Our well child check up was on Friday, and for the third time in a row, we had zero fussing, tears, or problems with the shots. I am continually amazed that both Sam and Anna act like it is nothing to get stuck in the arm, or get pricked to get blood drawn. They both hold super still and we talk about that the red stuff going into the vial is their red blood as they watch (which both of them repeated, "red blood"). It sure makes it super easy to take two to the doctor at the same time by yourself (especially when I was personally sick that day).
The phlebotomist said more than once that they were "seriously the best behaved kids she's ever drawn blood from." Which of course, made me very proud. Tell me that my children are cute, and I say thanks, but tell me that my children have great manners and are well behaved, and I beam. We must be doing something right, if that's the case, I think. Sam and Anna even spontaneously thanked her after the blood draw (their usual phrase is "Bye, thank you!") Since Sam have to be redrawn not once but 2 more times that day because of an error in the collection, it is a relief that they aren't phased by anything with needles.
All good news from the appointment- except that our pediatrician is leaving and we'll have to find another one for the well child checkup at 2 1/2 years and beyond.
Here are their stats at 2 years old:
Anna:
head circumference: 48 cm, 75 %ile
height: 32 1/4 inches, 10-25%ile
weight: 23 lbs 14 oz, 10-25%ile
Sam:
head circumference: 48 1/4 cm, 25-50%ile
height: 33 3/4 inches, 25-50%ile
weight: 26 lbs, 25%ile
Both Sam and Anna went up in their weight %iles, which is great news. We were a little worried that Anna would be low again (at her 18 month well child she had dropped significantly, as in off the chart, and was checked for all sorts of things, including celiac disease, and started on iron supplements) especially since she's been in a not-eating-so-great pattern recently. She's been off iron drops for months, so her iron levels must have naturally improved as well. Both of us parents are short, so the smaller height is genetic. Anna has my big head. :) Other than that, all the %iles are right in line with each other.
*editted to add that we got a call later today that this time Sam's iron level was a little low, so he is supposed to start iron drops. Spoke a little too soon, I guess!
Showing posts with label weight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight. Show all posts
Monday, March 26, 2012
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Mama Loves Food Pouches
Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.
Maybe you've found:
- a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
- gear you just can't live without
- a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
- a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
- an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
- an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
- or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome!
__________________________________________
I stick to only the pouches that have 90 calories or more in them, because my primary reason for including them in Sam and Anna's diet is to keep their weight on their growth curve. My littles have always been, well, little- so we need all the extra boost we can get. I prefer to do that in a healthy way rather than slathering on high fat additives with less nutritional value. These food pouches packed with fruits and veggies do just that.
I credit Anna and Sam's 2 lb weight gain from 18 months old to 19 months old thanks to those pouches. They were also super handy on days when we had to rush to swimming lessons and dinner was always cut short. I'm excited to use them over the holidays while we are traveling across state lines for long road trips. Now I can even credit those little pouches for helping me get some nutrition into my little ones when they were under the weather.
Yes, on top of my crazy month solo parenting almost nonstop, Sam and Anna both got sick at the same time, just after my husband left for the third trip. They hardly ate anything, Sam had diarrhea nonstop, and Anna had a fever. They would not touch any solid food (besides being sick, they are both cutting canines). We don't have much wiggle room for days of eating less. But.... Sam and Anna would eat a few pouches at a meal, so I was able to get a few hundred calories in them each time I tried, plus all the goodness that fruit and veggies provide on top of that.
I also just saw that Target is now carrying pouches in its store brand, Up&Up.
Woohoo for that, because now I can get some varieties at almost half the price as before.
Double love it!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Project Fatten 'Em Up
We were able to get 19 month weights for both Sam and Anna because Anna's weight and iron levels were rechecked yesterday. I am very happy to report that both my little peanuts gained a whopping 2 lbs in the last month... which is phenomenal, when you consider that in the 3 months before it, they each gained less than 5 oz. (Maybe the scale was wrong that day?) At 19 months, Anna weighed 21 lbs 5 oz- back on her 5%ile curve (she had dropped off the chart last month). Sam weighed 23 lbs 6 oz, moving him up from the 5%ile at 18 months to between 10-25%ile now. My little ones are now quadruple their birth weights!
Project Fatten 'Em Up must be working! I am happy to say too, that we have not resorted to pedisure or Carnation Instant Breakfast to get their weight up, as was thrown out there as ideas. While we do include more fattening things in their diet, I'm not one to slather syrup or butter on everything. They have been eating a lot of the organic food pouches in the last month to add some (healthy) calories. I look for the ones that have 100 or more calories, and if they eat a small amount at a meal, we give them a pouch at the end. They love them, so both Sam and Anna just gobble them up. The pouches work great as a snack on the go or in the car too. I've gotten all my pouches at Target. Gerber has some too, but they are just as much (if not more) than the organics, so I stick to those.
We've also been putting more effort into getting Anna to eat meat. If that means we have a red sauce (like with spaghetti or ravioli) multiple times a week, so be it!
Anna's iron levels are also going up, so the iron drops are working. She will be on them for 2 more months, and then we'll get her iron levels rechecked at the 2 year appointment to see how she's doing.
