Baby Curves

Now that things have calmed down a bit I am thinking of starting a schedule with the boys. The other moms in my twin group reassure me that they are large enough now that I no longer need to feed on demand. So I plan on starting it slowly and see how it goes. I still have a hard time making Kieran

wait for food. He had issues with his blood sugars in the hospital (the reason for his NICU stay) and I wouldn’t want to deny him food if he really wants it. Today I tried to make them wait 4 hours in between feeds. The only problem was they expected food every 3 hours and needed to be entertained otherwise. So out came all the stops. It’s like a rotating circuit of toys for them. I call it Baby Curves. The newest addition to our circuit is the Bumbo. I only have one, but am on the lookout for a used one. Both boys really liked it and it is so funny to see them sit up like little people.

Smorgasbord

So much to talk about… Let’s start with the important stuff. The boys had their three month checkup today. Everything looks great. They are both gaining well and have finally made some ground on that dam growth chart. To be honest I was a little scared when they were barley on the chart. So here we go…..

Rowan 13 pounds 23 ½ inches long

Kieran 11 pounds 7 ounces 22 ¾ inches long

The boys are doing awesome. I would have guessed Rowan was 11- 12 pounds, but 13 wow the rice cereal must be doing the trick. Kieran was diagnosed with acid reflux as well. He has been waking up often with blood curdling screams. So he is officially on axcid. Hopefully this will help him. They got their first shot today, I decided to give them the meningitis shot and hold off on everything else. It seems totally off the wall to me to give them a polio vaccine, we don’t live in a third world country. As for the other shots I am still up in the air about them and have to do a little more research.

3 month picture, look at their little Band aids :(

Rowan and Kieran were christened this weekend and it was beautiful. Not the weather but the ceremony. Many family and friends came to witness the event, which was very special to us. I will post more pictures of that later, as I took none. So I am at the mercy of other to send me theirs.

Aunt Jo was one of their special visitors, she got to enjoy a walk with Grandma and the boys.

The week leading up to the christening was gorgeous, weather wise. We took many walks and I even got a great picture of the boys down the street overlooking the water. Think this time next year; we may be able to take walks on the sand. I am sure that will tire them out.

Finally, the boys were able to meet Aunt Shannon. They were very excited; actually I think everyone was excited. Kieran enjoyed a nap or two on Uncle Alex and Aunt Shannon took some great photos of the boys. Hopefully she will send us some copies so we can post them.

Batteries Batteries Everywhere

When a woman becomes pregnant she should immediately buy stock in the Duracell or Energizer Companies. It seems I am forever replacing or installing batteries into one object or another. I can only imagine that it get worse as the toys get bigger. Why don’t they invent a swing or bouncy seat that plugs into the wall? It seems like such a simple concept. Maybe the toy companies have a secret pack with battery companies.

Anyway without the batteries my life would be just a little more difficult. It’s really helpful, when you have two to place one in a swing while you change the other. Both boys are starting too really like all the gear they have. In the beginning we were instructed not to over stimulate them and basically handle them as little as possible. Now that they are gaining weight nicely and interacting a little more I feel comfortable placing them in a swing or vibrating chair. It’s funny to see how each boy has his own personality. Rowan was the first to truly love the vibrating chair and swing. About 2 weeks later Kieran has warmed up the idea of them and he actually likes the play gym. He can sit in there for 45 minutes and stare at himself in the mirror or look at the lights flashing.

Rowan still has a little cold; he wakes up each morning congested. It’s so sad to see him sneeze and cough. Hopefully he will get better before all the house guests arrive next week.

Separate but Equal Cribs

It was a sad day for me; we made the decision to permanently separate the boys into their own cribs. During my visit upstate at my parent’s house, my mother would have Kieran sleep in her room, while Rowan slept in the room with me. It was easier to divide up the night feedings and not have my mother travel to my room every time she heard a whimper. Low and behold Kieran slept from 7pm till 4 am. My mother claims she didn’t hear a peep out of him. Rowan on the other hand would wake up and grunt from midnight till 2 am. He was looking for Kieran to grunt back at him, their nightly ritual. By 2 am he had had enough and would begin to cry. With this new info Patrick and I reluctantly decided to separate them, and see how they slept. Kieran still sleeps through till 4 am (which is a blessing) and Rowan wakes up at midnight to grunt a little at which time Kieran will grunt back. Rowan then wakes at 2 am to eat, but hey that is a lot better than both of them waking every 2-3 hours. I would have such anxiety about tandem feeding in the wee hours of the morning.

