11 weeks and going strong!

We went back to the doctor Wednesday for a check up and some more shots. The big news is that Jackson has officially overtaken his sister in size. This will probably be no surprise to anyone who has held them recently, but I had no idea he would be so much bigger. He is a whopping 10 lb 11 oz! Lola has also grown quite a bit: 10 lb even! They are both in the 10-25th percentile for weight, the bottom 3rd percentile for length, and even though their heads seem pretty big to me, the bottom 10th percentile for head circumference. The doctor is very pleased with their growth. I asked if I was possibly feeding Jackson too much (he eats almost every 2 hours now) but she said both babies still have farther to go before they catch up and there is no concern of overfeeding. Ok, so we keep eating and eating...The babies seem to be doing well with their development as well. They are holding their heads up pretty well (unless they are tired and then they flop all over the place) and are working on sitting (assisted of course). When they lie on their tummy they can pick their heads up and occasionally push their arms straight. Jackson is cooing fairly regularly and Lola has once or twice I think. It's hard to believe these are the same kids who were simply eating and sleeping just a weeks ago.

Unfortunately Jackson has to go back to the doctor on Monday to have a skin bridge removed. Basically, there is a little piece of skin serving as a bridge across the circumcision. In honor of Jackson's impending discomfort, here is a picture of the first smile that we managed to capture on camera:
Lola and Jackson got to meet their uncle Patrick (my brother) for the first time this weekend. He and his girlfriend Ashley came to visit from Atlanta and had a great time with babies. They both spent considerable time feeding, burping, playing with and rocking the kids and, with my mom still here, I realized that the 5:2 ratio is just about perfect!On a sad note, my mom leaves to go back to CO tomorrow. It's hard to believe that she's already been here 2 weeks AND that it's going to be 6 weeks before she comes back. The last time she left she was only gone 3 weeks; I don't know how Aaron and I are going to survive 6. We're not sure who's going to get up with the babies between 2 and 5 am, her regular shift. Any takers? It doesn't pay well but we keep the fridge well stocked with iced coffee.
Here are some more cute pics just for the fun of it:
Jackson meditatingNot Lola's best pic, but she wasn't being very cooperative and I wanted one to match Jackson's

No one told me there would be days like this...

I guess I knew deep in the back of my brain that the days of sleeping and eating with an only occasional 15 minutes of play (mostly created by mom for the sole purpose of a photo op) were limited. Perhaps I realized that sooner or later the babies would no longer be content to lay around all day watching me fold endless loads of cloths. I watched my friend's children do more than sleep and eat at 2 months old. Some might argue that I should have known better.
But denial is a powerful thing. Even while planning my living room arrangement around the need to keep my kids visible and safe while playing on the floor, I was somehow never believing that they would do so. I am now forced to confront the truth. No longer happy to simply lay quiet and still while the world goes on around them, Jackson and Lola have reached what seems to be a stage of "active infancy." And with their attention span lasting only a few minutes, this new stage has proven to be VERY ACTIVE for all of us.
To all of you who listened to me complain about how hard it has been the past two months and didn't mention that it was going to get harder before easier, I appreciate your regard for my feelings. It's nice not to kick a mom while she's down. I might have broken down completely if someone would have told me the truth: "You think it's hard now? All they're doing is eating and sleeping. Wait until they not only need to eat and sleep but want to be held. And not only held, but held AND entertained. And of course they will both want to be held and entertained AT THE SAME TIME." And to those of you who have never tried to hold two squirming 2 month olds or calm two hysterical infants, both of them refusing to be put down, feel welcome to come over and visit any time. It is a challenge which will leave you exhausted and, if you succeed, feeling like wonder woman.

Lola's Bumble Bee

Lola has finally found a friend! She has discovered something other than grown ups that is worthy of her attention: a bumble bee that is attached to the hand of a brightly colored hippo. It seems she could care less about the hippo itself, even though its other limbs squeek and make a crinkley noise and the belly is covered by a big round mirror. It's only the bee that keeps her attention. That could be because its wings are black and white striped, the color combo that most captures the attention of infants. Or maybe she's a born bee lover and will one day harvest honey in our back yard.
My son, as you can see, is dedicated to completely ignoring the hippo. He continues to only have eyes for the bluebird.

What a week!

First off let me start with our 7 week check up. The official news is my babies are HUGE! We went for a check up and immunizations on Tuesday and the nurse confirmed what I had been suspecting; the babies have grown so much! Jackson is 7 lb 11 oz and determined to catch up with his sister. He has gained almost 3 lb in 7 weeks! Lola has gained 2 1/2 lb for a total of 7 lb 14 oz. They are finally the size of average newborns. In fact they are in the 50th percentile in weight, length, and head circumference on the newborn growth chart. They are not quite so big for 7 weekers. Lola is in the 3rd-5th percentile for all 3 measurements. Jackson is the same except he doesn't quite make it on the chart for weight. They have outgrown most of their premie cloths, wearing mostly newborn and even a few 0-3 months cloths. Look at how big they are:The doctor and I briefly talked about their development; he asked if they were smiling socially and responding to light and sound. They weren't, and he assured me that even though they are only in the 1 to 2 month range for development (not the 2 month range like would be expected if they had been term), they should catch up easily in time. Well, it seems the good doc knows his business. Lola has smiled twice already (neither of them at me) after being coaxed for some time and they both seem to be turning their head occasionally when I make noise. I do this almost obsessively and while I know in my head that their delay is expected, my heart wants them to be within the "normal range" for their unadjusted age.

No other real news to report from the doc. Jack still has some congestion, although it seems to be getting better. They both BM trouble...Oh well, it could be much much worse. They will be going back in a month for some more shots (which they LOVE!) and some more size and development checks. I'll keep you posted.