Project Fatten 'Em Up must be working! I am happy to say too, that we have not resorted to pedisure or Carnation Instant Breakfast to get their weight up, as was thrown out there as ideas. While we do include more fattening things in their diet, I'm not one to slather syrup or butter on everything. They have been eating a lot of the organic food pouches in the last month to add some (healthy) calories. I look for the ones that have 100 or more calories, and if they eat a small amount at a meal, we give them a pouch at the end. They love them, so both Sam and Anna just gobble them up. The pouches work great as a snack on the go or in the car too. I've gotten all my pouches at Target. Gerber has some too, but they are just as much (if not more) than the organics, so I stick to those.
We eat Happy Tot
Plum Organics
and Ella's Kitchen.
We've also been putting more effort into getting Anna to eat meat. If that means we have a red sauce (like with spaghetti or ravioli) multiple times a week, so be it!
Anna's iron levels are also going up, so the iron drops are working. She will be on them for 2 more months, and then we'll get her iron levels rechecked at the 2 year appointment to see how she's doing.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Celiac Disease Update
Our pediatrician called this evening and informed us that Anna's blood sample was negative for Celiac Disease. Thank goodness. I had a really hard time wrapping my head around how that would change her diet and affect every thing we prepared for meals, not to mention how that would affect the rest of her life.
The blood sample, however, did show a low blood count meaning that Anna's iron levels were low. Going forward Anna will be on an iron supplement twice daily to boost her levels. We are also to get as many iron rich foods in her as possible... along with the high calorie, high fat, high protein foods.
We will do a recheck of both her weight and blood iron levels in a month to see if anything we do has made a difference. Meanwhile, I'm on a mission to "fatten up" my little girl, stat!
The blood sample, however, did show a low blood count meaning that Anna's iron levels were low. Going forward Anna will be on an iron supplement twice daily to boost her levels. We are also to get as many iron rich foods in her as possible... along with the high calorie, high fat, high protein foods.
We will do a recheck of both her weight and blood iron levels in a month to see if anything we do has made a difference. Meanwhile, I'm on a mission to "fatten up" my little girl, stat!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Not What I Wanted to Hear
Well, my "babies" are officially a year and a half old- "big" 18 monthers- and there is little baby left in them. They are toddlers through and through. My 18 month post is coming, but today my post is more about our 18 month well child appointment that we had on Friday- the day they actually turned 18 months old.
First off, the good of the appointment: They are both advanced developmentally in all areas, so no concern there. Also, I was amazed that neither one even flinched when they got their shots at this appointment. We usually do both kids' shots at the same time with two nurses, so that neither child knows what's coming. There was one other shot appointment before this where they didn't cry, but that was a long time ago. The shots were done, band aids applied, and that was that. Anna also had blood drawn after the shot, and even more amazing to me- she didn't move a muscle for the entire blood draw. I held her arm when the needle went in and she just calmly watched. I kept her arm extended and her elbow straight while the blood was drawn, and she just sat silently looking at her arm. She didn't make a peep or try to move the entire time. I was shocked... and thankful!
Now to the reason why she had a blood draw. The not-what-I-wanted-to-hear part of the well-child appointment.
Sam and Anna have been very consistent on their %ile curves since their 1 month stats. Anna has been 5%ile for weight since then and Sam and has been 10%ile for weight since then (At birth, Anna wasn't even on the chart and Sam was barely on it). This time, Sam dropped to 5%ile (gaining only 2 oz in 3 months, weighing 21 lbs 8 oz) and Anna dropped off the chart (gaining only 4 oz in 3 months, weighing 19 lbs 6 oz).
Our pediatrician expressed some concern that they both dropped a little off of their individual percentile curves.
I am taking this all in a little with a gain of salt. Most children around this age drop a little, due to an increase in their activity and marked with the advent of pickier eating habits. Both Sam and Anna did become proficient walkers since their last appointment. The problem is that because they were at the lower end of %iles to begin with, they had less wiggle room than the average toddler their age. It wouldn't be a huge concern if a toddler dropped from 75%ile to 50%ile for weight, even if that means they dropped 25 total %iles. Sam and Anna each only dropped 5%iles.
But it doesn't make me happy. In Sam and Anna's history, we've worked really hard through their refluxing days and bottle refusals to keep their weight at a acceptable point. It gives me an extremely defeated feeling to know that my worst fear during those times came true. It makes me upset with myself that we haven't been working really hard to get the most calories in them, because I thought they were pretty good eaters. Honestly, it was freeing once they were done with bottles to not have to work so hard at feeding them anymore. I don't think they are all that picky and I think they eat a good amount of a variety of healthy foods.
Our pediatrician isn't concerned about Sam because he's still on the chart and he eats like a horse. He eats more than me at many meals. The other night he ate 3 entire brats (his and mine) in addition to other food. I ended up making something else for me to eat because he ate my dinner in addition to his. He's just an active guy.
Anna however, doesn't eat as much as he does, and doesn't eat a lot of meat. Her favorite things to eat are vegetables and fruit... all the foods that aren't high in calories or fat. Our pediatrician wanted to do a blood test to check for celiac disease to rule that out. We both think that it will be negative, so the next plan will probably be to make a conscious effort to fill her up (and Sam too) with lots of high fat, high calorie food. We should hear about the results by the end of the week.
I'm just hoping that Anna does not have celiac disease, or allergies or some other underlying cause for her low weight and that she's just an active toddler who's just always been naturally on the petite side. Meanwhile, we're going to attempt to add calories to both of their food while not adding them to ours!