We also realized that the boys love the mobile from the pack and play. It keeps them laughing and cooing for a good period of time. since the crib separation, we needed two mobiles, thank god my mother in law was so nice to give us the one from her pack and play. Now we can run both at the same time, with only one playing the music making both babies happy:)

The Joys of a Swing

The boys took turns relaxing in the swing today. Rowan monopolizing it all morning. He wasn't feeling that well, I think he may have caught my cold. Kieran is enjoying his afternoon nap as I type while Rowan plays in the gym. I guess he is feeling better. Gotta go Kieran apparently doesn't like the swing anymore:(

Pictures of the Boys

Just a few pictures of the boys as we relax at my parents house. Boy is that stroller long, I like to call it a Cadillac. My mother is enjoying an afternoon nap with the boys. This is the only way Kieran will nap for any extended period of time.

They took their first bath in an actual tub. There are mixed feelings among the boys on bath taking but overall it appears they liked it. This float will get lots of use at my in laws house this summer. They will be ready to enjoy their pool.

I also had the idea to do a photo shoot, similar the one we did for their birth announcements every month. Hoping this will chronicle their growth. I am going to have to redo the photos during the daylight. I don't like using the flash, it startles them and produces the red eye effect.

As the week goes on, the boys miss their dad who is home getting the house ready for the christening. From what we hear, it is going to be a very clean and neat house when we return.

Our good family friend Kathy came over to meet the boys yesterday. She was so generous to bring lunch for us to eat and allow the boys to take their afternoon naps on her.

My mother pulled out the mobile that was on my crib as a child. We hooked it to the pack and play and watched the boy’s fascination with it. I can’t believe she still has it after all the moves we made growing up. It’s amazing how the construction of baby toys has changed in the past 30 years but the effectiveness of a mobile stays the same.

Were Off

The boys and I decided to return up north for the weekend. While here all I have to do is take care of the boys, it is so nice to have someone cook and clean for you. It's a mini vacation for me. We have no major plans, just to hang out and relax. The three of us made the car journey, our first long trip by ourselves. Rowan and Kieran were very good, only fussing when the sun was on them. It was so nice to listen to my book of tape and savor the ride. I'm sure as they get older that will change, the trip will probably be filled with baby songs and lots of kicks to the back of my seat.

Other news to report, I had my first (and probably not last) experience of the boys throwing up on one another. Rowan waited until I had put both boys in nice outfits and decided to let loose on Kieran. So 2 outfits and a crib sheet later, Kieran couldn't be outdone. He decided to vomit on Rowan's head at 3 am. There nothing like a 3 am vomit session to get your day started. Poor Kieran seems to have developed acid reflux like Rowan. It's all I can do to keep them in clean dry cloths. The doctor assures me that this will pass, hopefully in a few months.

As many of you know the boys have shared a crib since birth. After the vomiting session the other night, they were separated for the first time. We were out of clean swaddles and Kieran cannot be left in the same crib with Rowan without one. He doesn't have the best control of his motor skills and loves to grab onto anything that he touches. Unfortunately, for Rowan it is usually his long hair. As you can imagine that doesn't go over well and lots of screaming ensues. It was weird to have them in separate cribs, the interesting thing is that they don't sleep as well. I know there will come a time when separate cribs become mandatory, but for now I prefer to keep them together.

Just Some Pics

Thought I would share some of the funny photos of the boys as we relax at home. Rowan relaxing in his baby sling and not really enjoying the swing.

Kieran just relaxing on his changing table, he likes to look at the animals that hang on the wall thanks to Uncle Alex and Aunt Shannon. Milo likes to pretend he is a baby by hanging out on the changing table and not really caring what baby cloths Patrick tries to put on him. After all he was our 1st baby.

Wake Up Sleepy Heads

All this talk about how well they are sleeping, lets explore the world of waking up. You can really see the boys personalities in how they wake up. The only footage missing is Rowan screaming after I turned off the video camera.

