Guessing Game

The saying this last week is "I have no idea what is wrong with these kids. I am just their mother not a psychic." My boys very rarely cry so when they fussy for a whole week I like to think there is something very wrong. No teeth so I though they must have ear infections so off to the doctor. After a $50 co-pay and the official verdict is there is nothing wrong with them. Arr! I really should be grateful that they are not sick but I still have no idea what is wrong and that is really frustrating. I look forward to the day they can talk and tell me what they need. They are still really cute!

6 Months

The boys are 6 months old now. I am amazed at how fast the time has gone.

This about 12 hours after the kids were born and the first time I saw them (in the operating room does not count). I have these on my fridge to remind me of how blessed we are that they are so health and strong now.




Dallin is 14 lbs 3 oz
Monson is 16 lbs

Monson is sitting up!



Dallin is our monkey! See where Monson is...Dallin was there about 1 second before...



he saw something more interesting TOYS!

New View

We went on a walk yesterday without the cars seats attached to the stroller! The boys loved the new view and I loved that we lost 22 lbs of extra weight from the car seats.

5 Months

The boys are now 5 months. It is amazing how fast the time has gone and how quickly they have grown. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to stay home with them but it has it challenges. As parents of twins you make mistakes in double but the joy is also doubled and that makes the terrible days much better.

Here is what we have been doing...

-Sleeping all night! The kids now go to bed at 8:30 pm until 7:00 am. When the doctor told me kids can comfort themselves and get all the food they need during the day at 4 months and to call if they cried more then 3 nights. We wasted no time. Ear plugs... every parent should have some.
-Solid food. The boys don't care for rice cereal but they seem to like the sweet potatoes. (They are half McKay's so they should love anything potato!)
-Rolling over. This is bitter sweet. I now have to be extra careful where I put the kids when I leave the room.
-Pacifiers are gone. We still have some just for emergencies but the boys do a great job of comforting themselves.
-Baby Blessing. The McKay clan came up for the kids baby blessing. It was crazy to have 12 extra people in the house. Movies, Cinnamon Kettle Corn, lots of food, crying kids and lots of laughs. Thank goodness it was nice weather so we could eat outside. It was so great to see everyone and for them to meet the kids.
-Staycation. My parents stayed a couple extra days while they were here so Spencer and I could take a staycation. We went to Midway for the evening and then went golfing and got massages the next day. I almost forgot we had kids. It was a much needed break!
-I started school. After taking a 6 month break I started school again. I only have 1 year left to finish my undergrad so we figured it was now or never.
-First Family vacation. We took our first family vacation last weekend to Bear Lake with some of our good friends. We had a great time just hanging out, getting shakes and watching movies.
-Monson. Is loud when he is happy, mad or sad. He is very smart and strong willed! He knows that if he does not want to have anymore tummy time he can roll over and knows that bottles have food.
-Dallin. Is still quiet and calm. He loves his thumbs and smiling! Finally made it on the growth charts at his 4 month appointment. He is in the 1% & 3% but he is on the charts and health! He loves his toys and moves all over the place to get them and look around. He is usually kicking Monson when we go in their room in the morning.
Here are some new pictures from the last few weeks.

My Boys

When Spencer and I found out we were expecting I really wanted a boy. I am the oldest of 6 and I always wanted a big brother. When Jared came into our lives I got the big brother I had been hoping for. We had a great relationship and I loved getting advice from someone older them me. I have always wanted my girls (if I ever get any) to be able to have a big brother that can do everything first and help them be strong confident women. Plus for those of you who know me well I am a tee-shirt and jeans girl. I can braid but it looks terrible and I would rather go do something outside then go to the mall. If I ever do have a girl its a good thing I have girl friends who enjoy doing "girly things".

When we found out we were having two boy I was so excited! I am so grateful for the boys in my life. They teach me so many things each day and help me to be a better person.

I know my house will never be as clean as it is today but I am looking forward to playing in the sand, finding worms, putting band-aid on knees, getting the hose out before the boys can come inside and having a foursome to play golf with.

I love my boys!

Dallin

Dallin started to smile and laugh about 2 weeks ago. It is so cute and fun to see him happy. It makes my heart melt. I have been trying to get a video of him but every time I try he gets camera shy. About 2 weeks ago he also started to sleep through the night! Mom is so much happier when I get to sleep from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. I am so excited that my boys are starting to show personality it makes my job of being a mom so much more rewarding to see a reaction.

One thing I have noticed in both boys is that they are both very strong willed. I knew this was coming because Spencer and I are both strong willed so it is pretty much a given that our children would be. So our major challenge as parents I think will be to pick our battles and make sure that they know right from wrong. That is much easier said then done. Here is a picture of the kids from yesterday taking a nap (the first and only one all day) in my bed...I lost the battle of making them sleep in their bed.

