The TTC Twin: September 2012

5 whole months! Wow. Where has the time gone? I feel like I ask that question every day, week, month...
So, a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. It has definitely been one of the most fulfilling months with all of the great things the boys have started to do! And boy are we loving it!!! We also had two great weeks of visits from all sorts of friends. Daddy had football 6 nights a week for two weeks, so Mommy enlisted the help of some friends, and boy did they deliver! You two got to meet all kinds of new friends! And we are so grateful not only for the company and help, but just having such wonderful people in our lives like Deb, Lisa and the twins, Alex and Adrianna, Cat, Leah and Auntie Christa to name a few.

So what has been happening? Well...

Boys,

You are getting so big everyday. Landon, you can definitely see your size difference in comparison with your brother and we are sure you still have at least 3 lbs on him. But he is working his darnedest to catch up, that is for sure! You both had your first taste of solids on August 2nd. Dr. H said because you were starting to have problems sleeping (were sleeping 5-6 hour stretch then started waking up every hour or two) that you could probably start to eat solids, starting with cereal. So we waited a couple days after your 4 month appointment, because your shots kind of kicked your butt for a couple of days, and you had your first taste of oatmeal. We decided to do oatmeal mixed with some breast milk instead of rice cereal because we heard it was a little more gentle on the tummy, and we know Landon could use all the help we could give with that. You had a couple "bites" and you did ok. You didn't completely push it out of your mouth. And you did much better actually probably tasting some on the second day that we gave it to you. You have been having it after your 2nd feeding, just so we had time throughout the day to see if you had any reactions.

What other big things have happened these past few weeks? Landon, you kind of sat up while sitting on Daddy's lap. Very cool to see your neck, back and ab strength! And you are all about it now, really pulling yourself up into the seated position all the time. You both also had your first time in a swimming pool at our friends, Kim & Adam's house. After the initial plunge, you both liked it. Auntie Ky held Landon while I held Parker. It was a fun time...as long as you weren't splashed or the water didn't move too much around you! LOL! Parker you at first were eating a lot more of the oatmeal. Landon wasn't quite sure about it at first. Boy has that changed. You BOTH LOVE food! Not a shocker given how much your mommy and daddy love it!

On August 8th, we had you start to sleep without being swaddled. We did this primarily because you both were starting to show interest in rolling over. And before we knew it, Parker, you took to rolling on to your belly and love it! That is how you sleep now. You are still trying to figure out all of your movement during the night, and you definitely don't like ending up with your head up against the sides of your crib. That tends to piss you off and starts some loud wails. You'll figure it out soon enough. Landon, you just weren't ready to go sans swaddle. So we were swaddling you with one arm out. You were ok with that about 1/2 of the time.

Landon, this past month marked the start of some special appointments for you. We had to go to Orthopedic Motion to get your head checked out on August 10th. This is because of your kind while in-utero, and the fact that you favor turning your head all the way to the left, your left side of your head is flat and your ear a little lower than your right. Let's just say your symmetry is off just a bit. So the doc took some measurements, assured us it wasn't horrible but still not exactly where it should be, and then sent us home with information to read over. She also told us that it is good we're being proactive, but 4 months is a little too young to get a helmet, especially because most babies wear it for about 4-6 months and she said your head would still make a lot of natural changes between then and when you are 6 months old. So, we scheduled a follow up appointment for the beginning of September and will get your little noggin measured again to see if it is naturally starting to fill out the way it should. The doc said this was possible just because of how much you would be doing tummy time and starting to sit up now. I have noticed some slight changes since your appointment, and you're really starting to turn your head more to the right, awake and asleep, so I am hoping for big changes by the time you have the next appointment.

8-9 & 8-10 started feeding Landon 6oz & Parker 4oz at dinner time, then fed an extra 2oz right before bed. Then on 8-10 we did 4oz at dream feed around 10:30. Seemed to help you sleep a little better. Ended up feeding you at 3am that night and then you slept in until 7. We're slowly but surely starting to figure it out. Landon, we did end up swaddling you again with one arm out. That still seems to help you.

This month was also the start of daycare as Mommy and Daddy would be going back to work. =( I still can't believe I was able to be home with you for practically the first 5 months of your life. What a blessing and I am SO grateful and happy I was able to have the time with you boys. You went 3 full days at Ana and Orlando's from August 13th through the 15th. It was a little hard for mommy but you both did so well!!! And we absolutely love your sitters. They are a wonderful couple (Orlando is retired so he helps Ana) and they raised twin boys of their own, so we know you are in great hands. That really makes a huge difference in how we feel when your are there. We don't even worry and know you are having a great time. And boy do they just love you two! Parker, you seem to be Ana's little sidekick, while Landon, you have Orlando wrapped around your little chubby fingers! You have finally done your first full week there and did well. You are still struggling to figure out naps there, which sucks. You are both pretty tired when I pick you up around 3:30 depending on how many naps or how long your naps were. We will hopefully get that figured out as your both get bigger!

