Our girls are two months old!  How is this month already gone?  I know I seem like the most confused woman in the entire world because I feel like in every post related to these tiny ones I ask that exact question. We went for their 2 month appointment on Friday and both did really great.  They love seeing Dr. Butler and are on such good behavior while she examines them.  Both girls are continuing to make great progress in their uphill climb for weight gain.  I don’t even know if we can call it a battle anymore.. my once teeninsy little babes are now (finally) filling out newborn clothes and getting bigger by the day.

For some reason I didn’t get my hands on a copy of their growth charts for this month, so I am doing this from memory.. which fails me regularly these days.

Jolie @ 2 months: 
Weight: 7lbs 13 oz pounds (Birth: 4 lbs 8 oz; 1 month: 6 lbs) 
Height:  21 in (Birth: 18 in; 1 month: 19.3 in)
Head: ** in (Birth: 12 in; 1 month: 13.5 in) 


Parker @ 2 months:
Weight: 9lbs 6oz (Birth: 5 lbs 14 oz; 1 month: 7 lbs 9 oz)
Height:  ** in (Birth: 18 in; 1 month: 20.7 in)
Head: ** in (Birth: 13.2 in; 1 month: 14 in)


Our pediatrician continues to be really pleased with their stats.  They both are growing well and Jolie is officially on the growth charts- at just 3% for weight- but she gained almost 2 pounds since last month!  Her chart trends are beautiful.  Parker, our chunky little thing, is getting so big and her charts are trending as they should, too. I cannot believe how much they have grown just in this past month.  

As Dr. Butler was examining Jolie, she noticed her favoring her left side.  She would rather move her eyes than turn her head.  Dr. Butler explained that this is the beginning development of torticollis, described as a twisted neck in which the head is tipped to one side, while the chin is turned to the other.  She went on to explain that it is fairly common for infants to have this and it can be directly related to the position she had en urtero- and we ALL know that Parker took up the majority of the space in my belly.  Poor Jolie was smushed up into my hip bone and forced over to my side/back.  Breaks my heart.. But, after it was brought to my attention, her head tilt is really apparent.  I was looking through pictures of little Polie and sure enough she has exactly what our pediatrician described.  Good news is that it is easily corrected with some physical therapy and stretching of the neck muscles.  We got a referral sent over to Our Children’s House at Baylor and will be making an appointment for her initial assessment.  We are ready to get the ball rolling and learn the exercises we can do at home between PT appointments to get her back to where she needs to be.  

After examining the girls, it was time for shots.  YUCK.  I knew they were getting the first round a vaccines on this visit, but didn’t realize that it was a total of 6 vaccines! 5 shots in their little legs and an oral.  They did so well, and only cried a little, but seeing that real sense of pain in their eyes just about brought me to tears myself.  The girls were not their normal sweet and happy selves the rest of the day.. you could totally tell they did not feel well.  Poor punkin’s.     

Other than Jolie’s torticollis discovery, these girls are perfect in every way:)  

EAT
I am still exclusively breastfeeding the girls.  Dr. Butler is pleased with their weight gain with breastfeeding alone and therefore doesn’t see a need for supplementing. They are little breastfeeding rockstars.  Last month we were giving them two bottles/day of expressed milk, but that has slowed to a stop as of this month.  No real reason except that it is so much easier on me to just BF both of them at the same time when I’m home alone for 24 hours.  If we are out and about, or have company they get bottles, but other than that, its all me.  At night, if Jordan is home with me, I breast feed one while he bottle feeds the other.  Most often he has Parker and I have Jolie.  We learned this kind of turned into a negative for us because on my first day back at work Jolie had a miserable time with the bottle because she was not used to it at all.  We should have started to alternate them before me going back to work last week, but you live and you learn, I suppose.  She’s doing better now after 4 days of having bottles while I’m away.  The bottle in the middle of the night has stopped as of this week, so that I am able to get more time with them since being at work for 4-3 feedings.  

Breast feeding has become quite comical with the girls.  I am constantly pulling each others arms out of the other’s face- mainly it is Parker with the flailing extremities, and her fingers in Jolie’s eyes.  Jolie doesn’t seem to mind one bit, but the moment Jolie’s little hands get into Parker’s face, you better believe Parker starts to wail until I move them.  And so it begins.   What is most precious is when the hands are playing with the other’s hair rather than gouging an eye out.

When we do use bottles they eat about 3-4 oz every 3 to 3.5 hours.  After they eat they’re awake for a bit and then fall asleep for the last hour and a half or so before its time to eat again.  I’ve noticed is how much more time they spend awake during the day.  I try to stick to the eat/play/sleep routine and it seems to be working really well.  I can now distinguish between the ‘I’m hungry’ cry and the ‘I’m sleepy’ fussy cry.

I’m still pretty exhausted from the whole process of breastfeeding, but it is getting much easier as I have grown in my confidence with it this past month. My girls are gaining plenty of weight, and so I feel good to know that I’m making enough for them to grow.  Let me tell you, though.. I literally feel as if I could eat a truck load of food at every sitting.  Just hook me up with a feed bag and I’ll be good.  I could eat all day (and I do actually..)  I’m just starved.  Since being back at work I’m pumping 3-4 times a day and expressing close to 30 ounces.  I definitely need at least 24 ounces (6 bottles) to keep up with what they are given on my days at work, and I’m thankful I’ve been able to pump more than enough for both of them.  I was taking Fenugreek for increased production- but it didn’t do a whole lot for me except make me smell of maple syrup.  It totally weirded me out so, after finishing one ($8) bottle, I decided it wasn’t worth getting another supply.  I’ve resorted back to eating a bowl of dry cereal before bed (because if I don’t I am waking up light headed and hungry).  My cereal of choice these days is Multi-grain Cheerios- and I have noticed a pretty significant increase in my supply.  I’ve heard that oatmeal helps with milk production- and I assume the ‘oats‘ in Cheerios can have the same effect.  Working for me anyway.

