This-n-that

Hey, everybody! Just thought I'd write a quick note to let you know how things are going. We are enjoying having family here to help out once again. It is so fun seeing our loved ones get to know Gabe and Maddy. It gives me warm fuzzies watching the joy on their faces.

Babies are doing really well. I suspect we have turned the corner with the reflux or milk allergy or whatever that was. Spitting up is occurring less and less. They still have the occasional fussy moment during or after feeding, though, which makes me think some digestive stuff is going on. We have our 2 month (!) pediatrician visit next week, so I'll ask her what she thinks. Speaking of, I'm dreading this appointment. They get something like 4 vaccinations! Don't remember if I blogged about this earlier, but the last time they got stuck I cried as harder and longer than they did. But I was a hormone monster then.

They are eating 4 ounces of breastmilk and formula mixed together every 4 hours. Those days of feeding them every two hours are a distant memory, thank God. For the most part, Gabe let me know they were ready for 4 ounces instead of 3. Pretty much every time I fed him, he told me he was ready for more, in fact. And I don't want to jinx it, but they are pretty much sleeping in between feedings pretty soundly. But they don't like nights as much. Poor Philip. I'm reading that's common, for babies to be a bit fussier at night.

I say "poor Philip" because we did switch back to having a day shift and night shift. We talked about it and decided that having us all crammed in the bedroom overnight was causing a lot of stress for all parties involved. No one was getting good sleep. We'll probably go straight from shifts to babies in the nursery and mom and dad actually getting to sleep in the same bed together. We miss those days!

As you can see from the video, Maddy is trying her best to communicate. I'm noticing she mimics the rise and fall of our voices. It's cute. She has given Philip a couple of quality smiles, which made him happy. Maddy is a bit ahead of Gabe, but I sense he's just now turning a developmental corner, so he shouldn't be far behind with the talking and smiles. He is, in my opinion (and Philip's mom's) more introverted than Maddy anyway.

For a few weeks there, the babies and I spent our days in the living room. I had a spot for Gabe on one end of the couch, and a spot for Maddy on the other. They did most of their living on the couch or in their swing or bouncer. All in the living room. Having guests has inspired me to de-baby our living room. Right now it's 6am and they have been asleep in their crib in the nursery since 5. Hoping they'll stay put until their next feeding at 8. All this talk of corners, I think I have turned a corner and feel a bit more comfortable having them out of sight. For a while there, it just felt unnatural. Of course, baby monitors make it easier.

This is such a learning process. I know I keep saying that. It is challenging me in ways I did not expect. Teaching me about patience and letting go and being okay with where we are right now and every day feels like a new refining for us. It's truly a lesson in Zen. :)

It's striking me that I'm about half-way through my maternity leave, and it's time to think about day care. I'm leaning toward a big fat center not far from where I work, but a friend and new mom recently clued me in to the germ factor at such places. Scary. Advice?

Question of the day (also a way for me to see if anyone is still with me): How soon did you take your baby OUT into the world?