Author: akreba

4am Escapades

Can you guess what we were doing at 4:30 this morning? Feeding babies? Well that is half right.

Have I mentioned before that we have two cats? Rafi and Rory, who both absolutely love the babies. They like to snuggle in between them during feeds, and snuggle next to them when we are holding them. We are still working on the don’t walk on the babies concept.

Well, this morning was a new “show of love” for the girls. I was up for the morning feed, turned around and Rafi is on the floor asking for attention…to display… his captured baby mouse. To my knowledge, he’s never caught a mouse before. Rory brought me “gifts” throughout my pregnancy but they weren’t alive!

Was it still alive? Yes.

Did it run once I realized it was alive? Yes.

Did I go get Craig to catch it? Yes.

Did he?! No lol.

I can’t make this stuff up folks. Craig and I tried to find this little guy but he eluded us. Needless to say, I finished the feeding with a hidden visitor somewhere in the room, put the girls in the cribs, and went to bed. Oh and I put socks on, in case he ran across my feet (he didn’t think goodness).

We did find him this morning, hiding in some pillows on the floor. I captured him and put him back outside, because face it, I’m a big softy (apparently) and couldn’t even hurt a baby mouse.

But we all survived…including the mouse.

update! Rafi is so close to holding Harper’s bottle….if only I could teach him that…

Baby Ghost Whispers

Ever have that moment where you insist you hear something that isn’t there? I’ve had that a lot for the past day or so and it’s a weird feeling.

Craig and I took a belated anniversary weekend to Alyeska, to relax and get out of town for a bit. All last night my brain was still on baby mode, and I could swear I heard Emerie screaming (specifically Em, not the other two for some reason). Needless to say, she doesn’t scream so loud that I can hear her 30 miles away.

It has been a gorgeous weekend in Girdwood, a little too hot if you ask me. I prefer anything under 80 degrees, not above! I’m glad our original plan to bring the babies down to the annual Girdwood Forest Fair didn’t happen. It is much too hot and packed with people, many more than last year.

Grandma Sue is spending the weekend with the girls, and from what I can tell, they are behaving! Today she dressed them all alike in their cute, matching summer rompers.

This trip has been much needed for a little relaxation and sleep, and eating meals while they are still hot. But, I miss my babies, and am ready to see them in the morning for some cuddles.

15 Weeks!

Last visit to Double Cuddles Harper was up to 11lb 13oz, Reagan was 11lb 6oz, and Emerie 10lb 3oz! They are getting big!

This week’s milestone appears to be that the girls have discovered they can chew on their hands and are now constantly doing so. They are also smiling even more! Emerie has started talking like her sisters and now all are much more vocal in baby speak.

Play mat time is actually enjoyable now, which is a change! Harper and Reagan were entertained the entire time I fed Emerie, almost giggling and baby talking. Reagan even fell asleep after a while from all the fun.

For the first time Emerie enjoyed play time and stayed on the mat without fussing for about 20 minutes! That’s definitely progress, especially with all her fussiness later in the day.

We took the girls on a hike on Sunday, since we rarely have 80 degree, beautiful sunny days (especially this summer!), and I think the high afternoon sun might have been a bit much for them, altho they were pretty good sports about it. And we managed to pack the pups in the back of my car with them!

We were lucky enough timing wise to catch part of the airshow once we hit the end of the trail, and see some of the jet formations in the distance over Anchorage. I can’t wait until the girls are big enough to enjoy an airshow!

One more milestone, not for the babies but for me! I finally hit 2000 ml (roughly 67 oz) of milk production in a single day. Has taken me a LONG time to finally reach that!

PIC Assessment

Quick update on the girls since we haven’t posted in a few days.

PIC (Parent Infant Children) came out on Thursday and did an assessment on the girls. They are a non profit program that assesses how babies are developing and if they need any special assistance or therapy to continue to grow and thrive.

The girls were on good behavior for the visit and all cooperated. Reagan went first and passed everything with flying colors, showing the lady how well she can hold up her head and do tummy time.

Harper also did well and both girls are considered in the normal development range for their adjusted age (7 weeks adjusted/14 weeks actual). Harper enjoyed the different things the lady tested her on and was a good sport!

Emerie put up a bit more of a fight, probably because she was in the middle of a bottle, and…because she’s Emerie (lol). Since she’s a bit smaller, she has more to do to catch up. She is also our fussier and more demanding baby in terms of feedings and tummy time, so her assessment showed she is on the cusp of the normal development range. This is typically for the smallest premie and no reason for concern.

Overall everything looks good and there isn’t anything we need to worry about. At their suggestion, we are going to start transitioning from sideline feedings to the normal front feedings, and get them used to that. Hopefully they pick it up pretty quick and we can find a new, efficient propping method for all three.

Butterfly Feet

Yesterday we decided to attempt an arts and crafts project with the girls. They weren’t super thrilled at the idea but I think it came out pretty decently! We will definitely give it another try soon, and have a few other body part ideas!

A list of items for this include:

  • A cute baby with baby feet!
  • Acrylic paint (it washes right off): don’t want any permanent purple baby feet!
  • Mini brushes
  • Canvases of any size: I got a few different ones so we could try out a few different things.
  • Newspaper to limit the mess, and a wash cloth to wipe those feet off when the hate rage begins!
  • Two sets of hands is also helpful, one set to coddle the minion and one set to press the foot into the canvas. We had a few alien feet attempts…

They didn’t particularly like the feeling of paint on their toes, but overall were good sports. We did individual butterflies for each of them and a group canvas as well.

Next I want to try a few handprints on a coffee mug. After painting their feet, we gave them each a break to recuperate. It’s surprising how strong they are when they don’t want their painted feet pushed against a canvas! Reagan definitely fought back the most, and Harper and Emerie tolerated it for the most part. I think it will be a great addition to their memory boxes.