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We'll probably end up saying the same thing in future months, but the month of September seemed like a wild ride of challenges. Perhaps it seemed more challenging because Jason & Amy's energy levels have been wearing thin after 4 months of little sleep! Amidst these parenting challenges, however, God has been challenging US to look for the joy in each situation. Some days, when we see double smiles and hear double giggles, the joys are fairly apparent. Other days, after double diaper explosions and double torrents of spit-up, the joys are a little harder to find. But no matter what may happen throughout the day, the constant joy is that we can look at these little boys' faces and know that they are ours-- double answers to prayer and double miracles from above. So despite the challenges, we are thankful for the past 4 months of laughter, learning, and love. Here are some of this month's highlights:
CHALLENGE: The boys seemed to go backwards in their sleeping habits-- waking up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours through the night. (When they had colds, we woke up practically on the half hour!)
JOY: Daddy & Mommy have many waking hours to bond with one another. :)
CHALLENGE: Jaden had a variety of health concerns this month.
JOY: We discovered that he has a milk allergy and are currently experimenting with different kinds of formula.
CHALLENGE: The boys showed more fussiness than ever in the evenings.
JOY: Mommy & Daddy pushed hard to achieve an earlier, more consistent bedtime. That meant occasionally feeding, changing, and rocking 2 infants to sleep independently on some nights. Not an easy task, but both Daddy & Mommy were SOO proud of themselves when they accomplished successful bedtimes on their own!
CHALLENGE: The vacuum tape became less helpful during feeding times. The boys would become extremely fussy after only a few short minutes of nursing.
JOY: We invested in a high quality pump. Now during the day, Amy pumps almost exclusively and then bottle feeds the boys a mixture of breastmilk and formula. We now know the boys are getting exactly the amount they need, and they are much more satisfied!
CHALLENGE: The spit-up continues in massive quantities, forcing Amy to do laundry at least every 3 days!
JOY: We are getting great use out of all the boys' clothes.
CHALLENGE: Amy's health has still not fully improved after her post-delivery infection.
JOY: Amy's doctor scheduled her for a health procedure later this month, and Grammy is coming out for a visit to help care for Amy & the boys!
CHALLENGE: Jaden & Cody best love and are most content being held, and yet Amy only has 2 arms.
JOY: Many, many church friends have stepped up to help, often calling Amy out of the blue to offer assistance. She regularly has 2-3 visitors a week to hold babies and help with feedings. What a blessing to have more adult conversation, too!
BOTH BOYS
(Cody on L in both above)
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(Jaden on L in both above-- We love Cody's touchdown stance in the one directly above. He got into this position all his own!)
(Cody on R)
- Both rolled over from their tummy to their backs early this month!
- Smiled at one another
- Had first laughs this month
- Love to grab items & bring them to their mouth
- Enjoy grabbing onto Mommy & Daddy's hair
- Like being in their bouncers
- Kick like crazy on the changing table!
- Seem to enjoy being in crowds of people
- Like to pull themselves to sitting positions
JADEN
- Currently weighing in at 13 lbs. 12 oz.
- Our big talker! Loves to coo especially after feedings
- Started sucking on just his first two fingers
- Hates car rides (fussy most anywhere we go!)
- Loves Nuk pacifier during the day; Soothie pacifier at bedtime
- First time being taken out of church :(
- First laugh occurred right after splashing Daddy with lots of water during bathtime
CODY
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- Currently weighing in at 13 lbs. 3 1/2 oz.
- Our big smiler! Smiles readily to others' voices & then shyly ducks his head
- Loves gazing at himself in the mirror on his swing
- Loves sucking on his fist, often to the point of gagging himself
- While on back, can turn himself to different angles with his intense kicking
I didn't know about this until after the fact but there is such a thing as 4 month sleep regression. Sorry if I didn't warn you about that! Mine regressed around 4 months and it last a few weeks and then they went back to normal. It does get better!
ReplyDeleteNatalie had to be on specialized formula and I just did my best not to give her formula. Since you pump, can you just give him breast milk instead of a combo? Or are they concerned about the dairy that you are eating transferring through breast milk?
My kids spit up ALL THE TIME too and I had to change myself and them quite often! We did have both of them on reflux medication. Have you talked to your pediatrician about it especially if they are fussier at night?
Way to go getting them to bed by yourselves! It is a hard task at first but it gets much, much easier!
So sorry to hear you are still not recovered. My incision was infected and they had to reopen part of it which helped and then I could start feeling better. But it was a long recovery and one that I wasn't expecting. Although it wasn't as long as yours. I hope that you are able to get some relief soon!
I know you have a Moby wrap so if your arms get tired, you can put one in the Moby wrap and hold the other. Or maybe try both in the Moby wrap?
Remember I'm here if you have questions! It seems like I experienced quite a few of the things that you did! Give it a month or two and things will start to be easier!
We enjoyed reading your update ... but it makes us realize we haven't talked to you in a while! We feel motivated to call y'all :) to catch up super soon! We'll certainly add these specific challenges to our daily prayers, and we're thankful that the Lord has given you perspective to see the joy in each one. We were very impressed to see how many different smiley pictures you have of each boy. Good job! You have two adorable boys!
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