November 2013

Monday November 4, 2013

Clara is on the left; Adelyn is on the right

The girls are three and half weeks today.  I can't believe that it has almost been a month.  When people say that "time flies" I can totally understand what they mean.  Just a little over three weeks ago, I was lying on my couch, trying everything under the sun to self -induce labor and here we are now and the girls are almost one month old.
     Their little personalities are totally developing.  I love watching them and getting to know their subtle behaviors.
      Adelyn is a great sleeper and doesn't particularly like using a pacifier.  I have been saying she is my drama queen because she has a sob that tugs at my heart strings.  It is a slow, emotional, whimper that melts my heart.  Her eyes are big and bright and her neck/head strength is already well advanced.  During play time, she likes playing on her stomach and she is pretty calm most of the time.
     Clara equally has her own personality.  She is also a sound sleeper when she falls asleep but getting to sleep is a little harder for her.  She seems to have stomach issues between 10 pm and 12 am and it is hard to get her down.  She has a high pitch cry that gets your attention now matter what room in the house you are in.  Her scream particularly gets to my mom.  Clara can't latch to breast feeding yet so she relies on the bottle.  She loves the pacifier and tends to quiet down fairly quickly once she has one. Her neck/head strength seems normal although she doesn't like to spend time on her stomach very much.
     Both girls are pretty easy considering.  They eat every 3 hours or so and eat about 3 ounces every feeding.  Since I am not breast feeding, they eat 3 ounces of pumped breast milk and then I supplement with formula if they need anymore.  So far we do a 10 pm feeding and then our next feeding is around 2 am.  They sleep about 4 hours before that 2 am feeding and then they feed again around 8:30.  That's about 6 hours. I am sure that won't become routine, but when it does happen, it nice to get the extra sleep time.  Funny thing is that the 2 am feeding isn't that bad...the 8 am feeding is the brutal one.  I am super exhausted at that feeding, even though it is daylight,  and my body wants to sleep through at that time.
      My girls are perfect and I love their facial expressions and when they "smile" in their sleep.  Someone said that when babies smile in their sleep, it is God giving them a kiss.  I like thinking that is true.  I know that God is looking over my girls along with their great grandparents.  Despite how beyond exhausted I am, I wouldn't trade the bonding time that I am having with my girls.  I love them deeply.