folded about 500 baskets of clean clothes and then proceeded to wash another 87 loads of laundry. OK, those numbers might be slightly exaggerated, but that is exactly what it felt like for me. He also cleaned up all the dishes—which I’ve actually be pretty good about staying on top of clean dishes I think; it’s because I am cleaning bottles about 14 times a day I think, so I just get the dishes moved to the dishwasher really quick, and start it up if ready.

I got this shot fairly early in the morning. Apparently first thing they did when they woke up at my moms was become pirates.

Today my mother in law took the big boys with her to visit her mother so I had the entire day just me and the babes. I tell you what, it’s been relaxing. For the first time since I came home I had a GUILT free nap….I’ve only had 1 other nap and it was because I thought I was going to die from exhaustion so I called my amazing mother in law at 8am to come watch all the kids so I could go back to sleep, but I felt incredibly guilty for asking her to take over my responsibilities. But today it was great. I had the boys clean up the living room a little yesterday, so today I just put a few things away and am totally ok with how my front room appears. I even just laid on the bed with the babies (who were fussy so I was holding them really) and played on the iPad. I could’ve been cleaning something, but I truly enjoyed relaxing. I had to start this post with a look at my normal day to justify the relax time though. Because that’s who I am I guess. 

It's crazy to imagine that on the left was not even 9 months ago. It was the shot that made us realize that this was not just another pregnancy. We were having twins. On the right is these guys earlier in the week. I am so immensely blessed to have these 2 boys. I can't even imagine only having 1 of them....I can imagine the sleep I might be getting, and the more frequent quiet moments that would occur, but I simply can't imagine our family with only 3 boys and not 4.

Well almost 2 weeks ago was Mike and Will’s due date. It was great to be at the due date and know how strong and healthy my boys are now. A few days later I took them to their 2month check-up. Mike weighed in at 7lb 5oz and Will weighed in at 7lb 10oz. 2 month and both babies have gained EXACTLY 4 pounds!!!! I was so excited! So yeah, they are 2months old and just barely the size an average newborn. They are 2 months old and are still at least 1pound shy of what by other 2 boys weighed at birth. But I am loving them being so big and healthy! The doctor explained to us that for milestones we are looking for the milestones of Mike and Will’s “corrected age”. So basically instead of looking for things that an average 2 month old does, we are looking for things that the average 2week old does. There are a lot of things these guys will do that 2 weekers won’t (like starting to hold their head up) but most things are on the corrected age. 

These boys are almost done wearing Newborn clothes and diapers....almost

There was one thing that we learned that I didn’t like hearing at their check-up. Mike has what is called a “communicating hydrocele”. It is similar to a hernia, or is basically a hernia. It’s not super uncommon, but does require surgery to fix. Will has a hydrocele, but since it’s not communicating it will most likely resolve itself. Both of these happen as the boys’ testes dropped. There is like a channel for them to drop down through and the channel is supposed to close up. Will’s has closed, but it trapped fluid in around the testes. The body will eventually absorb the fluid. With the communicating hydrocele the channel did not close up and the fluid can go in and out and there is risk for the intestines to herniated. PS, if you work in the medical field and are thinking “wow, this girl has no idea what she is talking about” feel free to comment and correct me. I’m just writing how I understand things after having 2 pediatricians separately explain things to me. Anyway…. Mike will need surgery, but we don’t want to do it until his corrected age is 2months; so we are waiting until he is 4 months old.

My styling boys. They wanted to ride their bikes outside even though they kept getting caught in the light rain (thankfully they never got caught up in a downpour!). I can't get over Mr J's Cowboy Hat/Backpack/Neck Tie combo. Otis has TMNT slippers on and his backpack is on his bike. I love that everything is fun for them.

A few days after this doctor visit we went back to Las Vegas to have some follow-ups down there again. The boys both saw their ophthalmologist. He said that their eyes are looking really good, but needs to do 1 or 2 more follow ups in the coming months, then Zed and I decided we will switch to someone closer. This guy is the one who saw them in the hospital and happens to be the leading ROP ophthalmologist in the western states from what we’ve heard. He is making sure that the eye muscles and around the eye mature properly since they were so premature. Right now everything looks healthy, but since they were so early he said their eyes won’t be matured until about 50weeks gestational age (so 10 weeks after the due date). Everything grows, matures, and is learned so much slower outside of the womb. 

My AMAZING mom. She literally gets down and plays with the kids for the longest time. She impresses me every time we see her.

 I had a follow up as well and am doing great. Because of multiple appointments we were able to stay at my mom’s for a few days and make a trip out of it with the big boys too. They L-O-V-E my mom. It makes my heart so happy. She is a fantastic grandma. She just plays with my kids, participates in their games, their make believe, all of it. She encourages it even! This time around she had bought a treasure chest and all sorts of pirate things to go inside of it. When we got there she gave Otis a treasure map she had helped him make this summer and they followed the map to the chest and got to be pirates for the next few days. She was right along with them the entire time. I know it’s a lot of work, and I know she was grateful we were only there 3 days, but she makes my boys feel so special.

This right here is the Pirate fanatic. He knows how to melt my little heart though.

Since we’ve come back home I’ve FINALLY started to work on Mike & Will’s room. I’ve wanted to do it in a Cat in the Hat/Thing1 Thing2/Dr. Seuss Theme. It’s starting to come together a little bit, mostly as I start to move all of the boxes of things out of there from when I came home a month ago and turned their room into a storage room! I’m pretty happy with how things are going. I’m also starting to get mine and Zed’s room re-done. When he first left the country so many months ago, I decided I was going to update our room, so I order curtains, new bedding, and started mentally adjusting our walls. Then I moved away. So I am now starting to get all of those things put together. In the same breath, Otis and Mr J just moved into a room together over the summer and I’m doing their room in a sports theme. These weren’t all supposed to be happening at once. I had originally anticipated doing my room, then the big boys, then lastly the babies. Oh well.

We are blessing Mike and Will at church in 2 weeks. If you don’t already come to our church, or you haven’t been given the information of when and where, just message me and I’ll update you. Thank you again for all the love and support. ESPECIALLY from our ward members. Being back at church these last few weeks has really reminded me how blessed we are in our ward family. I am reminded how many of you really knew who I was through all of this, even though I’d spent the previous 3years tucked behind the piano in primary. I always knew who so many of you were and figured no one knew me unless they did extensive time in the primary room. I am so grateful for your continuous thoughts and prayers on my family’s behalf.