In more fun news, the babies had a very exciting weekend. We went for a stroll in the double jogging stroller (thanks a ton to Tim and Marrianne). With the addition of the head padding from their strollers it worked great. The ride was pretty smooth no matter how fast I went (admittedly not very fast, YET), and you know Lakeview is not known for its smooth streets.

We also had our first public outings. The babies and I, along with help from auntie Celeste, made a much needed trip to Wal-Mart. I swore I'd never become a Wal-Mart shopper, but those low prices...WOW. Celeste and I managed to feed and burp both babies WHILE SHOPPING. Other than it taking a little bit longer than normal, the trip was a big success.

Our great friend Simone came and spent the weekend with us and we had a blast! She fed and burped babies, changed more than her share of diapers, and even stayed up with the kids Saturday night so Mommy and Daddy could get some sleep. We also went out to eat 3 times over the weekend: sushi, PF Changs, and Surry's for Sunday breakfast. The babies were great in the restaurants (although twice "Simone's baby" started fussing and had to be fed:)To top off the weekend, Becky and Allen stayed over Sunday night and let Aaron and I sleep through the night. I slept from 9:30 all the way until 7:30. That is the longest I have slept since I first went in to the hospital in January! It felt amazing!

Not a bad week. And we're starting this one off pretty great as well. The babies took a 2 hour nap IN THEIR CRIB today (granted, Jackson did have to rocked and put back 3 times). Let's see how tonight goes...

And for those of you who just check this blog for cute pictures, here are some more:

Comments Please

OK, so most of you can imagine what my day consists of...dirty diapers, dirty bottles, dirty laundry, dirty children. In between washing babies and all their supplies (and occasionally myself) I obsess over and pray about their growth, development, nutrition, routine..."are they eating enough?", "are they supposed to be holding their head up by now?", "aren't I supposed to be sleeping more by now?".

Every day we have a little of this...
And lots of this...
So you see why I look so forward to checking my blog for comments, hoping to read about how you all think my babies are cute and fabulous and perfect. Hint hint...

Jackson's New Friend

Jackson has recently made friends with a blue bird that hangs in front of him on his bouncy seat. Several times a day they hang out with each other; the bird hangs in front of Jackson's face and he tries to get a hold of her swing. When he does he gives her a good shake before he lets go and loses sight of her. Even though she never moves from in front of his face, he waves his head around frantically for a minute before he finds her again. Today this went on for an hour before he finally got tired of her shenanigans.
Lola has yet to make friends with any of the animals that hang around the house. She pretty much ignores both them and her brother. So far she only has eyes for grown ups...everything else seems to bore her.It's great to see the kids starting to notice the environment around them. It seems like they do more each day. They both smile now, although not in response to anything in particular. I like to imagine that it's like when I tell myself a joke in my head that's not appropriate to say out loud. Maybe Lola is privately laughing at how hard I am working to get her to pay attention to that silly blue bird. (To those of you thinking, "Silly new mom, those are just reflex smiles caused by a gas bubble," my babies are geniuses and I am sure that they are smiling very much on purpose :) I have not been able to capture one such "on purpose" smile on camera but keep checking, the evidence will be posted soon.

Other than smiling and playing with their toys, it's pretty much more of the same at the Freedman house. We eat, we sleep...well at least 2 of the 4 of us eat and sleep.
We are making more progress on the sleeping front. Both babies are asleep this very second in their crib. It's very exciting to think that soon this might be lasting more than 2 hours.

Wait, I think I spoke to soon. Gotta go!

April 24th, Lola and Jackson's official due date!

Since we have now reached what was Lola and Jackson's official due date, I thought it would be fun to post a little retrospective to show how far we've come and how much the babies have changed in the past 6 weeks. It's really amazing!
Hospital visit number 1 in Colorado at 25 weeks gestation. Look how small my belly is!

8 1/2 weeks later...Jackson and Lola at 12 hours old. Lola is 4 lb 7 oz and Jackson is 3 lb 14 oz. They still have their Pulse/Oxygen and heart rate monitors, IVs, feeding tubes, and oxygen in their noses and are kept warm in the isolettes. Look how big those premie diapers are! Although they are sooooo cute, this is not the way you pictures seeing your newborn babies!We always loved going to see our babies in the NICU, but some days were harder than others. Seeing our babies in the isolettes and not being allowed to pick them up and comfort them was sometimes enough to break our hearts.

Here they are in the step down NICU a couple of days before they were sent home, about 2 weeks old. Jackson sure does know how to sport that hat!Here we are FINALLY home from the hospital. Well, not exactly home...Daryll was nice enough to loan us his home until ours was finished. Thanks Daryll and Leah! The babies are 2 weeks and 5 days old here. Lola is 5 lb and Jackson is 4 lb 13 oz. Mommy and Daddy can finally stop making all those trips back and forth to the hospital!
Hanging out in the pack n play (thanks Aunt Susan!). Look how skinny they are!
Just moved in the new house. 4 weeks old and getting bigger.
Jackson and Daddy catching a nap, 5 weeks old.
Daddy isn't the only comfy pillow to nap on.
But we don't just lay around and sleep all day. Here's Lola playing with her new friend the Toucan. 6 weeks old.And here is the "adorable twins picture" that I took especially to end this post. Jackson won't stop covering up his shirt and Lola is obviously less than pleased with the situation. My father in law has said many times that the best photos are never the ones you plan. Well, case in point...
Amy, now do you get both your girls to look cute at the same time?!?

Well, that's all for now. Both babies are sleeping in the crib and I'm going to try and take the advice of so many of you and go to sleep myself. Of course, I am on the couch and the monitor is turned up to full volume so it's not really "going to bed." But it's a baby step, right?