all things OWEN & ETHAN : 4/5 months

The boys are 5 months old.  What can I say, they are absolute perfection.  Sweet, happy, innocent babies.

4 Month Statistics (percentages corrected for prematurity - 2.5 months)

Owen 13 lbs 2 oz (75%), 24 in (65%), HC 16 in (50%)

Ethan 15 lbs (95%), 25.5 in (95%), HC 16.25 (65%)

5 Month Statistics
* Since there was no doctor appointment I weighed them on our scale when we did their chair picture.  I wrote down their weights on a scrap paper and left it on the kitchen counter where it was last seen. Whoops.  I do recall there was hardly any weight gain and the weight spread between the two was the similar.  

4 months

E, O 

 

5 months

E, O

E, O

E, O

Ethan

Owen

Don't let their freakin adorable little selves fool you.  They can take down a grown person in less than 10 minutes.  Raising infant twins (and a toddler) is not for the weak.  It requires excessive patience and a sense of humor.  The good news is we are finally forming a routine.   Routine is absolutely necessary with 3 small children.  The downside, with routine comes baby jail.  Unfamiliar with baby jail?  That's a topic for another day.

~ Smiles.  Oh how I love to see them smile.  Each one smiles so differently and for such different reasons. Ethan usually wakes with a big grin whereas Owen is more like his mama and wakes a bit less enthusiastic.  Both boys will belly laugh, usually for reasons unknown to anyone, and it's the most adorable noise in the world.

Owen

Ethan

~ Both are grabbing on to toys but Ethan is a bit better at handling them thus far.  In fact, Ethan grabs on to everything in his reach.  E's also a little more inquisitive at this point.  I love to watch them watch Ryan play.  They seem to be in such wonderment.

Ethan and monkey

~ I'm happy to report night time sleeping is much improved.  Usually one or both babes get up for one night feeding.  And when they do they go right back to sleep, mostly.  There have been nights when neither get up and since Chris still takes night duty he appreciates the extra sleep.

Neither are very interested in the pacifier but both like their thumbs...just like big brother.  By the way, I love this!

Owen

~ I'm a true believer that sleep begets sleep and therefore naps are not optional.  Unfortunately Ethan tends to sleep in 45 minute intervals.  Owen does better, sometimes taking a 2 or 3 hour nap once a day (with a couple shorter naps mixed in).  Their longest nap is often the first of the day, just a hour or so from when they wake from a long nights sleep!  Sleep begets sleep!

~ Everyone always tells me how twins have such a special bond.  Really?  Cause mine don't seem to realize the other exists.  Ok, I realize they are little but I did expect them to somehow seem connected. Nope.  It wasn't until recently that they started noticing the other (other twin moms said that's expected...now they tell me!).  Here's a picture of their first fight.  Ethan actually got a solid grip on Owen's ear.  Ouch!

~ We are a babywearing family.  We have an Ergo and a Boba.  Ryan calls them baby belts.  The babies mostly enjoy the ride...when they don't fall asleep.  We often use them to calm the babies for sleep, our version of rocking I suppose.  Not only do I love having them close to me, its quite a necessity when managing 3 little ones and all the stuff that comes with them.   

~ It's no surprise that big E eats a little more than little Owen.  Not much though.  Bottom line is they are eating anywhere from 38 to 42 ounces a day EACH!  Holy moly is right.  While they've upped the amount per feeding, they are still eating at least every 3 hours during the day.  That's a total of 10-12 bottles a day. Or 2+ hours a day spent bottle feeding.  I can't wait til they can hold their own bottles!

~ Neither are fans of riding in the car, though Ethan is more willing to sleep in the car.

~ The twins are such sweet-natured boys.  That's why when they scream like wild animals I'm still so shocked.  I'm talking the most ear piercing sounds with force that causes their pink faces to turn cherry red.  Sometimes its obvious why they are screaming.  Hungry.  Tired.  Other times, I haven't a clue.  Nothing with calm them and then they just stop and smile.  Seriously boys!?!



~ Ethan's rolling like a champ from back to belly and occasionally from belly to back.  Meanwhile Owen's trying so hard to copy his younger brother but that pesky shoulder keeps getting in his way.

~ Like true boys, they both love the outdoors.  When they are overly fussy and/or won't go to sleep I strap them in the carrier and go for a walk.  They calm almost instantly.

~ They've been enjoying the play yard for some time now but now they're starting to play in the jumperoo.  This video is Ethan's first time.  He's since learned to jump, jump, jump!

~ Owen and Ethan, along with their big brother, are the three most loved little boys in the whole world!

all things OWEN & ETHAN: 2 & 3 months

Yes, this is late.  I've been a bit busy.  The boys are 3 months old.  It's been a very long, but happy, three months.  Both Owen and Ethan are sweet, happy babies with very different yet sometimes eerily similar personalities.

