Summer Lovin'

Hi, we're cute

Camden

Oooh, what are those?!

Reality

My handsome Jack

Chillin' outside

hehe

Oh boy. Bugs. Earlier he brought me a snail.

Plans

The first 4 days of the boy's life were spent like this:

C-Section

Pumping every 3 hours

Boys using shields

Also nursing

Finger feeding

Switching back and forth between formula (hospital forced us) and breast milk

Then they were in the NICU

They had NG tubes for a bit

Then we were doing some bottles

Then I was tandem feeding them in the NICU with wires everywhere

Christian on oxygen and a flow of air

Then Camden came home

And I either took him with me to tandem feed at the hospital

Or I fed him and then ran to the hospital to nurse Christian

Or we bottle fed Christian and then ran home to nurse Camden

Then they were both home

I tandem fed every 2-3 hours around the clock

And also pumped several times

Dealing with Camden's reflux and excessive puking and him being tongue tied and still using a shield

Then we got rid of the shields

Then I started nursing them separately

(Does that exhaust you after reading it? I'm the one who did it, and just reading it exhausts me all over again!)

Which bring us to where we are now, 4 1/2 months in.

I will tell you that my biggest fear with twins was the breastfeeding thing.
I will tell you I wanted to give up every day. It was the most physically and emotionally exhausting thing I have ever done. And even without all their issues, it would have been difficult.

But I pressed on, and deep down I hoped to make it to a year.

But not all things go according to plan. And in my experience, my plan is a waste of time.

The boys started formula two days ago. I continue to pump what I can and breastfeed for any "middle of the night" feedings...but I worked with my lactation consultant and pediatrician, and even still...things were drying up. I am producing enough for one baby, but not two.

I will say this.

I am extremely proud of myself.
For making it this far with all we have dealt with.

And I am thankful there is something else to feed them.

I'm so glad I stuck with it.

That said...they don't like the formula. But who can blame them!? They aren't eating as much and they are puking a ton now. Sigh. I have no clue what to do about that.

 I have no idea how this is going to work into the budget, but we are praying and trusting.

Like I said, my plans are just plans and they usually don't work out.

But I can say, that I am oh so glad about that. Because I would have missed out on a lot of amazing things had my plans gone the way I ....well, planned ;)

I love my little boogers.

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord.
'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

Miscellany Monday

Miscellany Monday in Letter Form

P is for 'phooey' to the notion that breastfed babies don't get sick. My breastfed babies are still sick so phooey on that!

E is for exhausted, because that is what I am.

E is also for eat. And that is what Christian does with anything he can get his hands on, including his brother's arm...

B is for Bear, which is what I call Camden, which is short for Pooh Bear who is chubby.

What it's been like lately :)

C is for Cars 2, which we took Jack to on Saturday. His first experience in the movie theatre. He did amazing and he loved it!

A is for accidents. We have had no potty accidents!

Which leads in to

W is for Whoopie!

F is for feet, 6 adorable feet

And D is for done.

Link up with Carissa!

A Poll For You

Raising kids is tough work. It's never easy, but there are easier stages than others. I remember with Jack, once he started solids at 6 months and was sitting up, life became immensely better. And then at 8 months when he started crawling...ahh :) And then 10, 11 and 12 months...life was good. And really, since then...SO much easier!

I'm trying to keep that perspective with the twins. So tell me, what age did you feel like your load lightened a bit and things got "easier"?

There is a poll over on the right side of my blog, so go for it! :)

Happy Birthday Grandma!

It's my Grandma's Birthday today! She is my only Grandma. My Dad lost his Mom before he and my Mom were married, so sadly I never got to meet her.

But God blessed me something fierce with my Mom's Mom. Who we now call GG (for Great-Grandma)

GG with Jack when he was the twins age!

 

I have the very best memories with her.

Eating ice cream for dinner

Snapping green beans

Picking any flower I wanted from their vast garden

Spending several days with them during the summer

She was the town Librarian and I love to read....I was in heaven every time I visited I got to take as many books home to read as I wanted

Making chocolate chip cookies

Watching the birdies outside the window as she made Mickey pancakes and hot cocoa

Going to her little church with her and her letting me play with all the craft stuff

Playing dress up in her wedding gown

Eating apples from their orchard

Fresh pressed apple cider

Lazy summer days

Looking through her old pictures of her and her best girlfriends

Reading her journals

Just being together

My Grandma is an incredible woman. She is a God fearing woman and she has passed an incredible legacy of loving Jesus down through my Mom and on to me and now my kids. I am so thankful for her and I love her so much, she probably will never know how much I love her and treasure her.