First off, the good of the appointment: They are both advanced developmentally in all areas, so no concern there. Also, I was amazed that neither one even flinched when they got their shots at this appointment. We usually do both kids' shots at the same time with two nurses, so that neither child knows what's coming. There was one other shot appointment before this where they didn't cry, but that was a long time ago. The shots were done, band aids applied, and that was that. Anna also had blood drawn after the shot, and even more amazing to me- she didn't move a muscle for the entire blood draw. I held her arm when the needle went in and she just calmly watched. I kept her arm extended and her elbow straight while the blood was drawn, and she just sat silently looking at her arm. She didn't make a peep or try to move the entire time. I was shocked... and thankful!
Now to the reason why she had a blood draw. The not-what-I-wanted-to-hear part of the well-child appointment.
Sam and Anna have been very consistent on their %ile curves since their 1 month stats. Anna has been 5%ile for weight since then and Sam and has been 10%ile for weight since then (At birth, Anna wasn't even on the chart and Sam was barely on it). This time, Sam dropped to 5%ile (gaining only 2 oz in 3 months, weighing 21 lbs 8 oz) and Anna dropped off the chart (gaining only 4 oz in 3 months, weighing 19 lbs 6 oz).
Our pediatrician expressed some concern that they both dropped a little off of their individual percentile curves.
I am taking this all in a little with a gain of salt. Most children around this age drop a little, due to an increase in their activity and marked with the advent of pickier eating habits. Both Sam and Anna did become proficient walkers since their last appointment. The problem is that because they were at the lower end of %iles to begin with, they had less wiggle room than the average toddler their age. It wouldn't be a huge concern if a toddler dropped from 75%ile to 50%ile for weight, even if that means they dropped 25 total %iles. Sam and Anna each only dropped 5%iles.
But it doesn't make me happy. In Sam and Anna's history, we've worked really hard through their refluxing days and bottle refusals to keep their weight at a acceptable point. It gives me an extremely defeated feeling to know that my worst fear during those times came true. It makes me upset with myself that we haven't been working really hard to get the most calories in them, because I thought they were pretty good eaters. Honestly, it was freeing once they were done with bottles to not have to work so hard at feeding them anymore. I don't think they are all that picky and I think they eat a good amount of a variety of healthy foods.
Our pediatrician isn't concerned about Sam because he's still on the chart and he eats like a horse. He eats more than me at many meals. The other night he ate 3 entire brats (his and mine) in addition to other food. I ended up making something else for me to eat because he ate my dinner in addition to his. He's just an active guy.
Anna however, doesn't eat as much as he does, and doesn't eat a lot of meat. Her favorite things to eat are vegetables and fruit... all the foods that aren't high in calories or fat. Our pediatrician wanted to do a blood test to check for celiac disease to rule that out. We both think that it will be negative, so the next plan will probably be to make a conscious effort to fill her up (and Sam too) with lots of high fat, high calorie food. We should hear about the results by the end of the week.
I'm just hoping that Anna does not have celiac disease, or allergies or some other underlying cause for her low weight and that she's just an active toddler who's just always been naturally on the petite side. Meanwhile, we're going to attempt to add calories to both of their food while not adding them to ours!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Updates
Benelli (our dog): There seems to have been a little bit less bleeding in the last few days. The tumor has most definitely regrown in his mouth, but I am taking the decrease in blood as a good sign. He will be 8 years old on Friday- I see some special birthday treats in his future. :)
Swaddling: Nights 1 and 2 were rough. Our former 11-12 hour sleeper Anna was awake every hour crying and needed major soothing to get back to sleep. We had every intention of sticking it out, thinking that we were in for 3 days of hell, but I just couldn't do a third night for her. It is just obvious to me that she's not ready. I couldn't survive taking care of twins after three nights in a row of only about 3 hours of sleep either (how did we do it in the early days???). Sam, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed by the new sleeping arrangements at all. Even though his arms were free from the bondage of the miracle blanket, he slept fairly well- when his sister's frantic cries didn't wake him up. On the third night, we gave in after a few hours and re-swaddled Anna (I swear, she almost sighed in relief- or was that me?) and then slept soundly the rest of the night but left Sam in a sleep sack, and he did fine. So for now, Sam's all done with the miracle blanket but Anna's still there. We'll try again in a few weeks.
Eating/Weight Gain/That Damn Reflux: Sam and Anna have been eating a little better, and Anna gained 4 oz in a week, so that is encouraging. Sam, however, lost an ounce in the same week. I swear, they both can't just do well at something (anything) at the same time. Whether it is eating, sleeping, gaining weight, or whatever. I suspect they have a powwow in the middle of the night and plot ways to keep us on our toes!
Swaddling: Nights 1 and 2 were rough. Our former 11-12 hour sleeper Anna was awake every hour crying and needed major soothing to get back to sleep. We had every intention of sticking it out, thinking that we were in for 3 days of hell, but I just couldn't do a third night for her. It is just obvious to me that she's not ready. I couldn't survive taking care of twins after three nights in a row of only about 3 hours of sleep either (how did we do it in the early days???). Sam, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed by the new sleeping arrangements at all. Even though his arms were free from the bondage of the miracle blanket, he slept fairly well- when his sister's frantic cries didn't wake him up. On the third night, we gave in after a few hours and re-swaddled Anna (I swear, she almost sighed in relief- or was that me?) and then slept soundly the rest of the night but left Sam in a sleep sack, and he did fine. So for now, Sam's all done with the miracle blanket but Anna's still there. We'll try again in a few weeks.