For Grammy

Monson

Thanks to personality, feeding schedule, weight, formula feeding or just pure luck Monson is sleeping through the night! At only 3.25 months (13 weeks) and a premie born six weeks early I was shocked. I have not even had to let him "cry it out". He has been sleeping through the night since last Friday. It is amazing how much happier he is during the day. Now I know what it is like just waking up to feed one baby in the middle of the night... but I'm sure Dallin is not far off.

Wednesday...

Dallin started to cry loud when changing his diaper and...

Monson was so startled he woke up. I told him "Yes, you have a little brother!"

I had a good laugh because Dallin can sleep through Monson screaming.

The Baby Factory

The kids are now 7 weeks old which means they are finally starting to be "normal" newborns. (Since they where premies they have two ages one is their real age and one is their adjusted age. The adjusted age is the age at which they should start developing "normally". So the kids real age is 7 weeks but their adjusted age is 1 week.) We took them off the 22 calorie formula on Monday because it had been making them constipated. Both kids are now back to normal. Dallin went to the doctor yesterday and weights 6 lbs 11 oz. He gained 8 oz in one week! Last week Monson was 8 lbs 3 oz. They are both growing like weeds! We hope that they can keep gaining weight consistently so they don't have to get back on the 22 calorie formula. We will be going to the doctor weekly to monitor their weight gain. We are still feeding them every 3 hours 24 hours a day 7 days a week which is very exhausting. I am hoping that the doctor will change that soon. I am still only getting about 4 hours of sleep a day (if I am lucky). I can no longer sleep during the day no matter how tired I am.

I have now been home with the kids for 4 weeks. Having two makes everything twice as hard, however, I am so grateful to have them both. Dallin and Monson are so different from each other that it is so fun to get to know each of them.

When Dallin cries he sounds like a kitten. His cries are very quiet. He will cry really loud when I have to clean out his nose and when he gets a shot other then that he has only cried loud two other times that I can remember. One was when I slept through the 2:00 AM feeding. Both him and Monson woke up at 3:30 AM starving and crying at the top of their lungs! I could not blame them, Dallin had gone 4 hours without food and Monson had gone 4 1/2 hours without food. They had never gone that long without food. The second time Dallin woke up at 2:00 AM starving. With just one baby this would not be a problem, but Dallin gets fed at 2:30 AM and Monson gets fed at 2:00 AM. The kids are too small still to be fed at the same time so I had a decision to make. Do I hope that Monson keeps sleeping for 30 minutes so I can feed Dallin now or do I make him wait? If Monson did wake up it would be a problem because he wakes up the neighbors when he cries and it is very unusual for Monson to sleep through a feeding. I said a prayer and took a chance. I fed Dallin and Monson slept until 2:30AM. When Dallin eats he usually takes the whole 30 minutes and I have to wake him up for almost every feeding. When he is eating he sucks on the bottle for a minute and then starts looking around. I have to remind him constantly that it is time to eat. Sometimes he is sleeping while he is eating and I don't even know until something startles him awake and he jumps. Dallin also has very little interest in a pacifier. He didn't even want it when he was getting circumcised and they dipped it in sugar water!

When Monson cries he screams bloody murder. He loves his pacifier. When it falls out of his mouth he scream like he is dying. He always realizes he is ok before 10 minutes is up. Monson understands the feeding schedule, he is almost always up about 10 minutes before its time to eat. He eats so fast I don't think he even tastes his food. If I am not careful the minute the bottle is out of his mouth he will be asleep until I lie him down and the pacifier falls out of his mouth. Because Monson gets fed first, he usually is screaming while I am feeding Dallin. I have found that if I talk to Monson he will start to calm down.

I have always been told that motherhood is hard so I was expecting it to be challenging and it is. I have found that the most challenging thing is the lack of sleep. With twins sleep is almost non-existent. It is really hard to stay patient and loving on 4 hours of sleep a day. I am so excited for Dallin to get to 7 lbs so that I can stop waking the kids up in the middle of the night to eat. So far I have learned that being organized is essential in keeping life sane, having neighbors and family do dishes and fold my laundry is ok, babysitters are a must so we can leave, being sporadic doesn't work anymore, a quiet house is calming, two hours goes by really quick, having a phone that can have 8 alarms set for each feeding is priceless, the video monitor is worth every penny, switching from pumping to formula was a good decision, making bottles in bulk save time and it is like Christmas morning when you open the fridge at feeding time to find two just waiting and taking some time for myself is a must. There are a few things that are really frustrating like why don't the fitted crib sheet fit and why are not all diapers created equal?