- 2 months -

Ethan, Owen

- 3 months -

Ethan 13.8 lbs, Owen 12 lbs

~ Owen is a quick tempered screamer.  He actually screams so forcefully that his entire head turns crimson. Sometimes its as if he screams so deep that the sound somehow surpasses his vocal cords and it comes out this pathetic hoarse sound.

On the contrary, Ethan is patient (most of the time).  He reserves screaming for emergencies only (most of the time).

~ Owen has managed to accomplish something that not even his 2 year old brother has yet to do...a trip to the emergency room.  Little stinker.  So, here's the story.  Owen was getting increasingly inconsolable starting Saturday morning.  At first I thought it might be because in the middle of the previous night his very sleep deprived mama thought she was feeding Ethan and didn't notice it was Owen until the feed was complete.  Owen has a milk protein intolerance and thus has special formula.  Whoops.  So, the following Monday the twins had an appointment to get their shots.  Because Owen was now ridiculously inconsolable, I asked to see the NP to have him evaluated.  She could find nothing wrong with him, other than the awful screaming so she sent us to the ER.

After a day spent in the ER he was diagnosed with, brace yourself, CRYING BABY.  Yep.  Crying baby.  I was given discharge instructions describing how to take care of a crying baby.  Thanks!  No, seriously, this was good news.  Nothing was wrong with him other than an attitude problem which seemed to resolve itself shortly after the ER visit.

~ Both boys can melt my heart with their smiles.  They mostly smile at people but occasionally I see one smiling at a hanging toy.  They are also staring to coo.  I feel like this stage is the very beginning of their personalities shining through and I love it!

~ While both boys continue to have blue eyes, Ethan has super long eyelashes.  I'm very envious.

~ Both Ethan and Owen don't hate tummy time.  And they enjoy free time, on their backs, in their play
yard or on a blanket.

O/E

~ Feeding is such an ordeal with these two.  For many reasons, and after much thought and many tears, I stopped breastfeeding.  Ethan's feeds go one of two ways, with or without spit-up.  I swear sometimes half his food comes back up, often out of his little nose.  It doesn't seem to matter how much he eats, sometimes he just can't keep it down.  Poor baby.  He continues to be on reflux meds so I think his pain is minimal.

As for Owen, his feedings are simple yet costly due to his milk protein intolerance.  His pediatrician is working on getting our insurance to cover the cost.  Cross your fingers.

~ Owen has infant torticollis, a muscle spasm that causes him to favor one side, the left.  FYI, he doesn't have any associated pain.  He's able to turn to the right, he just needs a lot of encouragement to do so.  The condition has caused an asymmetrical head shape because he always sleeps facing left.  Physical therapy may be in his future.  

~ Ethan wears size 2 diapers and Owen wears size 1's.  Oh, and Ryan's in size 5's!  As soon as we run out of size 1's Owen will be moving to size 2 for simplicity.  

~ Ethan's slept through the night on several occasions!  And Owen is doing great too, he's usually up only once a night and he goes right back to sleep after eating.  Of course, I know this is subject to change at any moment.  As for naps, they are all over the board.  In fact, there was one day Ethan was awake for over 8 hours.  He was a wreck.  And he was up twice that night.  

O/E

O

E

~ These boys are 2 of the 3 most loved boys in all the world!

all things RYAN: two years

That's right, my little boy is 2 years old.  Time flies!  He weighs 29 pounds and is a half inch shy of being 3 feet tall (so according to textbooks he's destined to be at least 6 feet tall).  He's such a happy child and such a joy to be around.  Here's his chair picture, this time in PJ's.

We didn't have a party but we did celebrate.  

Ryan woke up to his birthday banner and a pancake breakfast.

  

Among his many birthday gifts were a (used) kitchen (from Mom & Dad) and a inside tent (from Nonna). 

Then we (Nonna, Ryan, the twins, and myself) went to a bounce house.  

These were the best shots!

Strangely, the best thing at the bounce house were the ride on arcades.

Then we ended the day with yummy cupcakes!

 ~ He still loves the IPad.  Actually, it's a bit of an obsession.  He can independently watch youtube, play games, and draw.  The obsession isn't limited to the IPad.  It also extends to all  electronics...phones, baby monitor, GPS.  Here he sits with the IPad completely oblivious to his brothers.

~ He loves being outside.  Doesn't matter what he's doing.  Water table, bubbles, taking a walk, mowing the yard....

~ Speaking of mowing the yard, he loves lawn mowers.  From his bubble mower to the riding mowers that reside at Home Depot.  I love this face, it reminds me of the face he used to make as a baby (below at 8 months). 

