I love that they're starting to smile more and more; I love that they're begining to respond when they hear my voice; I love that they're sleeping in a little longer stretches; and I love that they're more alert and will just sit and stare at us. I also love how well they are both doing with eating! They still have to be prompted to take a breath while eating when they're really hungry, but overall, they are both doing extremely well!
While I'm happy they're growing; I'm sad at how quickly they're getting big and how quickly they're changing. I realize they're still smaller than the average newborn, but to us they look huge!!
I'm also sad that we still have to keep them in seclusion. I would love to be able to take them out and show them off; but I can't. I'd love to have people over to come hold them and ooo and ahhh over them; but I can't. I'm sure many people think we're just being the classic "over protective first time parent" but that's not it at all.
When we brought Abigail home from the NICU, the neonatologist sat us down to do the discharge and said, "they can't eat, shop, or pray, so there's no reason to take them anywhere. The only place they should be going, other than your house, is to their doctor. But, do not take them in the waiting room. Waiting rooms are for sick people; call them from your car to let them know you're there and stay in your car until it's their turn to be seen. You can take them outside as much as you want. I'm not worried about them being outside, I'm worried about them being around people. People have germs, so you NEED to keep them away from people. Bare minimum is to keep them 'under quarantine' until they are AT LEAST full term (which is still more than a week away) .... any one under the age of 16 needs to wait even longer."
So, there you have it. We've just been trying to follow the instructions we were given. When we go to the doctor, we have to sit in the car; when we go for walks, they always have to have their car seats covered with a blanket so people don't get to close or try to touch them. We have to wash & sanatize our hands constantly! The few people we do have coming to help us have to "scrub in" every time they walk through the door.
We appreciate and feel so blessed that so many of you want to meet them and I promise, when they're ready and we're ready, we'll let you know. They still have quite a bit of maturing to do, and I still have emotional and physical healing to do. That's just our reality. We'll do our best to keep you updated on their progress and provide you with pictures though!!! :)
Without further ado... Here's their 1 month update!
Abigail Hope 1 Month Old
Length: 18.25 in
Eating: 2oz every 2-2.5 hours. Eating half breastmilk, half formula
Milestones: Starting to have more and more alert time. She just sits and watches us :) She's begnning to focus on our faces and respond to our voices. Abby loves to look at things that have lights; such as the TV. It sounds terrible, but when she's awake she loves staring at the TV because of all light.
Likes/Dislikes: Abby is a very smiley and laid back baby. She absolutely loves to be held. Abby sleeps wonderfully in both her bouncy seat and her swing. She loves having her feet tickled... it's so funny to watch how she immediately relaxes and starts smiling. She doesn't seem to have many dislikes at this point... I can't really come up with anything... she's very content pretty much all of the time unless she's overtired or over hungry.
Josephine Grace 1 Month Old
Length: 18.75 in
Eating: 2oz every 2-2.5 hours. Eating half breastmilk, half formula.
Milestones: Josie usually has at least one "awake time" during the day where, after a feeding, she'll just sit wide eyed and looking around. She starts to look around and move her head when she hears mine or Bob's voice :) She also loves to look at things that are contrasting light and dark colors.
Likes/Dislikes: Josie LOVES to sit in the swing! Its also her favorite place to poop :) We've had to wach that cover on more than one occassion when she has a blowout. She also loves to be held; she's incredibly snuggly and will curl up into a tiny ball when you hold her against your chest. She hates to be uncomfortable! Whether gas, hunger, or a dirty diaper, she'll let you know that she doesn't like it! Fortunately as soon as she's comfortable again, she's extremely content.
I can't believe how grown up they are! They're still little, but to us, they look huge!!! Here are some more pictures for your viewing pleasure :)
No, I don't not just let my kids sit and scream... I had about 30 seconds left in my pumping session when they all of the sudden started doing this.
Life as a mom of twins :)
Abby supporting Uncle Mike's band.
Daddy and Abby snuggling.
Josie's favorite place to sleep, other than her swing, is on someone's chest.
We also did they're "newborn/1 month" photo shoot... Here's a teaser until we get the actual pictures.
I'd say we have some pretty perfect baby girls :)
I love this, what beautiful baby girls you have!
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