Monson is on the left and Dallin is on the right.

Home

The boys have both been home for about 2 weeks now. They are both breathing, eating and sleeping well. Until they reach "full-term weight" we have to wake them up every three hours to eat. This means that after feeding two kids there is only about 1 1/2 hours left (if we are lucky) to get some sleep, eat etc before their next feeding. Their next appointment with the doctor is on Wednesday so our fingers are crossed that we can stop this crazy schedule.

My Mom was here the first week the kids were home. She was a huge help! Our freezer is full of ready made meals, our house got cleaned and Spencer and I even when out to dinner for my birthday. She did such a good job that I thought being a Mom would be a breeze...

This week has been very challenging. Spencer went back to work so I am doing 5 of the 8 feedings. With only 4 hours of continuous sleep I have not been myself. Spencer parents are also gone on vacation this week so into the fire we went. My visiting teacher came over on Thursday and did dishes and laundry. I am so grateful for a visiting teacher that gets the spirit of visiting teaching. Yesterday mid-morning I broke out in hives! As if we needed something else to deal with. The doctors says that hives are not caused by stress, apparently I am allergic to something. That something is still yet to be determined. Today Spencer and I are both rested and interested to see how week 3 turns out...

Dallin is in the green and Monson is in the blanket.

32 Weeks 4 days!

We have made it to 32 week and 4 days! After being in the hospital for 13 days we are grateful I am still pregnant, getting excellent care and the boys are doing good. We have a non-stress test two times a day to make sure the boys are still healthy. Unless there is some sign of a problem on these tests they will keep me pregnant as long as possible. We also have another ultra sound on Friday to see how the blood flow is doing from the umbilical, how much amniotic fluid is surrounding the kids and to look at their growth. This ultra sound will determine if we need to deliver or if I can stay pregnant for a little longer. We are so grateful for each day that I can stay pregnant because that means our kids will be in the NICU for less time. Thank you for all of your prayer on our families behalf. We have felt much peace at this time in our life.

Babies Update

Thursday became the first day of my new home. After my ultra sound on Thursday the doctor told me I needed to check into the hospital. He said that Baby B didn't have good blood flow from the umbilical cord and he was concerned that he might "kick the bucket".

After being at the hospital since Thursday afternoon here is the update. I am still pregnant! All three of us have been monitored for the last 4 days almost 24/7 and everyone is OK. Baby B's heart rate does drop a couple times a day but not consistently. So the doctor has decided that we are just going to be monitored 2 times a day to make sure everything is still going good. So until the boys decided to come the hospital will be my permanent home.

The grocery store

For the last couple of months the grocery store has become my "social meeting place". It seems like every time I run to the store to grab the essentials I run into someone who wants to talk. These people range from strangers, neighbors, and friends I have not seen in ages. Right before the new year I ran to the store to grab a couple of things and ran into my old friend Evelyn (who now lives back east and was visiting family for the holidays). After that meeting I told her I would update my blog as life has changed for the Daines family since the last post. So friends and family if you know Evelyn you can thank her for calling me to repentance for not blogging in so long.

For everyone that knows me I love deals! Spencer knows that if there is a sale (especially at the grocery store this is my dads doing) I have a hard time not buying mass amounts or something I really don't need. So for the last 7 1/2 months (30 weeks) the saying that has most frequented our home is that we are getting the 2 for 1 deal. The deal we are getting is about 6 weeks is twins! We are so grateful so the opportunity to have children and feel so blessed that we are getting the 2 for 1 deal.

I am due April 2nd but our goal due date is March 6th (this is the day they most likely will not have to spend weeks in the NICU). We are expecting 2 boy, no they are not identical. So far the pregnancy has been going well. The boys are both healthy and have passed all of their test to date. I have a great doctor and he is monitoring me and the kids closely which is a real comfort to Spencer and I. However, it can be really frustrating working with 2 doctors schedules (the ultra sound doctor and my regular OBGYN). The other bad thing is both clinics are at the hospital I will be delivering at. Because of this the hospital has become very familiar to us, which is not the place anyone want to be really familiar with. We have also been so grateful for the love and support our friends and family have given to us during this time. We will do a better job at updating the blog because as my good friend Evelyn reminded me there are friends who love us that want to know what is going on in our life.

The medical world keeps track of multiple by their position in the womb. For us that means until they come they will be refer to as baby A and baby B. These pictures are really old but these are the best pictures we have of the kids. It has been hard to get good pictures even though I get to see them every week because they are just getting to big or they are not turned the right way etc. The first one is baby B and the second one is baby A.

Here is a picture of me today at 30 weeks. I know I am huge so don't fall off of your chair...