~ He has the occasional tantrum but is easily distracted and back to smiling in no time.

~ He's an analytical child for sure.  He takes time to warm up to new people or experiences.  Here he demonstrates his 'hmmm' or 'thinking' gesture which he learned from his Nonna. 

~ He's known his letters for quite some time but has just started learning his numbers (and counting).

~ He still believes if he covers his face with his hands he becomes invisible.  And if anyone walks through the front door he 'hides'.  In this picture he was covering his face as to disappear from the rain!

~ He's a lefty.  I wonder if it's because his right thumb is small...

~ He is a terrific eater though he'd eat cereal, preferably Cinnamon Chex, 3 meals a day if we'd let him.  And he prefers Pomegranate, aka Pom, juice.

~ He is such a copy cat.  Here he's copying Nonna who wears a headband while she washes her face.  Isn't he the most adorable child you've ever seen?

~ His vocabulary has increased exponentially.  He's up to 3 word combinations.  However, some of his speech is only understood by those closest to him.

~ He continues to be a great sleeper.  He sleeps 10-12 hours at night and takes a 2.5-3 hour nap everyday. And boy, oh, boy he loves his bedtime routine.

~ He's a sweaty boy!

~ He continues to be a great big brother.  When the adults are consumed with the babies, Ryan plays by himself, giving us a few minutes to get things under control.  Sometimes he completely blocks out their cries, and other times he rushes to their sides with a pacifier in hand.

~ He continues to be one of the 3 most loved boys in all the world!

all things OWEN & ETHAN: 1 month

To understate it, we live in a state of exhaustion.  I often thank my lucky stars we didn't have triplets (though I'm sure moms of triplets feel truly blessed).  The tiredness aside, the twins are such happy additions to our family.  Wow, we are a family of FIVE.  Crazy.  

Stats

Owen  6 lbs 6 oz, 20 1/2 in, HC 13 3/4 in | Ethan  7 lbs 5 oz, 20 1/2 in, HC 13 3/4 in

Here's the first of monthly chair pictures (click here to see Ryan's first year on the chair).  Let me just say, it's no easy task getting two floppy babies to cooperate.  This is the best we got.

Sleep
Currently we suffer through nights.  There is no routine.  The babies eat roughly every 2.5 to 3 hours.  I feed one, then the other, then pump.  This process, including getting the babies down, cleaning the pump supplies, putting the milk away, etc.), takes at least 1.5 hours.  That means they will be up AGAIN in 1 to 1.5 hours!

Ethan or Owen (I'm not sure which one but I'm certain its one of them) napping with Daddy

I've been saying I but I have to give credit to my baby daddy.  Chris takes the first round.  And though I take the other two, Chris is often up for a few minutes here and there to bring me a baby or get me something when I need an extra hand.

They alternate sleeping in the bouncy seat and the rock n play sleeper.  I need to get another rock n play sleeper (love these things) for when they are to big to sleep in the bouncer.

Owen

Eat
Most days I feel like all I do is feed these guys.   I recall being stressed about feeding Ryan when he was this age because I was breastfeeding and he was slow to gain weight.  That isn't a problem with these guys.  They are gaining weight just fine.  However, my feeding related stress comes from other problems.  First are my breastfeeding woes.  They both latch on but they don't get their mouths open wide enough which in the long run causes me immense pain.  I've seen a lactation consultant for assistance...

In the meantime, the babes are getting supplemented with formula.  This brings me to problem #2.  Owen has a milk protein allergy.  This means the babies are on different formulas, Owen's being a third more expensive.  It also means I can't have dairy.  No ice cream!  I typically eat at least a gallon of ice cream a week so this is a travesty in my book.

To top it off, both boys suffer from reflux.  Spit up isn't much of a problem but the pain is.  It's so sad to watch.  Hopefully the meds kick in soon.


Poop
They both excel in this category.  Add this to Ryans abilities, and, well, you get the picture.

Owen vs Ethan
Ethan continues to be the larger of the two.


Owen is more demanding when it comes to feedings.  His scream is unreal.  Ethan, on the other hand, is a bit more patient.


Ethan likes to sleep with his hands near his face (like his big brother did as a baby).


At the moment, Ethan seems to be a better sleeper.  


Both boys, as do most babies, love to be held.  They both also seem to enjoy the bouncy seats (whether it's together or not).  

And who wouldn't love a Wubbanub?  One of Chris's patients gave him 2 when the babes were born.  I would have never thought this would have been so handy, but now I highly recommend these for any little ones who take a soothie.  Why, you ask?  Well, they help keep the paci in their mouths by putting gentle pressure on it, they prevent frequent drop and loss, and they are so much easier to locate in the house or bag.

Owen

These twins, along side their big brother, are the most loved little boys in all the world!