Eating/Weight Gain/That Damn Reflux: Sam and Anna have been eating a little better, and Anna gained 4 oz in a week, so that is encouraging. Sam, however, lost an ounce in the same week. I swear, they both can't just do well at something (anything) at the same time. Whether it is eating, sleeping, gaining weight, or whatever. I suspect they have a powwow in the middle of the night and plot ways to keep us on our toes!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Down in the Dumps
Meh. It seems like I get a good spurt of blogging energy and the ideas keep flowing so I make so many posts that I have to schedule them for days later because I don't like having more than one post in a day. Then, I come crashing down from my blogging flurry, and don't feel like typing a thing for days. I have things I want to share, but just don't feel up to it.
Lately, I'm just getting so tired of fighting the reflux battle. I never imagined that Sam and Anna would be 5 months old (in a few days) and we'd still be stressing over reflux related issues- whether the medicine they are on produces the best results we're going to get, or whether we need to keep looking for something better. I do think their reflux is under control now, but they still just don't eat well. Sam's doing okay, but Anna's not. It gets so disheartening to get her weighed weekly and seeing that scale barely budge from the week before. Now you might be thinking: why go every week then? Well, because our pediatrician is okay with us not getting frequent weigh-ins at her office as long as I am carefully monitoring her weight and making sure she is still gaining adequately. I am supposed to call if she does not gain about 1/2 oz per day on average. In the last two weeks, Anna's gained 2 ounces total. I called today. Sam and Anna were pretty consistently about 10 ounces apart since birth. Now Sam weighs a full pound and a half more than her, and he's just gaining a decent amount- not going through a growth spurt. I have no issue with her being a little peanut- I just want her to gain a healthy amount of weight.
It seems like most of the time, all I do is stress about weight. If it's not about how little they are gaining, it's about how little I am losing. My goal was to get back into my work clothes by the time school rolled around. I thought way, way back in March that that was an achievable goal for 6 months down the road. I gained 8 lbs from the IVF cycle and 62 lbs from pregnancy which equals 70 lbs of fleshy poundage I'd like to never see again. I've got less than 10 to go from pregnancy weight, but 15 ish lbs to go to my goal weight (what I weighed at my lowest ever in March of last year). And that damn scale hasn't budged in a while. Jillian Michaels and I get together for a little "shred" every morning but the scale hasn't shown a difference in what seems like forever. I've got less than a month until I go back to work. I don't have time or money to buy a whole new wardrobe. I miss my size 4 work pants (insert pouty face here), and I'm afraid I'll never get to wear them again.
And last down in the dumps thought (I put the most trivial in the middle and saved the worst for last): In March (about a week before Sam and Anna's birth day), I shared in a post that we had discovered our dog, Benelli, had a tumor on the roof of his mouth. I updated a month later in another post that we had our vet remove what she could of the tumor and biopsy it(when the babies were about 2 weeks old). We were told that it was cancerous, and fairly agressive so we could have months to a year before it could return to the point that something would need to be done. I owe you an update on our dog.
Benelli's mouth started bleeding this week, and upon looking, we found that the tumor is back. He is also bleeding from his nose, which could very possibly mean that the tumor is causing trouble there too. There is nothing we can really do at this point, but keep an eye on him to gauge how he is feeling. Every day we get out the carpet cleaner and spot clean bloody spots out of our carpet. Benelli wheezes and coughs and I can tell he swallows some of the blood in his mouth.
Last April, I wrote this after learning the results of the biopsy: Benelli was my first pet. My first baby. The first living thing that I took care of, nurtured, and loved. It is so unfair that my children won't be old enough to remember him and love him like I do. I am devastated.
He was such a difficult puppy- made me cry so often, ran around in circles in our apartment with crazy eyes, bit me all the time with his sharp puppy teeth, was a horrible walker, and rivaled Marley with his antics. One day he discovered how to unroll toilet paper to his delight and he ate my glasses and a book once, just because. He had to be taught how to swim. Now, he loves retrieving in the water, and has been known to just swim around in a lake for the fun of it. He goes crazy for fireworks- but only because he wants to go look for the duck after hearing one firework. He's 85 pounds of pure wuss: afraid of cats, and lets our 60 pound 5-years-younger yellow lab push him around. He loves saying good morning to us by going between our legs and getting good-morning-butt-scratches. For him, nothing beats a kernel of buttery popcorn goodness... or when Dad lets him lick the baked on goo in the crockpot pan when I'm not looking. He's been a part of our family for longer than we've been a family.
(My husband always gives me crap about writing posts that make him cry. Sweetheart, I'm sorry- I know I did it again.)
