Owen, Charlie, Alex
The boys are two months old! At their two month visit, they were all pronounced "wonderful" by the awesome Dr. Sjoberg. Even though the babies are two months old chronologically, their "adjusted age" is only two weeks since that is 2 weeks from their due date. So they are expected to act more like 2 weekers than 2 month olds. They growing! Owen is quickly closing the weight gap and will soon weigh as much as his chunky brothers.
Some stats:
Charlie: 8 pounds, 10 ounces
Owen: 8 pounds, 1 ounce
Alex: 8 pounds, 5 ounces
In the past two months:
About 2,000 diapers
About 500 pumping sessions
About 200 loads of laundry (thanks Mom!)
All the babies are still only having breastmilk, and getting better every day at nursing. Owen is a rock star and could teach his brothers a few things about breastfeeding. Of course, this means I am still pumping 7-8 times a day which is no fun, but so grateful to be able to keep up with their needs for now.
The last weeks have seemed flown by! Often, my mom and I turn to each other at five in the evening and say, "I was going to take a shower... but forget it!" The babies are so much more alert (read: crying) and we often play "musical babies" where the one who needs to most attention is picked up and snuggled until a different one is in need of some holding. Adeline has started to really get used to the idea that these babies are here to stay, and gives them lots of kisses and loves. If one is crying, she will shout from across the room, "I am coming Charlie!" (she usually calls them all 'Char') and she'll run over, and attempt to shove a pacifier into the baby's mouth.
Their personalities continue to develop as they spend more time awake. Charlie is a demanding baby who unfortunately has severe GERD (acid reflux) which makes it painful for him to eat as the food comes back into his esophagus and burns him badly. He is now on his second medicine, Prevacid, which seems to be helping tremendously. For a week or so, he'd cry for hours while we did all we could to soothe him, while caring for two other babies and a preschooler. We are so thankful that he seems to be feeling better. He is the first to hint at smiling and looks most like Adeline did as a baby. He is also the chunkiest with the most squeezable cheeks and beautiful long eyelashes.
Owen is kind of a little piglet! He gains the most weight per day, frequently finishes his brothers bottles, and nursing like a CHAMP. He is now mistaken for Charlie often since their weight is getting closer together. Charles bathed Charlie twice the other day, thinking he was bathing Owen the second time around, and my mom and I gave Owen Charlie's medicine yesterday. OOPS. I call him the most contemplative as he always looks like he is thinking about something. He could just be trying to poop, though, and he does this with great frequency and force.
Alex... he knows he is a triplet. He waits his turn and is the most content of everyone. He is happy to be set down when he is awake and looks out all of the windows with his beautiful dark blue eyes. When he is mad, he makes a grunty-angry cry that sounds nothing like the twins' cry, which is ear shattering at times. He is the least patient nurser and likes to make me work at getting him latched on. He eats the least volume but is still gaining weight very well! Whenever we need to try something out, like a new stroller, wrap or position, we start with Alex, who is pretty laid back. He actually fell asleep while being examined by Dr. S yesterday while his brothers protested loudly on either side of him.
Adeline has amazed us with her new-found ability to play by herself and wait for things. Three-year-olds are a challenging bunch and for having three newborns to contend with, she is doing a pretty good job. (I won't dwell on the weeks where she was throwing things at my mom, whacking me with her kid-sized broom and yelling at Daddy...)
We are thrilled to have four wonderful children in our home for Christmas. We have truly been waiting for these little beings to come into our family and we could not feel more thankful!
Merry Christmas to everyone and cheers to a 2010 full of love and joy!
Charlie and Owen
Alex
Addie
