A New Development

Something new happened at our house last night. The boys were moved to a crib! Right now they are sharing one, and so far, so good. (I hope I didn't jinx myself there.) And the best news is that they slept for four and a half hours straight. In a row. One hour right after another. Ahhhh, can you say "heaven"?

By popular demand, here are a few more pictures to satisfy your picture addictions...

This picture is of Isaac, the human heater. He is warming the boys up after their baths. I am totally useless as a heater, so I get to bathe them and clean everything up afterward. Doesn't seem like a fair trade if you ask me!

Here is Jason wearing his twin shirt. I don't know if this meant anything or not, but about fifteen minutes after this picture was taken, Jason peed all over his outfit. Hmm...

With all of the time it takes to care for twins, we needed to invent something to make cleaning the house easier. We tried several things, but finally settled on this...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It is dual powered and never loses suction! In case you can't tell in the video (sorry it is so dark), it's of the boys trying to eat their blanket a whole 5 and 10 minutes after they ate. Sigh.

And lastly, here is a blurry video of Jason rolling over. I am so proud of them both!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I could do this by email, but I am lazy so I am going this route. Isaac is home for three days (thanks goodness!) and I can go out to play! I am thinking lunch on our regular day and maybe our old standby at BJ's on Friday? Let me know!

Yeah to my potential fourth and fifth time out without babies! Umm, can you tell I am somewhat excited about the prospect of an outing?

Here are some pictures because I am so excited about maybe going out that I can't come up with anything good to write about...

Yes I am holding them both while Isaac stands behind me! Shawn is in the solid green. Jason is in the stripes. I am the one with the messy hair--again!

Isaac and Shawn the day before Jason came home. I think this picture is so sweet.

Isaac and Shawn again. I am starting to see a pattern here!

This is Jason just before he rolled over. It won't be long before he crawls if he keeps this up! Oh, and this is his mini push-up stance.

In case you wondered what I look like when I write my posts, here it is. That is the laptop on my lap on my lap (notice the blue glow from the screen), Shawn in my arms, and Jason next to me. Usually, Gracie is somewhere in the mix, too. If I am not in this pose, picture the laptop on my lap and each foot on a bouncy seat. I will bounce the boys as I type. (and Gracie is still in the mix) It is amazing that I can write a coherent word, isn't it?

Mr. Shawn has been home one month today! Happy homecoming anniversary, baby. I am so glad you're here!

We're 4 Months Old!

Geez. Where did the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that they were born? Yikes!

This post is dedicated to milestones. I hate these things, and I make myself crazy when I think about them. Nevertheless, think about them, I do. So, here it goes...

Actual Age is 4 months old.

Adjusted Age is 5 weeks 2 days old.

One Month:

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
• Lifts head when lying on tummy (both can do this)
• Responds to sound (both do this)
• Stares at faces (both do this although Jason likes to stare you down)

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
• Follows objects briefly with eyes (both can do this)
• Vocalizes: oohs and aahs (there is some of this, but not a lot)
• Can see black-and-white patterns (umm, not sure how I can tell--but, I do know they can see!)

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
• Smiles, laughs (Jason smiles but doesn't laugh. Shawn's smiles are gas smiles. The pediatrician says that he should be smiling by 8 weeks after his due date, so he still has time to get there before I totally freak out.)
• Holds head at 45-degree angle (both can do this)

Two Months:

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
• Vocalizes: gurgles and coos (they both vocalize, but not a lot. Still I am giving them credit for this one.)
• Follows objects across field of vision (yes for both)
• Notices his hands (well, yes for both I think. They both will push the bottle away with their hands in a very deliberate way, so that leads me to believe they know their hands are there and will use them. They both also suck on their hands.)
• Holds head up for short periods (yes for both)

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
• Smiles, laughs (Jason smiles but doesn't laugh. Shawn's smiles are gas smiles)
• Holds head at 45-degree angle (yes for both)
• Makes smoother movements (Shawn makes smoother movements than Jason. Jason still seems a little wobbly)

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
• Holds head steady (yes for both although Shawn's is more steady than Jason's)
• Can bear weight on legs (yes for both although Shawn is able to hold himself up for longer)
• Lifts head and shoulders when lying on tummy (mini-pushup) (yes for both)