We started to move on with more solids and it has been a blast. You both LOVE everything you have had so far. Parker, you are certainly the little "bird" out of the two opening your mouth up wide and eager to get the next spoonful! It's been fun watching you have new tastes. You have yet to deny anything we've given you. And the greatest part is I have made everything, with the exception of one meal of sweet potatoes (yams) that you ate while we all went out for our last lunch of the summer together. So what have you had? You ate carrots for the first time on August 17. That was your first solid food beyond oatmeal. You both seemed to like them. Mommy made them in the Beaba babycook baby food maker. We got it from our new friends the Love family, BJ, Robin, and their 10 month old twins Triston and Tinley who mommy and daddy met in Williams and Sonoma! I just love how the universe works. And we have been fortunate to hang out with the Love family a couple more times before summer was over. We are excited for you both to have some twin friends!!!

You both are loving tummy time. Obviously Parker, it is your go to position. But it is fun to see how you both are reaching for things (your rattles, Sophies, anything) from your belly position and Parker, you even like to roll over with anything you are holding on to, especially your multi-colored rubber ball. Parker you almost had you binky up and in your mouth and you reached out and grabbed your rattle. So cool to see you both having these huge milestones. You have also had the white version of the sweet potato, peas, avocado, butternut squash and a couple of the Gerber puffs (the sweet potato flavor). I am loving watching you eat everything and you genuinely seem to enjoy it all!

Landon you sleep with your left eye open a bit. It's so funny and too cute. Looks like you're keeping a eye on everyone. Reminds me of how your Auntie Tey sleeps! LOL! Landon, we also had to take you to the heart doctor on Tuesday, August 21. The doctor said everything looked good and that yes you have a heart murmur but it shouldn't cause you any problems. You were 25 1/2 inches and weighed 14.7 lbs.

Around week 20 nights were getting a little better. Mommy decided to silence the monitor so I didn't wake up at every little noise. But I don't have to worry. I can definitely wake to either one of crying, like Parker usually when you've inched your way all the way up into the top of your crib or gotten a leg stuck in one of the slots! But the last week or two nights have become very rough. So rough in fact that we ordered this ridiculous contraption called the Baby Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit for you Landon in the hopes that it would help you stop waking up every hour or two. We got it last Wednesday and put you into it immediately that night. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It worked! You slept from about 7pm until I woke you up at 6am the next morning. I got my first 5 hour stretch of sleep in ages as I slept from 8:30 to 1:30 that morning. I woke to Parker screaming, but he just as quickly put himself back to sleep. Wish I could say the same for myself. I was wide awake for at least an hour. I finally fell asleep by about 3. It was a good night! But the honeymoon was over. It only lasted one night. For some reason, since that night, you both have had a very hard time. You both also seem to be suffering from allergies or maybe your first little cold. You have runny noses, Landon your eyes were horribly watery, and the sneezing is in full force. But part of me wonders if this is in combination to teething because you both are chewing non-stop on your hands and drooling. LOL. It makes me laugh because every time something comes up, we keep wondering if it is teething. I know those little suckers are going to pop up sometime soon!

And with all these exciting milestones, yummy food, playing, reaching, inching on your bellys, you were able to wrap up your month with a great visit from Grandma and Grandpa Peterson. You haven't seen Grandpa since you were a couple days old, and Grandma since you were 4 weeks old, so it was a great visit. They loved getting to play with you and just really getting to know both of your sweet little personalities! We had a lot of fun! And we made some great memories!

I am so proud of how wonderful you both are! You are sweet little boys and pretty darn happy almost all the time too! Parker, I think your main mode of movement will be rolling. You go from your back to belly and want to just keep going. Landon, you might actually start to crawl before your brother. Grandma was really trying to help you get your legs up under your belly! We shall see what the next month brings! I am betting big things!

I love you boys with all my heart. I can't wait to get home at the end of a long day at work just to snuggle with you and give you tons of kisses! You make me so happy and just know that your daddy and I are having so much fun with you. It was wonderful seeing all these great things you can do now! And we look forward to every new day and what it will bring!