I wished she lived closer. She is only 2 hours away, but sometimes it feels like she lives across the country.

She is amazing. And she is my most faithful blog reader :) I love you Grandma!!

One Year Ago Today....

I bought a pregnancy test.

I secretly took it while Trevor was at work.

It was too early...but I couldn't wait.

It was also 3:00 in the afternoon.

In 30 seconds it was positive.

And not just positive...but REALLY REALLY brightly positive.

I sat on the bathroom floor crying tears of joy.

Jack came in asking me if Mommy was okay, and I told him that Mommy was so happy!

I stuck the test in an envelope and loaded Jack in the car

I stopped and grabbed Trev a coffee and surprised him at work

I handed him the envelope

He cried

We cried

I kept saying, it was amazing how fast it turned and that late in the afternoon

And I was only 3 weeks 3 days pregnant.....

Little did I know.... :)

Help?

OK. I would like your tips and advice. I might not take them, but hey...who knows! ;)

No, really.

We have a cranky butt on our hands.
His name is Christian.

Let me give you a little run down.

Christian is a mover. At 3 1/2 months he started rolling from back to front. All the time.

At 4 months he began getting up on his knees and then scooting forward.

I have to watch where I put him because he scoots across the room!!!

He wants to be moving.

He won't stay on his back.

Okay, so the boys both get up in the morning around the same time, between 6:30-7:30am. They eat and then about hour later they are ready to go back to sleep.

They are still swaddled.

Camden is a champ. You put him in bed wide awake and he puts himself out in no time.

Christian on the other hand, has to be rocked to near sleep and then put in his crib. Still awake, but extremely drowsy.

And then almost on the dot, he wakes up after 30 minutes screaming. We try and get him back to sleep by sticking his pacifier in his mouth, which used to work most of the time and now does not. After trying that and letting him cry for awhile we get him up.

If he was waking up happy and content, no big deal. But the dude is soooo tired still!

So he's cranky, but he's not hungry because he recently ate, but he doesn't want to be held or put on the ground. He is tired.

All 3 boys are sick and so we've allowed for some things this past week that we haven't and won't once all are healthy. That being, after he has awakened after that 30 minutes we stick him in the swing, swaddled and he sleeps for a long time.

But I am not about to let that continue!!

That will only make more problems later.

Sigh.

So, my questions are...

What do we do?

Do we stop swaddling him and let him CIO?.... but the kid won't stay on his back. He flips over and then screams and then pukes and then his head gets tired and then his face falls in his puke and up his nose and in his eyes and the concern for SIDS is still there....

Now, Jack started flipping over and sleeping on his tummy around 8-9 months, but never this early. It scares me!

Or do we keep him swaddled and let him CIO while swaddled?

Or what?!

The problem then becomes, Camden wakes after a nice nap and ready to eat. They he plays for awhile and then goes back down for a nap 1-2 hours after he wakes up.

But Christian, having awoken so soon and before his body was really ready, now is so tired when it's time to eat that he's so angry and won't eat and wants to sleep. And then he wakes up early again because he's hungry because his timing is all off.

And this means the boys are on opposite schedules.

Now, I know there are Mom's out there that don't believe in schedules. But I do. Especially with twins and a near 3 year old. When they were on a schedule a month or so ago...things were soooo much easier. The past several weeks have been down right awful again.

I need them to be eating and sleeping at the same times.

I know with identical twins they say this happens usually easier than with fraternal twins because, well...they are half the same person basically!

So...fraternal twin Mom's, that got their babies on schedules...HELP!!!!!!!

Again, I am not planning on implementing anything until all in the house are free of sickness. But I want to have a game plan here.

Right now, Christian is the most angriest crier I have ever heard. He just gets down right mad and he doesn't let up for nothin'!

He's a grump.

It makes me grumpy!

So...shoot!

Email me :)

NOOK anyone?

So...I got a gift. A color NOOK. And I love love love it.

Love.

It.

I love reading.

Love.

It.

Okay, I'm done haha

Seriously though, this is perfect for me! Not that I have gobs of time to read right now, but I will again eventually. And I can use it one handed as well ;)

I read

Biographies

Autobiographies

History

World War II Books (love. it....sorry couldn't help it)

Grisham

Kingsbury

Francine Rivers

Thoene

Classics

Jane Austen

Poetry

Devotionals

I read almost anything. Except trashy romance and sci-fi stuff.

So, one of the coolest things about the NOOK is that you can "lend" books to other NOOK users. Not all books are lendable, but several of them are!

So, here is my question.

Are you a NOOK owner?
Let me know or send me an invite so we can share books!