Three Months:

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
• Recognizes your face and scent (How do you know if they know your scent? They do recognize me and Isaac.)
• Holds head steady (again yes and no)
• Visually tracks moving objects (yes for both)

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
• Squeals, gurgles, coos (There is some cooing for both. No squeals and no gurgles for either.)
• Blows bubbles (Does spitting formula at me count? If so, then yes for both. If not, then that is a no.)
• Recognizes your voice (yes for both)
• Does mini-pushup (yes for both)

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
• Rolls over, from tummy to back (Big freaking Yes for BOTH of them! Proud mommy, here!)
• Turns toward loud sounds (Jason turned toward the television today when he heard a siren blaring. Shawn will, on occasion, also turn toward noises.)
• Can bring hands together, bats at toys (Both will bring their hands together, but they don't bat at toys yet. They do bat at the bottle.)

Four Months:

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
• Smiles, laughs (Jason smiles but doesn't laugh. Shawn's smiles are gas smiles)
• Can bear weight on legs (yes for both)
• Coos when you talk to him (Jason yes sometimes, Shawn no.)

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
• Can grasp a toy (no for both)
• Rolls over, from tummy to back (Still a big freaking Yes for BOTH of them!)

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
• Imitates sounds: "baba," "dada" (no for both)
• Cuts first tooth (maybe Jason is getting ready to because he has been more fussy than usual. I don't see any physical signs in his mouth yet, though.)
• May be ready for solid foods (Don't know about this one. I bet Jason will be all over solids when he gets them. I am not so sure about Shawn.)

Strengths:

Shawn:
• Can roll over from tummy to back both ways.

• Can hold his own weight when he stands for pretty long periods of time.

• He has pretty good control over his muscles and has fairly smooth movements.

• He has begun to coo, although it is infrequent.


Jason:
• Smiles.

• Maintains eye contact for long periods of time.

• Has begun to coo, slightly more often than his brother.

• He eats pretty well and is gaining weight well.


Areas to work on:

Shawn:
• smiling
• cooing and vocalizing more
• grasping at things
• eating more at each feed and gaining weight!

Jason:
• cooing and vocalizing more
• smoother movements
• grasping at things

• holding his weight when standing

All in all, I declare the boys geniuses, too! (there is a lot of that happening over here) I am quite happy with how they are progressing, especially when you take into account that they aren't even two months old adjusted yet! I hope they continue to do as well as they have done so far.

Morning Sunshine...

Jason's first smiles (on camera)...

He's now smiling for something other than gas! I can't tell you how excited that makes me. I am so in love!

Oh, I added more pictures to the right under "The Boys with Family."

Shawn had a quick visit with the pediatrician today so he could get a booster of his RSV medication. We are hoping that the booster shots and the sequestering will help to prevent the boys from getting RSV this season. The season doesn't end until April, so we aren't out of the woods yet, but so far, so good.

The good news:

1) He was a trooper with his shot (that needle was long, too!) and cried only a short while.
2) He is gaining weight. He weighs 9 pounds 3 ounces.

The bad news:

1) He is still having issues with eating, so his zantac dosage was upped. (I suppose that could be a good thing.)
2) He isn't gaining as fast as the one ounce a day ideal. What to do? What to do?

I have tried to put extra slits in his nipples to help with increasing his food intake. At first, he thought I was trying to drown him, but I think he has figured it out now. It is definitely a little more messy than before, but it isn't too bad. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this might be the trick. It has helped so far, and this morning he took 4 whole ounces at one feeding! (and then slept and slept) Do you suppose he gets this food thing from me? I bet he's going to love chocolate!

*****

Jason gets his booster on the 3rd. And then they both get their 4 month shots on the 11th (plus another eye exam that day, but I am keeping that a secret from them. I know, it's crazy. Shhhhhhhh.)

*****

And the plan continues to work, except that Shawn had a rough night last night. Hey, boy. You're suppose to save that for your dad's night with you! What's up with that? No matter, we survived. :-)

The Results...

How is the plan going you ask? Well here it goes--told from the his and her perspectives...