Sleep On

The sleep continues in our household. We are busy trying to concoct the perfect evening routine to maximize the sleep. Shortly after Rowans banner sleep, Patrick made and executive decision to load Kieran up with cereal too. What good is it to have one baby sleep and still have to wake up for the other one. I like to think of it as we are being proactive. Most likely he is gong to get acid reflux like his brother. LOL. Who are we kidding, both of us are getting greedy with the sleep.

Last night, both boys slept from 7:30-8 until 1:30-2 am. It was wonderful!

They started out on an incline together and

somehow ended up cuddled at the bottom together.

I can't believe how the weeks are flying by. I joined a local group of mom with multiples. That should be nice to get out with other moms who have experienced the same things. I know it will be some time before I venture to a play date ( I actually didn't even know what a play date was 3 days ago), but it is nice to know the opportunity is there. My mother in law came over this week. Which is a great help, I can actually clean my house and run errands while she tends to the boys. I think we both benefit. This weekend my mother will be here to visit the the boys. She needs her fix:) This will be her first visit in probably 3 months that she hasn't had to clean my house as well.... She can just enjoy the boys. So we are all looking forward to it.

While Veronica was here she was so generous to give us her Baby Bijorn. Kieran loves it and demands to be carried around most of the day in it. Sometimes he relaxes, other times he tries to jump up and kiss me.

Oh What A Night

It was a banner night in the Casey household. For the first time ever Rowan slept longer than Kieran. As many of you know Kieran has always been the one to sleep 3- 4 hour in a stretch. Well last night after Rowans bottle (mixed with rice cereal as per the doctor), he slept from 8 pm till 3 am. I woke up a little startled at 3 am when he was crying. I just couldn’t believe it. We are not sure if it is the combination of rice in the cereal, the sleep incline and medication he is taking for his acid reflux. But whatever it was we will be following the same routine tonight.

I have to say last night was the first night I could just sit there after he had his bottle and enjoy it. I wasn’t overly tired and could reminisce on how things have changed drastically in the past 2 months. We both agree it is getting easier. Long gone are the 1 hour feedings, the boys can now take a bottle in 10-30 minutes. Rowan being the quickest, he just loves that cereal, who knew. They do seem to be sleeping longer, not waking every 2 hours on the dot. I remember thinking how am I going to get through this, when will the endless feedings and diaper changes all night end. Last night I was a little sad to realize they are growing so fast, more than double their weight and have changed drastically in the past 2 months. I was looking at pictures of the boys and I have a hard time telling them apart. It used to be so easy, but now that Kieran has put on weight is has become more a more difficult.

As I mentioned we used a sleep incline for the first time last night. We placed both boys down slightly apart. When I woke in the morning they were cuddled together. It is just so cute; I love how they gravitate towards one another.

Visit From Veronica

What an eventful weekend. My longtime friend Veronica flew up from Maryland to meet the boys and help me out for a night. She was a tremendous help, with cleaning bottles, walking cranky boys around the block and even getting up in the middle of the night for the many feedings. She was a trooper, but sadly she had to return home to her kids. We also didn’t get a picture of her with the boys, I guess we were to busy, but she did snap a cute one of me and Kieran (thanks Vern).

On another note, poor Rowan had to take another trip to the Doctor this Monday. He just wasn’t himself, so off we went. My first Doctors visit with the boys alone, Rowan screamed through the doctor’s instructions to me, thankfully he wrote them down because I couldn’t hear a thing. As usual Kieran decided to chime in halfway through, he never likes to be left out. It appears that Rowan has a bad case of acid reflux, which explains a lot. The good thing is we can mix cereal with his formula. Surprisingly this helps so much, he no longer spits/vomits up his entire bottle and I am not stuck changing several outfits a day. Hopefully the combination of things we started will make him feel better soon.

The boys christening is coming up soon. I still have to get slips for them to wear under their gowns my mother made for them. We are all looking forward to having the family here and for the boys to finally meet their Aunt Shannon. I better go get some needed sleep while they are napping. As we know sleep is scarce around here.

Side Note: Patrick would like to point out the burp cloth on his shoulder in the video below. He claims he wasn’t really sleeping on the job.