Summer Sickies and Little Guzzlers

How in the world did we make it all the way through the winter and spring without getting sick?

 Now, summer is here and we have 3 sick kids.

 3.

Not fun at all.

Because of their age the doctor wanted to see them and make sure it wasn't turning into an ear infection or in their lungs. I love our pediatrician.

SO, I hauled the twins in to the office while my sweet husband stayed home with Jack.
So, they just have really nasty colds and we just need to keep an eye on them.

But the great news....weights! Exactly one week ago we saw her for a weight check in which both boys had slowed in their growth, but especially Christian. I know some of you commented on how your kids were slow growers, but he had slowed on his own chart, almost stalled out. (They of course are well below where a term baby would be and will eventually get caught up.)
So, we made the decision to try and start Christian on rice cereal and try and add in an extra nursing session in the day. She was THRILLED they were nearly sleeping through the night and thought it would be crazy to wake them to feed them. Did I mention I love my pediatrician? So, we were going to fit that feed in during the day.
Well, Christian was not ready to start cereal and the boys were both getting more and more frustrated while breastfeeding. The supplements weren't doing enough of a job. And I have decided not to take a prescription to increase my supply.
So, we made the decision to nurse for any night feedings they may have and nurse in the AM and PM and bottle feed breastmilk for all other feeds. I would use my frozen milk supply (dating back to when they were 4 days old!!) and then pump every 4 hours in the day and freeze that as well.
It became quite clear they were so hungry. They had not been getting what they needed directly from me. They have been eating and eating and eating and it has made me so happy!
I am now just nursing in the middle of the night if needed and doing all other feeds from the bottle. They are doing great. They are off schedule right now with colds and getting caught up on nutrition, but hopefully we can get back into a schedule once things even out.

I fought myself on this one. A total pride thing. Giving up the majority of breastfeeding sessions. But you know what? I was exhausted. Trying to eat/drink enough, get enough sleep, not stress, take care of a house and Jack and still be human to my husband. I was overwhelmed. I know some of you have done it, and that is amazing. But I had reached my limit. Once I made this decision, the hugest weight was lifted off my shoulders! I had more freedom because if someone was with me, they could help feed. And I wasn't tied to a chair all day. It will free up time for Jack and I as well.
I know my supply won't last long now since pumping isn't as efficient as breastfeeding, but I will go until it runs out and then we will switch to formula.

I am proud of myself. For making it this far...they are still only on breastmilk at 4 1/2 months.

 I nursed 2 babies in the NICU,

a baby who was tongue tied,

a baby with reflux.

It has not been easy, but I am glad I did it and I am proud of myself for making it this far!

So...that said, here is the weight update!

One week ago Camden was 11 lbs 11 oz

Today is he 12lbs 4oz!

 He went from gaining a half an ounce a day to an ounce a day!

And Christian (who we were most concerned about) weighed 10 lbs 13 oz

and today weighs 11 lbs 4 1/2oz!!

He is also gaining an ounce a day, where as before he was not even gaining a half an ounce!

They are eating 4-6oz every 3 hours!!

I am so happy and so proud of them and it just confirms to me that we made the right decision!

Thank you for all your encouragement! I know people are very opinionated about breastfeeding/bottles/formula etc. So if you choose to leave a comment, please be positive and not negative :)

Father's Day

I really have been incredibly blessed.

I have the best Dad in the world.

No really.

I have no issues with my Dad.

I never had any issues with my Dad.

He was the perfect example for what to look for in a man to marry.

And my sweetie is a lot like my Daddy.

I have the best husband in the world.

They put family first

They honor their wives

 And not just at home. But everyone knows how much my Dad loves my Mom and that he honors her. And the same goes with Trevor and I.

Everyone knows that my Dad and Mom still act like they just fell in love.

Same goes with Trevor and I.

I looked at my Dad and found a man just like him.

They work hard

They play hard

They are silly

They are who they are 100% of the time.

 Ask anyone and people will say that my Dad has integrity. He is the same at church, at home or at work.

Same goes with my sweetie.

They relish their roles as father's. 

My sister and I have our Dad wrapped around our little finger. We are his princesses.

We bat our eyes, and BAM....it's done ;)

Watching Trevor with his 3 son's is incredible.

He is an amazing father.



They love Jesus.

They lead their wives and families to follow Christ.

The sacrifice time and energy to spend with family.

They aren't perfect. But they are darn close.

Happy Father's Day to my Daddy and my Sweetie! Thank you for being incredible men!








The best men in my life!