Isaac: (yep, his very first posting)

I think that the experiment is working..... so far. If you are old enough to remember, there was an act on television in which one person attempted to keep ceramic dinner plates spinning on several poles at the same time. The poles were tall, thin and very wobbly. The plates needed to be constantly spinning or else they would come crashing down. This act was always full of suspense and angst because as soon as it seemed that all the plates were spinning in perfect harmony, there would be at least two that would simultaneously be slowing down to a perilous wobble. Once the act began, it never seemed as if it would end without the inevitable, almost welcomed, CRASH!

There is a certain feeling of accomplishment when you can take care of your child's needs. This feeling is sometimes very hard to realize when there are two at the same time. This new system allows Stacie and I to actually take a moment and enjoy these little baby boys in between feedings and diaper changes. This "in between" time is often filled with those small, yet powerful, melt your heart moments that you share with your very own baby as you take in this, exhausting, yet wonderful experience.

This one on one system also works because I have a great partner in Stacie. I know that the plates will never truly stop spinning overhead and that's is alright with me. No matter how exhausted we both become or how many times the baby cries seem to be coming in surround sound, she is always there to help me keep those plates spinning.

Me:

Ahhh. Sleep is a wonderful thing, and now I can finally get some! Sleep that is. Like I said before, I was usually taking the night shift so Isaac could sleep for work. I would wake him up when I fell into bed at about 6:00 a.m., immediately fall asleep, and be blissfully unaware (mostly) of crying until he left for work at about 8:30-9:00. The day would then start again. Two uninterrupted hours of sleep does not a happy person make. Thank goodness my mom would come over to help out in the afternoons, or I would have pulled my hair out a long time ago!

All of that is my long winded way of saying that I totally LOVE this plan. Totally. Love. It.

It is amazing how much time is left between feedings when there is only one baby to worry about. Now, I can actually sleep during the night. (Did I say how wonderful sleep is yet? :-) ) Plus, this plan gives me the opportunity to give each baby the extra attention that is difficult to give when someone always seems to be needing something.

So with that, I declare myself a genius for coming up with the plan in the first place. I rock. (yes, I am doing some serious back patting right now and sighing quite contently)

Now if I could only get them to eat more each feeding and go longer in between them, I would experience complete and utter bliss...

Can't solve all the problems in one day, now can I? Even geniuses have their limits... :-)

So far, so good. Tonight, we swap...

Something New...

Since the babies came home, we have been taking turns staying up with them while the other person sleeps. This has had both its merits and downfalls, but we've made it work the best we can (with me usually taking the 12-6 am shift so Isaac can get some sleep for work).

Unfortunately, this leaves very little sleep for the person who gets the night shift--and makes that person more than a little grumpy. Here's why: each baby eats every two-three hours. If all goes well, each baby takes about a half an hour to eat, change, and put back to bed (Shawn often takes longer while Jason usually takes less time). Assuming we fall right to sleep, that gives us about an hour of rest in between each feeding time. If we are lucky, that is.

SO, we have decided to try something new. Actually, the idea is not so new. I had thought we would do this from the very start, but when Isaac never took the "vacation" I thought he would take, the idea evaporated into a cloud of smoke. (the work thing is a sore spot with me to say the least)

The new plan is that we each take a baby for the night. Each person is responsible for his/her baby. Feed him. Change him. Keep him happy. Remember to sleep when he sleeps. The other person will do the same with his/her baby. To keep it sort of quiet, we'll each take different rooms; one person will take the bedroom, and the other person will take the living room. (any guesses as to who gets the living room?)

Tomorrow, we'll swap babies. And rooms.

I am hoping that this will give us a little more sleep during the night. At the very least, it should make us equally tired! I'll let you know tomorrow how it went.

Should be interesting if nothing else...

I'll leave you with pictures of us with our baby for the night. (ahh, such naivete on our faces. don't laugh!)

Isaac and Shawn.

Jason and me. (he's sucking on my cheek--he's always hungry!)

P.S. We both have decided that we would almost have too much time on our hands if we had only had one baby! Good thing we had twins first, right?

Truce?

In case you can't tell what is happening here, that is Gracie in my jacket. It was too funny. I had just finished feeding Shawn and was holding him for a little bit before I got up to put him in bed. Gracie came over to get on my lap. Then Shawn moved. Instead of running off in disgust, like normal, she just kept on coming. I think she is so desperate to be close to me that she is willing to get close to the thing that makes all of that noise!