Lately, I'm just getting so tired of fighting the reflux battle. I never imagined that Sam and Anna would be 5 months old (in a few days) and we'd still be stressing over reflux related issues- whether the medicine they are on produces the best results we're going to get, or whether we need to keep looking for something better. I do think their reflux is under control now, but they still just don't eat well. Sam's doing okay, but Anna's not. It gets so disheartening to get her weighed weekly and seeing that scale barely budge from the week before. Now you might be thinking: why go every week then? Well, because our pediatrician is okay with us not getting frequent weigh-ins at her office as long as I am carefully monitoring her weight and making sure she is still gaining adequately. I am supposed to call if she does not gain about 1/2 oz per day on average. In the last two weeks, Anna's gained 2 ounces total. I called today. Sam and Anna were pretty consistently about 10 ounces apart since birth. Now Sam weighs a full pound and a half more than her, and he's just gaining a decent amount- not going through a growth spurt. I have no issue with her being a little peanut- I just want her to gain a healthy amount of weight.
It seems like most of the time, all I do is stress about weight. If it's not about how little they are gaining, it's about how little I am losing. My goal was to get back into my work clothes by the time school rolled around. I thought way, way back in March that that was an achievable goal for 6 months down the road. I gained 8 lbs from the IVF cycle and 62 lbs from pregnancy which equals 70 lbs of fleshy poundage I'd like to never see again. I've got less than 10 to go from pregnancy weight, but 15 ish lbs to go to my goal weight (what I weighed at my lowest ever in March of last year). And that damn scale hasn't budged in a while. Jillian Michaels and I get together for a little "shred" every morning but the scale hasn't shown a difference in what seems like forever. I've got less than a month until I go back to work. I don't have time or money to buy a whole new wardrobe. I miss my size 4 work pants (insert pouty face here), and I'm afraid I'll never get to wear them again.
And last down in the dumps thought (I put the most trivial in the middle and saved the worst for last): In March (about a week before Sam and Anna's birth day), I shared in a post that we had discovered our dog, Benelli, had a tumor on the roof of his mouth. I updated a month later in another post that we had our vet remove what she could of the tumor and biopsy it(when the babies were about 2 weeks old). We were told that it was cancerous, and fairly agressive so we could have months to a year before it could return to the point that something would need to be done. I owe you an update on our dog.
Benelli's mouth started bleeding this week, and upon looking, we found that the tumor is back. He is also bleeding from his nose, which could very possibly mean that the tumor is causing trouble there too. There is nothing we can really do at this point, but keep an eye on him to gauge how he is feeling. Every day we get out the carpet cleaner and spot clean bloody spots out of our carpet. Benelli wheezes and coughs and I can tell he swallows some of the blood in his mouth.
Last April, I wrote this after learning the results of the biopsy: Benelli was my first pet. My first baby. The first living thing that I took care of, nurtured, and loved. It is so unfair that my children won't be old enough to remember him and love him like I do. I am devastated.
He was such a difficult puppy- made me cry so often, ran around in circles in our apartment with crazy eyes, bit me all the time with his sharp puppy teeth, was a horrible walker, and rivaled Marley with his antics. One day he discovered how to unroll toilet paper to his delight and he ate my glasses and a book once, just because. He had to be taught how to swim. Now, he loves retrieving in the water, and has been known to just swim around in a lake for the fun of it. He goes crazy for fireworks- but only because he wants to go look for the duck after hearing one firework. He's 85 pounds of pure wuss: afraid of cats, and lets our 60 pound 5-years-younger yellow lab push him around. He loves saying good morning to us by going between our legs and getting good-morning-butt-scratches. For him, nothing beats a kernel of buttery popcorn goodness... or when Dad lets him lick the baked on goo in the crockpot pan when I'm not looking. He's been a part of our family for longer than we've been a family.
I love my big black teddy bear so much.
(My husband always gives me crap about writing posts that make him cry. Sweetheart, I'm sorry- I know I did it again.)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Napping Woes + Some
This may have been one of the longest lapses from creating a post I've had in a long time. Twins, understandably, keep us on our toes. It seems like just when we get something figured out- something new comes along that leaves us scratching our heads, wondering what we should do. (I know, I know- parenting will always be like this.)
Sam and Anna have been having some napping issues lately. They still sleep fantastically at night- STTN up t0 9-9 1/2 hours at a time- so that's a relief. I've figured out that they have a waketime window of 45 minutes to an hour most of the time during the day. We can usually put them down drowsy but awake, and both babies can put themselves to sleep from that state at the start of a nap.
Within the last week or so, both babies are only staying asleep in 30-45 minutes stints. I think they are having trouble transitioning between sleep stages, because it is very evident that they still need more sleep at that time and are not waking out of hunger. They cannot return to sleep on their own when they wake mid-nap. So we end up spending the next hour to two hours going back and forth trying to get babies to fall back asleep. Or rather I do during the days when I'm alone. Meanwhile, I am getting frustrated because our efforts are not helping the problem at hand- babies that are having trouble putting themselves back to sleep on their own- because we are helping them get there most often by picking them up. I can not and will not CIO at this point because I think they are too young. The white noise and shhhs just aren't cutting it anymore either.
Now if I really got 30-45 minutes in a chunk to get things done from the beginning of the nap, I'd be happy. Reality is that this is the typical scenario: one baby goes down fast. The other one takes 20 minutes give or take. In the end that leaves me only approximately 10 minutes of "me time" at the start of a nap in which I race around like a mad woman- going to the bathroom, eating breakfast or lunch, brushing my teeth or hair, etc. Then throughout the middle to end of a nap I get a minute here and there as the babies tag-team me with waking up. So because I barely have time to do the basics- eat, personal hygiene, laundry, etc.- blogging fell on the back burner for a few days.