All About My Dad By Jack

We do birthday's and holidays big around here. We do weeks or weekends of fun. So, we started off Father's Day weekend with a little gift to Trevor from Jack. It was called "All About My Dad". I asked him several questions and he answered. And it was on this cute little paper and we gave it to Trevor this morning. It was so darn cute I had to share.

So, without further ado..."All About My Dad" by Jack (2 months shy of 3 years old)

My Dad's Name is: he wouldn't give me an answer after I told him Jack Bowen was incorrect

He is  3 feet     inches tall

He is 3 years old

He weighs 2 pounds

His hair color is Brown (correct)

His eyes are White and Black

His favorite TV show is Mater

He likes to go in Daddy's car

His favorite food is pancakes

For fun he likes to go to the park

His favorite drink is soda

My favorite thing about my Dad is trees

Wild Things

I'll admit it. The thought of raising 3 boys today scares me.

Raising them to be leaders.

Men.

Who have integrity.

Who are hard working.

Honest.

Respectful.

Tough.

Who treat women well.

Godly.

Men have a tough task. And raising 3 little men, who will someday grow up to be big men and find a woman (if she meets all my criteria) to lead in Christ and be the head of a household and father children etc etc etc....it's kinda scary.

It's a darn good thing I pray. I don't know how people survive who don't pray.

I pray every day, along with my husband, that He will give us wisdom in raising these boys. To give us what we need to protect their hearts, but yet allow them to take risks and be boys.

Enter this book.

Wow.

It was recommended by a friend and I cannot speak highly enough about it.

I have learned so much!

I mean, come on...I'm a woman. I was a girl. I have no stinkin' clue about boys. I knew they were different from girls (duh) but I don't think I realized how incredibly different they are.

The way you treat, discipline, teach and nurture is completely different than how you would a girl. And I am so glad I read this book before Jack got older.

How do you discipline a little wild thing, without breaking his spirit? How do you teach him to be a man? Without letting him rule the roost?

This book has been an excellent tool for us and it walks you through each stage of a boy's life. From age 2 until he graduates and then some.

It talks to you about how they think, process, work, live, breathe....and how to handle each stage.

It's not a list of do's and don'ts...but a great tool.

Jack has a very tender heart. And he is cautious when it comes to some things. I used to think that maybe he'd be a quieter boy, maybe not quiet as crazy as other boys. Maybe one of those boys that was shy and quiet...haha I would be wrong!

 Now, he isn't a bully, nor is he super aggressive or out of control. But the kid is wild. He is all boy and I am loving it (as well as freaking out)

I think he thinks he is invincible. And that scares me  haha!

If you have boys, of any age. I could not recommend this book highly enough! You can get it on your Nook or on Barnes and Noble...really most places are carrying it right now.

But really....go buy it.

*This is not a paid advertisement, nor was I compensated with a book*

CD Release!

You all have heard me talk about my hubby and how busy he has been working on a CD project. Well, it is finished!

He, along with an awesome crew of musicians and vocalists from our Saturday Nite service recorded a live album and it's on sale now!

This link will let you hear samples of the songs as well as let you order one!

( My hubby is the Worship leader and the one singing)

For all local peeps, Evangel bookstore in the Mall will also be carrying them soon!

I am SO proud of my husband! :)

Rain Down

It's Time to Potty!!

*Warning. This post contains bathroom talk*

I honestly never thought this day would come. And if you would have asked me 10 days ago, I would have said, "This day will never come".

But here we are, today, and Jack is potty-trained!!!!!! I can hardly believe it! Let me give you a little back story.

Several months before the twins were due to arrive I tried to get him potty trained. I was not about to have 3 in diapers. He did okay for a few days, but then wanted nothing to do with it.
As February approached I got way too big to be bending over and helping him every 3 minutes to the potty, and I knew if he did "get it", he'd most likely regress once they arrived which is pretty normal.
So, I let it go.

Every few days I would ask him if he wanted to go, and it was always no. I started worrying about preschool starting in the fall and Disneyland in November. But, I didn't press him.

Well, a week ago today he was fighting me while I was trying to dress him (which is the norm these days) and I couldn't get his diaper on due to his flailing and kicking everywhere.

So I stood up and said, "Fine. No diaper. But if you go pee on my carpet, you get a time out because you know better."

He looked at me and said, "Okay, go potty in the toilet?" ............"Uh, okay!"

So he went. And not only did he go, but he went number 2!!! What?!?!?!?

So, I jumped on it. We grabbed some undies, and I gave him 2 M&M's, stuck a stick on a sheet of paper and told him not to go in his underwear and to ask me if he wanted to go.

No accidents that day.

