3 Months!

Happy 3 Months, Abigail and George!

Month two started off very difficult with these two, but I do have to say by the end of the month things started to get a *bit* easier.  I am happy to report that both babies have now slept "through the night" meaning 8 pm to 4 am (yes, this is sleeping through the night in baby language!) a few times.  Now, the trick is getting them to do it together!  George still typically gets up for a feeding around 1:30 am.  Abby *usually* (but not always!!!) sleeps until 3:30 or 4:00 am.  Then George will wake again around 5:30 am for another feeding (although this morning he slept until almost 8 am!).  If we only had one baby, this schedule would be great...esp. Abby's schedule...although with two, it makes for little sleep!  I go back and forth on wanting to wake one in the middle of the night if the other wakes to keep them on the same schedules, but I know Abby can sleep longer stretches b/c she is bigger.  I know that once George gains another pound or two he will be there too.  So we don't wake a baby in the middle of the night if they are sleeping, although this does make it harder on Mom and Dad.  During the day we do wake them to keep them on the same schedule.  If I did not do this it would lead me to feeding a baby at all times during the day and that makes for a crazy Momma!  

Also to do with feedings, George used to throw up his feeding about 1-2 times a day, but this hasn't happened for the past 2 weeks which makes us happy parents!  I think his digestive system is getting more mature which makes feedings easier on him.  I also have to note that both are on reflux meds which have seemed to help them a lot.  Lately, George been nursing about 90% of the time!  Abby exclusively nurses and has been SO easy to nurse, but George has been my tough one.  I have been working on it so hard with him as I knew he would do it.  I kept wanting to work on it with him because of how much I love nursing Abby and wanted this bond with George.  He is finally turning the corner and turning into a good nurser just like his sister!  Thank goodness!  During the day if I'm by myself I will usually nurse one baby while bottle feeding the other, or I'll tandem feed and nurse both at the same time (talk about feeling like a cow), or I'll nurse one baby on one side, then nurse the other baby on the other side.  Thankfully both babies will take bottles as well, so the hubs or family and friends can always help out.  Their feedings are definitely easier these days as they eat better, quicker and I can do them both at the same time which makes my life a bit easier!  

We don't really have a schedule yet during the day of napping and what not.  I think the babies are still too young for this.  Probably in another month or so we will start more of a napping schedule.  For now, I let them dictate when they wake and sleep during the day.  I have to remind myself that since they were born premature and their due date was July 15th, that they are more like 1.5 month olds instead of 3 month olds.  Soon enough they will be ready for a napping schedule.  We do have a nightly routine of bathing them (not every night with soap though as it would dry out their skin), pj's, feeding, then bed.  They seem to really like this routine and the bath really relaxes them and lets them know that bed time is coming.

Both babies are growing like WEEDS!  Abby is in some 0-3 month clothes and some 3-6 month clothes.  She just graduated into size 2 diapers!  I'm not sure how much she weighs now, but my guess would be about 14 pounds.  George is still in some newborn clothes and some 0-3 sized clothes.  He is still wearing the size 1 diapers.  He weighs about 12 pounds now.  

I love that their little personalities are starting to show and the smiles are starting to come.  There is nothing better than happy, smiling babies!  George and Abby are happiest in the morning.  I love mornings with them!!!!  They have the biggest, gummiest smiles that makes my heart melt.  They are also "talking" more and making sweet cooing noises...love this!  Abby is definitely the girl in charge and George is our laid back/go with the flow baby.  Both are so special and so wonderful in their own way.

During month two, we took our first trip with the babies!  We went to Raleigh to visit Daniel's side of the family and to celebrate our nieces 4th birthday and our nephew's 9th birthday!  We had a 2.5 hour car ride there and the babies did fabulous...rarely made a peep.  We had to time it so we got right in the car after their feeding, but we did and it went well.  The drive also went well on the way home.  We had a great weekend away!  I really enjoyed seeing everyone and getting out of Richmond since it had been a while that I'd left the city since being pregnant and on bed rest.  

On Saturday we are taking our first big trip and heading down to Holden Beach in NC for a week!  My parents in law rent a big house on the beach every year and we are soooo excited for this trip.  It is about a 6 hour drive for us, so it may be interesting to see how the babies do on this, but once we get there it will be a glorious time.  Lots of relaxing, snuggling with babies, family time and enjoying the beach.

We are so much enjoying these babies...they are TONS of work, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  We defiantly have our good and bad days and nights, but these little ones are so worth it.  

Happy three months my precious angels!