Both Sam and Anna have broken an arm or two free of the Miracle Blanket in the last week (which is something they had never done before this point), so I'm starting to wonder if their poor napping is because they are ready to be done with the swaddle, and this is their way of telling us so. Are they fighting the restraint when they stir during a nap which fully wakes them up?
We are also having some struggles with eating lately, as well. Sam and Anna have always been slower drinkers, sometimes taking up to 40 minutes to drink a full feeding. We tried moving up to the next size nipples last week and that helped. But along with taking a really long time, both babies have recently been having a few bottles during the day that are less than the 4-5 oz they normally drink. Sometimes it has been a struggle to get 2 1/2 to 3 oz in.
My head's swimming with:
Sam and Anna have been having some napping issues lately. They still sleep fantastically at night- STTN up t0 9-9 1/2 hours at a time- so that's a relief. I've figured out that they have a waketime window of 45 minutes to an hour most of the time during the day. We can usually put them down drowsy but awake, and both babies can put themselves to sleep from that state at the start of a nap.
Within the last week or so, both babies are only staying asleep in 30-45 minutes stints. I think they are having trouble transitioning between sleep stages, because it is very evident that they still need more sleep at that time and are not waking out of hunger. They cannot return to sleep on their own when they wake mid-nap. So we end up spending the next hour to two hours going back and forth trying to get babies to fall back asleep. Or rather I do during the days when I'm alone. Meanwhile, I am getting frustrated because our efforts are not helping the problem at hand- babies that are having trouble putting themselves back to sleep on their own- because we are helping them get there most often by picking them up. I can not and will not CIO at this point because I think they are too young. The white noise and shhhs just aren't cutting it anymore either.
Now if I really got 30-45 minutes in a chunk to get things done from the beginning of the nap, I'd be happy. Reality is that this is the typical scenario: one baby goes down fast. The other one takes 20 minutes give or take. In the end that leaves me only approximately 10 minutes of "me time" at the start of a nap in which I race around like a mad woman- going to the bathroom, eating breakfast or lunch, brushing my teeth or hair, etc. Then throughout the middle to end of a nap I get a minute here and there as the babies tag-team me with waking up. So because I barely have time to do the basics- eat, personal hygiene, laundry, etc.- blogging fell on the back burner for a few days.
Both Sam and Anna have broken an arm or two free of the Miracle Blanket in the last week (which is something they had never done before this point), so I'm starting to wonder if their poor napping is because they are ready to be done with the swaddle, and this is their way of telling us so. Are they fighting the restraint when they stir during a nap which fully wakes them up?
We are also having some struggles with eating lately, as well. Sam and Anna have always been slower drinkers, sometimes taking up to 40 minutes to drink a full feeding. We tried moving up to the next size nipples last week and that helped. But along with taking a really long time, both babies have recently been having a few bottles during the day that are less than the 4-5 oz they normally drink. Sometimes it has been a struggle to get 2 1/2 to 3 oz in.
My head's swimming with:
- Is it the nipple size (but we tried switching back and the problem didn't go away)?
- Temperature of the formula?
- Recent switch in formula that we did 2 weeks ago just catching up to them now?
- The hot weather outside that makes them want to drink less?
- Related to their crappy naps?
- Related to growth spurts (but them wouldn't they drink more then, not less???)
- Or something else???
Friday, April 16, 2010
Postpartum Me
isn't happy with my appearance. At all.
"I know it's only been 5 weeks. I know that I grew two healthy babies. And I know that it will take time, I was larger than life so it takes time to shrink, it's all worth it and any of that other logical BS you throw at me. Believe me, I know it. But it doesn't mean I'm any happier with myself. " Danse said this on her blog months ago- and I wholeheartedly agree.
I gained a whopping 70 pounds from my "normal" weight pre-IVF to the last weigh-in a few days before I gave birth (Dude- that's like carrying around two smaller kindergartners. No wonder I was in more pain than you can imagine). I justified that gain because a.) I was carrying TWO babies, people- which means twice the amniotic fluid, double the placenta weight, etc. and b.) I was a smaller person pre-pregnancy (I so miss my size 4 pants) and had heard several times that the smaller you are, the more weight you typically gain. c.) I lucked out in the morning sickness department and only threw up twice- and it wasn't even that much those two times, so I didn't have that way of losing lots of calories when I was ravenous 24/7 back then.
I lost 40 pounds in the first three weeks. It was amazing! I felt like I could literally see the difference day by day. Then the next week I hopped on the scale, and... no change. Hopped on the scale the following week, and discovered only a few pounds missing. Right now I still look pregnant.
My wardrobe is more pathetic than ever. I remember feeling tired of the limited clothing I could wear at the end of being pregnant, and I wish I had that many options now. I still am wearing maternity pants if I go out in public. At home I wear stretchy bottoms, feeling at least a little good that those aren't still maternity wear. I wear my largest T-shirts or my husband's T's. I wear sweatshirts. That's it- my entire wardrobe. Soon I'll be heading back to work. Comfy pants and T-shirts aren't going to cut it there. I have been holding off buying any clothes- because optimistic me says that soon I'll be smaller and the new stuff won't fit for long anyway. Plus, it's depressing to try it all on. I tried on a pair of jeans 4 sizes larger than my old size (thinking that at least my jeans wouldn't be maternity anymore) last weekend and they still wouldn't button. Very, very depressing.