SLEEP

Sleep is good for both babies and momma:)  They take about an hour to an hour and a half naps between feedings during the day, and wake up right on the dot at three hours ready to eat again.  At night, they are sleeping close to 6 hours between feedings (hallelujah).  I feed them for the last time between 8:30-9pm,  then swaddle them up and they’ll sleep until 2-3am before they need to feed again.  We are no longer setting alarms- we are just allowing them to wake us up when they are hungry.  We have a pretty distinct bed time routine- we only swaddle them at night for bed, they wear a beanie, and we turn on the sound machine.  They have begun to associate these things with bed time, and will now go down awake and put themselves to sleep without a problem.  Even though we still rock them to sleep sometimes, this is what we do with them the majority of the time.  They are still in our room with us for now, and I forsee we will be moving them out around month 3 or 4.  They still sleep in their bouncy seats for the most part.  They sleep the best at an incline because we are quite positive that they both have silent reflux.  Luckily, neither cry or are super bothered by it, but it will wake them up more often if they are lying flat.    

And now for the letters to my baby girls..

My sweet little Polie..

You make me melt, little girl.  You have made me quite a proud momma this past month.  You are growing so big and strong, getting better at tummy time and head control- making me giddy with excitement when you hold your head up to look at momma.  You are so stunning and beautiful- and the way you smile, even though it isn’t as often as I want to see it, brings a belly laugh out of me and your dad every time.  While we can still call you our little diva, you are just so sweet and love it when we snuggle cheek to cheek- momma loves it, too!  This past month you have become such a content little bug and will sit quietly in the bouncy or on the play mat without so much as a peep to come out of you.  If you would have told me that change would have happened in you last month I would have snorted and laughed out loud- your little personality continues to surprise me.    

You aren’t as vocal as your sister, but when you do ‘talk’ it is the sweetest little voice I have ever heard.  You often will look at me dead in the face with such cute little facial expressions like you want to tell me something so very badly.. I have a feeling there will come a day when you will out talk even me.  You have discovered your hands and will suck rather loudly on your fists, but for the most part you LOVE your paci and will suck, suck, suck, away.  When it happens to fall out of your mouth, momma and dad are rushing to get it back to you because you definitely let us know when you’ve lost it.  You are still in newborn sized diapers and I wouldn’t be surprised if you stay in them for another month or so.  The newborn sized clothes are finally fitting you well enough- although still are somewhat too big in the length and arms, but nothing the rolling of the sleeves wont fix. 

Some of your favorite things include: your paci (of course), the swing, and going for walks in the afternoon with momma and daddy.  Often times you will stay awake for the entire walk, amazed at all their is to look at.  You especially love it when we sing “You Are My Sunshine” in your little ear.  Daddy discovered that calms you almost immediately.

You are so very special to me, sweet Jolie Polie.  I just adore you, little girl.  Momma loves you with all my heart.

Little Miss Parker Jane..

Girl- this picture says it all.  You are SUCH a ham.  You continue to be so strong and you’re able to use your arms to hold your head, neck, and shoulders up for quite sometime.  In fact, your head control is so good I can almost carry you like a toddler on my hip!  I forget you are only 2 months old.  You are so very snuggle-y, especially after you eat.  Your favorite place to snooze is deep in our neck, almost face first- so precious. You are completely fascinated with anything that puts off light- and cannot keep your eyes off the ceiling fans- moving or not.  You will move your head every which way to keep your gaze on those things.

You are not the biggest fan of tummy time, and will fight through it for the entire 10 minutes we attempt.  Within minutes of flipping you over, you are all smiles and sweet coos.  Speaking of smiles.. you are constantly smiling and chatting momma and daddy up- telling us all about anything and everything, whether it be while you are nursing (yes, during.. making momma laugh SO hard), getting your diaper changed, or playing on the play mat- always talking about something.  You have an amazing rendition of the word ‘Hi!’ and will shout it out often- catching momma off guard every time.  When you smile, it consumes your face, causing your eyes to all but disappear, just like your momma when she smiles.  The clicks of the camera make you almost laugh, and provides great entertainment when we are taking your picture.

Like Jolie, you have also found your hands this month and will suck away at your fingers, but deny the paci if ever offered to you.  You seem to only take it when it is close to feeding time, and even then you’ll spit it out.  You are very active with your gestures and strike a pose with both hands out in front in the air, moving and shaking all over the place.  Newborn size clothes fit you pretty well for the most part- your chunky belly fills them out better than your skinny minnie sister.  As of this week you have transitioned to size 1 diapers.  Still a little on the big side for you, but the NB diapers were just too snug around your legs for momma’s liking.

A few of your favorite things: anything that puts off light, the play mat (with the flashing lights), going for walks, and sleep.  Girl, you love your sleep and will snooze through anything.  You are so much like your momma, it is unreal.  

You are one of a kind, little miss, and I couldn’t imagine our days without your smiling face.  I love you.      
  

As you can imagine, taking pictures of two little girls at just two months of age, 99% of the time I will never catch a shot with both of them looking at the camera..

But, there is always that 1%..  Good grief, how funny is this picture?!

2 months.  Still cannot believe it.. but cannot wait to see what month three has in store.