And again, I really don't know what is up with my hair! I swear it never looks combed anymore. Oh well. It's a good thing that the babies and Isaac don't care much.

Bath Time

The boys are not big fans of the bath. That might be an understatement. I would go so far as to say that they "hate" the bath. Except for this one time...

I don't know what got into Shawn, but he almost decided that a bath was a good thing. We were so excited that we had to take pictures. Too bad the feeling didn't last!

Happy Valentine's Day!

From all of us to all of you, Happy Valentine's Day!

With Love,

Team Lopez

The boys are sleeping and I am totally restless. I should be doing something around the house, but of course nothing sounds appealing right now. SO what does one do when they are trying to avoid something else? That's right. Surf the net.

And I found this little "How Normal Are You" test. I am happy to find out that I am mostly normal. Well, 65% normal that is. Leave a comment and tell me how "normal" you are!

You Are Fairly Normal

You scored 65% normal on this quiz Like most people you are normal in some ways...But you aren't a completely normal person. You're a little weird too! Why You Are Normal: You eat the frosting first (only if it's chocolate) You prefer ruffled potato chips You check your daily horoscope (if it is there, but I don't seek the horoscope out for information or anything!) You prefer fiction to non fiction If you had to, you rather live without music and still have laughter (these were the only two choices--I'd rather have both!) Why You Aren't Normal: You prefer your family to your friends You would rather be tan than pale (I am already pale and it is not so fun!) You know a little about many subjects You prefer the moon to the sun You prefer a good nap to a good meal (umm...duh!)

What's" Normal About You... And What's Not?

Sending a huge hug to everyone at school. I am thinking about you all.

I am torn because I wasn't there--I know there wasn't anything I could have done, but you always want to be with family in times like this...and you all are definitely my family.

http://www.knbc.com/news/15282066/detail.html?dl=mainclick

Getting to Know You...

Now that the boys are here twenty four hours a day (yippee), we are really getting to know their little personalities and quirks. They can sometimes make us want to pull out our hair in desperation, especially at that 3-5 am feeding time (they tend to double team us at that point), but usually we have to laugh at how funny they are.

Here are some things we've noticed about our little guys:

Shawn -

• Shawn doesn't like socks and takes every opportunity to remove them if given the chance. How he does it remains a mystery to us!


• Shawn has decided that he wants to be walked during his feedings. Sitting in a nice comfy chair will not do for him! Because of this, I swear we have each walked an extra three or four miles a day while he eats.


• He also likes to eat laying on his side on the rare occasions when I can actually sit down.
  


• Shawn absolutely loves his bouncy chair, especially the vibration part of it. Once he is in that thing, he quickly goes to sleep. When I want to wake him up, all I have to do is turn the vibration off. He is awake in a matter of seconds. The bouncy seat has been my personal savior in the middle of the night. Whoever invented this thing must be a genious!


• The best way to burp this boy is through "the bounce." This is a technique I have perfected just for him. He sort of sits on my hip while I sort of jump around a la Shakira (as Isaac puts it). It is hard to explain, but it works EVERY time (thankfully).
  


• His nickname has become Shawn-bon, you know, as in "Shake your Shawn-Bon" or "Shawnie-bonnie".


• He prefers to lay on his back and will roll over when we put him on his tummy.
  


• Isaac likes to say he is the "Mexican Stacie" because he resembles my side of the family but has much darker skin than I do. (I realize that wouldn't be hard, but he is pretty dark.)

Jason -

• Jason has a pretty low pitch to his cry. He also cries big crocodile tears when he is upset--which always pulls at my heartstrings!


• Jason has taken to stealth peeing on his clothes during diaper changes. He is very quick, too! A lot of the time, I don't even know he had done it until I try to dress him and see that his clothes are all wet! He is also the one who likes to poop on my hand...


• Jason likes to kick out of any/all blankets we put on him. Forget about swaddling him for any length of time because he will always escape. He also likes to put his arms up while he sleeps.


• He also likes to look at himself in the mirror. Isaac says who can blame him because he looks like his daddy.
  


• Isaac calls Jason the "Caucasion Isaac." I guess that explains itself.