My stomach looks droopy, stretchmarky and deflated. It jiggles. I can't tell if my uterus is still stretched contributing to my belly or if that's just my belly. God, I hope not. Either way, it's not a pretty sight. I'll live with the stretchmarks happily if the rest returns to my old self. I can't fathom that happening even in my wildest dreams, though.
Next week is my 6 week postpartum appointment, where I should get cleared to resume all normal activity. I prepared this week by ordering Jillian Michael's 3 DVD set. 30 Day Shred, here I come. No More Trouble Zones: I've got a challenge for you. When I'll find the time for those, I don't know. But I don't think my power walks with the double stroller are going to erase the back fat and belly overhang I'm rockin' right now, among other areas of excess fat. I also ordered a pair of Spanxs. Two of the mean teachers in my grade have personal trainers- I am NOT going back to school without doing everything I can to make the lumps, bumps and jiggles disappear as much as possible.
I am scared that I'll never be able to wear my old clothes again. I am scared that the belly overhang is going to be there forever. I am scared that I'll never embrace the body that I have ever again- and it took many years from high school to my twenties to get there in the first place.
"I know it's only been 5 weeks. I know that I grew two healthy babies. And I know that it will take time, I was larger than life so it takes time to shrink, it's all worth it and any of that other logical BS you throw at me. Believe me, I know it. But it doesn't mean I'm any happier with myself. " Danse said this on her blog months ago- and I wholeheartedly agree.
I gained a whopping 70 pounds from my "normal" weight pre-IVF to the last weigh-in a few days before I gave birth (Dude- that's like carrying around two smaller kindergartners. No wonder I was in more pain than you can imagine). I justified that gain because a.) I was carrying TWO babies, people- which means twice the amniotic fluid, double the placenta weight, etc. and b.) I was a smaller person pre-pregnancy (I so miss my size 4 pants) and had heard several times that the smaller you are, the more weight you typically gain. c.) I lucked out in the morning sickness department and only threw up twice- and it wasn't even that much those two times, so I didn't have that way of losing lots of calories when I was ravenous 24/7 back then.
I lost 40 pounds in the first three weeks. It was amazing! I felt like I could literally see the difference day by day. Then the next week I hopped on the scale, and... no change. Hopped on the scale the following week, and discovered only a few pounds missing. Right now I still look pregnant.
My wardrobe is more pathetic than ever. I remember feeling tired of the limited clothing I could wear at the end of being pregnant, and I wish I had that many options now. I still am wearing maternity pants if I go out in public. At home I wear stretchy bottoms, feeling at least a little good that those aren't still maternity wear. I wear my largest T-shirts or my husband's T's. I wear sweatshirts. That's it- my entire wardrobe. Soon I'll be heading back to work. Comfy pants and T-shirts aren't going to cut it there. I have been holding off buying any clothes- because optimistic me says that soon I'll be smaller and the new stuff won't fit for long anyway. Plus, it's depressing to try it all on. I tried on a pair of jeans 4 sizes larger than my old size (thinking that at least my jeans wouldn't be maternity anymore) last weekend and they still wouldn't button. Very, very depressing.
My stomach looks droopy, stretchmarky and deflated. It jiggles. I can't tell if my uterus is still stretched contributing to my belly or if that's just my belly. God, I hope not. Either way, it's not a pretty sight. I'll live with the stretchmarks happily if the rest returns to my old self. I can't fathom that happening even in my wildest dreams, though.
Next week is my 6 week postpartum appointment, where I should get cleared to resume all normal activity. I prepared this week by ordering Jillian Michael's 3 DVD set. 30 Day Shred, here I come. No More Trouble Zones: I've got a challenge for you. When I'll find the time for those, I don't know. But I don't think my power walks with the double stroller are going to erase the back fat and belly overhang I'm rockin' right now, among other areas of excess fat. I also ordered a pair of Spanxs. Two of the mean teachers in my grade have personal trainers- I am NOT going back to school without doing everything I can to make the lumps, bumps and jiggles disappear as much as possible.
I am scared that I'll never be able to wear my old clothes again. I am scared that the belly overhang is going to be there forever. I am scared that I'll never embrace the body that I have ever again- and it took many years from high school to my twenties to get there in the first place.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Small Steps = Big Victory!
Amidst all the crying and fussing and extra lack of sleep lately, my morale has been pretty low. It's hard to endure that much crying and not be able to successfully end it. Especially when, from 7:30 am - 5:00 pm, I'm on my own for that double dose of crying. I made it my goal this week to go somewhere (anywhere, really) out in public that involved driving solo with the twins. I have taken them on walks on my own a few times, but that has been the extent of "going out" on my own. With other adult reinforcements with me, Sam and Anna have gone to church and to a restaurant.
Today, I accomplished my goal- and I did it well! Yay me!
I decided to try to attend the new mom class at the local hospital (not the one I delivered at because it is 45 minutes away) held from 10:30 -11:30 am. Although I thought a specific time frame was really ambitious of me, I knew that two crying babies would not be unusual if I made it there. After all, I was really nervous about dealing with the incessant crying from two babies on my own with onlookers all around. My plan B was to go a store if I didn't make it to the class on time, so all that effort to get ready wouldn't be wasted.
