Day Zero

That's right, we were officially at an adjusted age of zero yesterday -- i.e. yesterday was the boys' due date!!

It's a weird concept, this adjusted age thing. I mean, "term" for twins is generally considered about 36 weeks. So, if they'd been born at 36 weeks we wouldn't have used adjusted age at all. But, because they were early we count developmental milestones, size, etc. from their adjusted age starting from their actual due date. A date which they would definitely have been born before (my MFM would have done the scheduled C-section at 38 1/2 weeks or so due to my uterus issues).

It does make it difficult to figure out what "stage" they're supposed to be in at any given time. They're two months old but not really... But, it's not like they're really "one day" either. They are far more developed than a brand new baby but less than a normal two month old. I feel like we're just kind of guessing a lot at what they're supposed to be doing. I know there are a few of you out there who've had preemies -- do you have any book or website recommendations for any of this? My husband and I are "research" type people and we really feel like we're flying blind here. We've found a few possible books but we're not sure what would be most useful.

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I've also been thinking a lot lately about my lost spider baby. June 21st marked two years since we found out I was miscarrying and June 24th marks two years since the miscarriage. It's amazing to think about how far my life has changed since then and how these precious boys wouldn't be here if not for that loss. I'll never forget that first pregnancy. It changed me and made me appreciate these boys even more.

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Anyway, I suppose I'm going to go full-on mommy blogger here and record their milestones. This is mostly for me, though, so feel free to ignore...

At 2 months or 0 adjusted age, you're both changing by leaps and bounds.

We're going to start with sweet little S this time (just because you're "Baby B" doesn't mean you always have to be second!)




Our old analog baby scale puts you at 6 lb today! That's not a bad birth weight!! You're totally out of preemie clothes but you've still got a ways to grow before your preemie diapers or newborn clothes are too small. You are still our serious little guy. We love your little old man faces. Your grandma even commented on how serious and contemplative you look when she was visiting. You've been having more and more periods of wakefulness lately. Sometimes after a meal you stay awake for over an hour just taking in everything around you. I swear you smile at us. We'd really rather you didn't stay awake all the time, though, because then you get kind of cranky later and have "bad feeds" when you're sleepy. You still have a "witching hour(s)" from 9 pm to midnight or 2 am where you usually just won't be consoled unless you're being held. Sometimes nursing will put you right to sleep (although you have seriously got to remember that Mommy's nipples are not quite as resilient as the silicone ones and STOP BITING SO HARD!!). Usually, though, it takes Daddy holding you on his chest asleep while he watches the news. Is there anything sweeter than a baby sleeping on his daddy's chest? I don't think so.

You're still on all breast milk right now but that may change soon if you keep eating as much as you are! Your mom's boobs can only put out so much!! Your goal in life seems to be to hoard your milk. It ends up in all the adorable neck folds and even under your arms! You've got a case of baby acne (poor baby) but it seems to be getting better. You're not a big fan of bath time, yet, but it is the one time that you get to be a "free range" baby and are free of the annoying apnea electrodes.

Speaking of the apnea monitor -- you haven't had an event in a while! You do still have what we call "stalls" during feedings when you're not too awake. But, usually just quickly blowing on your face makes you come back around and start breathing again. We'd love if you could grow out of this soon, OK?

Other than some late night pouts, you're generally pretty easy going. When you're hungry or gassy, you fuss a little but are generally pretty easily consoled. You like to look at the pictures your daddy puts around your bassinet and the changing table. You've definitely figured out the connection between being changed and getting to eat as you quickly calm as soon as we pick you up off the table and get this excited look in your eyes. I love watching you chew your fingers in anticipation and clasp your hands around each other as you suck down your milk -- you're a STRONG sucker that's for sure.

You love your activity mat and have been rocking tummy time. You turned your head from one side to the other to follow me as I moved around. Nice neck muscles!!

We love you so much our sweet little old man!

Now for our darling little D:




At day "zero" you weigh in at nearly 7 lbs! How on earth did you get nearly a pound bigger than your brother? You're such a little chunky monkey!! (It's all relative...) You are still wearing your preemie diapers but they may not last for long. We've got a pack of newborns ready to go. You can still fit into all the newborn clothes, but the smaller ones are starting to look a little tight! We're going to have to go through our stash and set the bigger ones aside for you. Until a few days ago, you still were pretty much sleeping, screaming or eating. But, suddenly you've started to sit and observe calmly. It's great to see. For the most part, you're pretty good about falling asleep on your own. Sometimes, though, you just feel fussy for quite a while and will only sleep deeply if we hold you. I suspect you've been having some gas issues as you usually seem much relieved and calmer after some rather loud sounds come out of your bassinet!! (Daddy thinks I'm just blaming them on you... :) ) Sometimes, though, you just need to be held -- like right now when I've got you strapped to me in the Moby. You are also consoled by nursing at night. I'm not sure how much milk you actually get out of the process, but it at least relaxes you.

You, my dear, have got quite a set of lungs on you. You've continued to live up to your pterodactyl nickname. It amazes me just how loud and high pitched you can be! We can hear you start to build up to full on shrieking and we rush to get to you before you get yourself into a tizzy. Diaper changing time continues to be the ultimate form of torture. I try to talk to you in a calm, soothing voice and hold your arms close to your body to calm you down. Sometimes it seems to work for a second. But, man, you'd think we were stabbing you repeatedly on the changing table!

You're also still on all breastmilk and sucking it down! The doctor was amazed at how much you eat at each session -- guess that's where all that extra weight comes from. I love how you pull my hand toward you with the bottle. But, woe onto us if we are moving a little slowly in getting the food to you. Or if we take too long switching between bottles (the first one has your meds in it -- shhh, you didn't hear that). You've finally gotten better at burping but we still can't quite control the spit-up.

Your apnea monitor is MAKING US CRAZY. We've had two "real" alarms -- one while I was holding you and one while I was burping you. We're not sure, though, that either was actually accurate as you seemed fine both times. We know that your shallow breathing sometimes isn't picked up by the monitor. And, for the burping one, it seems like burping you changes how the monitor picks up your heartrate. The annoying part, though, is that we keep getting line and signal faults. We can't figure out if it is the electrodes or something with the monitor itself. It's starting to be the monitor that cried wolf, though. I can't wait until we can chuck the damn thing!!

I can't tell you how much I love holding you. You lift your head up and look around -- your neck is getting so strong! You're just such a solid little chunk and the weight of you on my chest is so reassuring. Your breathing calms down and so does mine. I just feel so relaxed and certain. I love looking at how peaceful you look in my arms.

We love you so much our adorable pterodactyl!

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And, now? The Itzbeen says it's probably time to feed you both and to pump. Shocking, I know!

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