• The best way to get Jason to burp is by laying him over your shoulder. That's why my arms ache at the end of the day.


• Jason loves to eat, gulps down his formula in record time, and frowns while he does it. He also likes to make these little moans and groans while he eats. (gets that from Isaac)


• Jason snores LOUDLY while he sleeps. (Isaac will tell you that he does not, he purrs.)


• Jason has almost mastered rolling over, too. He prefers his stomach, though, so that explains why the rolling over part isn't happening as fast as it did for his brother.

In other news, we have two doctor's appointments tomorrow. First we go back to the pediatrician for a follow-up (again to make sure we aren't starving the boys to death and to prove our parenting skills so far) and then we have a follow-up with the hernia surgeon. Thankfully, Isaac will be going with me. I did manage the pediatrician by myself last time, but let's just say it wasn't pretty. (You know you look pathetic when someone struggling with a cane hurries ahead of you to open the door first!)

And blogger still has issues with the spell checker. Again, please attribute any mistakes to an overly tired mind...

Look What We Can Do!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Dearest Zantac,

Who needs that messy Mylicon with you by our side? You are now our best friend. We love you with all of our hearts.

We love our pediatrician, too, for sharing you with us. She was heaven sent. (Just like you...)

Thank you again for everything,
Team Lopez

*****************

The pediatrician appointment went fine. I took the boys by myself, and I managed to survive (although I did sweat a bit when they both started crying and the doctor was trying to talk to me). Jason weighs 9lbs 7 ounces, and Shawn weighs 8lbs 9 ounces. Shawn is now 21 inches long, but I am not sure how long Jason is. I do know he is bigger. Not too bad when you remember that they weighed 2lbs 14 1/2 ounces and were 15 inches long at birth. We go back for a follow up next week to check to see how Shawn is doing on his Zantac.

******************

On a side note, I think the lack of sleep is starting to affect me. I can overlook the day I put the boys' clothes on backwards and call it inexperience, but when I wear a sweater inside out for the entire day, I do believe that is something. The sad part is that no one said anything. You can't tell me they didn't see the tag on my back! Sigh.

I am having so much fun being a mommy! So far, it is all I had hoped for and so much more! The part I love best, though, is being able to hold and snuggle my babies until my arms ache. Anytime I want. Heaven could be no better than this as far as I am concerned.

We had eye exams today. All in all, it was not too terrible of an experience. Shawn refused to open his eyes for the exam, so the doctor had to pull out his midevil contraption called an eyelid speculum. (To the left is a picture of it. Notice the little hooks to hold the eyelids.) My goodness that thing was scary. Shawn did his best to close his eyes with the speculum on, too! Jason was his usual easy-going self, and hardly cried. Shawn cried enough for both of them--not that I can blame him. The good news is that we have dodged the bullet and their eyes look really good and there is no evidence of any nasty problems. Anyway, a full description of the actual procedure they follow to check the babies' eyes is at the end of this post.

Tomorrow is our pediatrician appointment. Shawn already had one appointment with a pediatrician, but I had to change doctors due to an insurance snaffu. (they had us listed with a doctor with the same last name that was three hours away) Hopefully it will go well with the new doctor. I am anxious to talk to her about Shawn's dislike of feedings.

After the eye exams, I came home and my mom and I played photographer. This was the first time the boys were photographed together since December. (another Heaven moment for me)


To refresh your memory, this was Then:






And Now:

Can you tell that this was just before eating time? Shawn is in the blue and Jason is in the green.

This one (above) is my favorite for the day.

Well, maybe this one (above) is my favorite.


I love this last one of Jason. I think his expression is just too sweet.

Not too bad for my first attempt. Shawn's eyes were a little swollen from the eye exam, too.

Here is the description of the eye exams (and linked to the site from which I lifted this info):

The doctor performs the exam with the help of an assistant. The assistant helps hold the baby during the examination. The baby's eyes are dilated with eye drops prior to the examination. The doctor may use an instrument called an "eyelid speculum" to hold the eyelids open and another instrument called a "scleral depressor" to help hold and move the eye into different positions so that all of the retina can be inspected. An instrument called an "indirect ophthalmoscope" is used; it has a special lens that sends a bright light into the eye, enabling the doctor to examine the retina.