I even made it to the new mom class 5 minutes early! Granted, I started "getting ready" hours beforehand so that the diaper bag and stroller were in the vehicle, I was dressed and ready, and my babies were asleep so I could change and feed them right before we left, but hey- you have to do what will work.
Sam and Anna had their best moments of the day while they were there- they slept most of the time and barely cried. They had a scale too, so Sam and Anna both got weighed: Anna is now up to 7 lbs 11 oz (gained 1 lb 3 oz in two weeks), and Sam is over 8 lbs already at 8 lbs 4 oz ( gained 1 lb 6 oz in two weeks)! They may be crying a lot, but they are sure growing! Drawback to that, though- I think our days of newborn clothes and newborn diapers are dwindling. :) It was really nice to talk to the other moms during that hour. We talked about a lot of things that made me feel like I really am knowledgeable about lots of baby stuff, too.
Now some totally unrelated advice soliciting: We are getting newborn pictures taken in a week (at 6 weeks) at a fairly inexpensive studio (we have a coupon). We also have a coupon for a more expensive studio (where we will get 2 free 8 by 10's and no charge for the sitting- we probably won't buy other pictures because they are really high priced- but who knows? I may be unable to resist getting a few). When should we schedule a session for those photos to be taken? Should we wait a while and get 4 months or 6 months or 9 months or later? These two pictures will probably be framed and put on our fireplace mantel. I can't decide when to get them done, so I need your help! Thanks in advance!
Today, I accomplished my goal- and I did it well! Yay me!
I decided to try to attend the new mom class at the local hospital (not the one I delivered at because it is 45 minutes away) held from 10:30 -11:30 am. Although I thought a specific time frame was really ambitious of me, I knew that two crying babies would not be unusual if I made it there. After all, I was really nervous about dealing with the incessant crying from two babies on my own with onlookers all around. My plan B was to go a store if I didn't make it to the class on time, so all that effort to get ready wouldn't be wasted.
I even made it to the new mom class 5 minutes early! Granted, I started "getting ready" hours beforehand so that the diaper bag and stroller were in the vehicle, I was dressed and ready, and my babies were asleep so I could change and feed them right before we left, but hey- you have to do what will work.
Sam and Anna had their best moments of the day while they were there- they slept most of the time and barely cried. They had a scale too, so Sam and Anna both got weighed: Anna is now up to 7 lbs 11 oz (gained 1 lb 3 oz in two weeks), and Sam is over 8 lbs already at 8 lbs 4 oz ( gained 1 lb 6 oz in two weeks)! They may be crying a lot, but they are sure growing! Drawback to that, though- I think our days of newborn clothes and newborn diapers are dwindling. :) It was really nice to talk to the other moms during that hour. We talked about a lot of things that made me feel like I really am knowledgeable about lots of baby stuff, too.
Now some totally unrelated advice soliciting: We are getting newborn pictures taken in a week (at 6 weeks) at a fairly inexpensive studio (we have a coupon). We also have a coupon for a more expensive studio (where we will get 2 free 8 by 10's and no charge for the sitting- we probably won't buy other pictures because they are really high priced- but who knows? I may be unable to resist getting a few). When should we schedule a session for those photos to be taken? Should we wait a while and get 4 months or 6 months or 9 months or later? These two pictures will probably be framed and put on our fireplace mantel. I can't decide when to get them done, so I need your help! Thanks in advance!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Geniuses Already
Did I mention yet that my babies are geniuses?
No?
Well, today at 3 weeks and 1 day old (adjusted age of only 3 days), Anna rolled over from her tummy to her back all by herself. According to Dr. Google, this developmental milestone occurs around 3 months.
Need further evidence?
In the hospital bassinet when he was 2 days old and getting his vitals done, Sam did a push up while laying on his tummy: lifted his head, pushed up on his arms, and arched his back to lift his chest off the ground. The nurse doing the vitals was amazed. According to Dr, Google, babies are able to do this around 5 months.
Do I have future professors, molecular biologists or astrophysicists in my arms? Maybe. :)
We also had our last weight check today, and Anna is now up to 6 lbs 8 oz (up 1 lb 8 oz from birth weight in 3 weeks) while Sam now weighs 6 lbs 14 oz (up 1 lb 4 oz from birth weight). This means Anna can now graduate from her car seat bed into a regular infant carrier. Believe me, judging from the way she wails when in the car seat bed, I bet she is as happy as I am about that!
No?
Well, today at 3 weeks and 1 day old (adjusted age of only 3 days), Anna rolled over from her tummy to her back all by herself. According to Dr. Google, this developmental milestone occurs around 3 months.
Need further evidence?
In the hospital bassinet when he was 2 days old and getting his vitals done, Sam did a push up while laying on his tummy: lifted his head, pushed up on his arms, and arched his back to lift his chest off the ground. The nurse doing the vitals was amazed. According to Dr, Google, babies are able to do this around 5 months.
Do I have future professors, molecular biologists or astrophysicists in my arms? Maybe. :)
----------
We also had our last weight check today, and Anna is now up to 6 lbs 8 oz (up 1 lb 8 oz from birth weight in 3 weeks) while Sam now weighs 6 lbs 14 oz (up 1 lb 4 oz from birth weight). This means Anna can now graduate from her car seat bed into a regular infant carrier. Believe me, judging from the way she wails when in the car seat bed, I bet she is as happy as I am about that!
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