I was worried that when he woke up the next day he would have lost interest, but he was all excited! We had only one accident all day. Not only that, but he has woken up dry from his nap 4 days in a row!! Isn't that supposed to take awhile?! And one morning he woke up dry from 10.5 hours of sleep!!
He goes both number 1 and number 2, coming in from outside to go as well!

Ain't nothin' cuter!

We use a pull-up if we are out, just in case but he has done really well with public bathrooms (although it's harder sitting up so high) But the rest of the time he is in big boy underwear!

I just can hardly believe it that in just a few days he was fully potty trained!! I'm so darn proud of him!!

So, here is my conclusion and tips for any of you out there who are nearing the potty training days.

1)Don't make them do it. They will do it when they are ready. And because you let them guide you, they are MORE than ready and do it full on!

2)Get a little potty that sits on the floor. Some of you may say, "well, I don't want to teach them this first and then do a big potty later". But this is so much easier for them and when they go number 2, they need leverage and you don't get that with a big potty and they might refuse to go number 2, and get stopped up. Not good.

Let them dictate to you when they are ready and it will be more stress free and more successful!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weight Gain Update :(

Sigh. Pretty discouraged today. We had the boys weighed yesterday. Camden weighs 11.4 lbs and Christian weighs 10.7 lbs.

For Camden is just gaining just a half ounce a day and Christian not even a half ounce, and he has only gained 5 ounces in the last month. :(

My LC asked if I thought my milk supply was low, to which I replied no. Christian seemed to be okay, just not nursing for long (but remember he downed 4oz from me in 9 min) and just skinny.

Camden had recently started getting really upset after only 3 minutes in, screaming and refusing to re-latch even though he seemed hungry. I thought it was his reflux.

But after seeing the lack of weight gain on the boys she thinks for sure my milk supply has dwindled for whatever reason, and that the fat content in my milk is low.

So....I am taking several herbs and adding in foods known to promote good milk supply. The problem is, it takes a few days for it to kick in. And the pediatrican wants to see them on Tuesday which doesn't give me much time.

So, the LC is having me bottle feed my frozen breast milk and then pump, and even pump through the night (even though they haven't been waking in the middle of the night) to try and kick my supply back up. These little guys are hungry.

The only problem...the hate the bottle. So not only are they refusing me, they are refusing the bottle and I am so stressed about the whole thing.

Everyone keeps saying, "Don't stress or worry, that affects your milk supply" Well what the heck else am I supposed to do!?

At 3 months things were great, and I haven't changed a darn thing. How can I go from totally positive thinking we'd make it to my ultimate goal of 1 year....to totally deflated wondering if we are going to make it another week.

Sorry for the bummer post.

Christian

Camden, Christian

Camden

4 Months!!

4 Months, say what?!

First of all, for those of you who aren't family or close friends, I understand these little monthly updates about the little things the boys do can be boring. Sorry about that. Skip to the pics or skip the post. It's okay. :)

Ok, let's start again.

4 Months, say what?!

Okay, I admit...the first 3 months went by soooooo slowwwwwww. And now things are picking up! Let's give ya a run down on the littlest men!

Camden

aka Mr. Smiley Pants

aka Mr. Smiles Really Easy
aka Mr. Still Pukes a Lot or Sir Pukes a Lot

aka Mr. Gorgeous Big Blues

Okay, so this kid gets me. He has this way of looking at you, and raising his little eyebrows and his eyes are now more almond shaped and less just big and huge and round...and boy do they suck you in. And they are super blue. Kind of like the color of denim my friend Jenna said. She nailed it.

He smiles super easy and engages with you so much.

He's our chunker right now. He's starting to get a big snug in the 0-3 month clothes. He has little rolls on his legs, which I have never seen on a child of mine before and I love it. I want to nibble them.

Granted, he still is barely on the growth chart, but to us he is huge! And he does have quite a bit of hair. It's just so darn blonde you can hardly see it!

Camden is a fantastic sleeper. He goes down easy and sleeps through anything. He sleeps and sleeps. He is still waking once in the night for a feed, around 3:00am, but I don't mind it. He goes right back down until about 7:00am and then an hour later goes down for a long nap (until about 10:00am)

He is starting to reach out on purpose and grab/bat at his toys hanging in front of him. He is still exclusively breastfed which means that I am nursing the twins longer than I was able to nurse Jack. Yippee!! Good job Mommy :)

Camden does not know he is 1 of 3 kids. He wants to be held all the time these days. And cries when he isn't. He'll learn I suppose....

If you sit him in your lap with his feet on the ground he will push off and rock back and forth pushing the ground with his feet. So fun!

Trev and I agree that due to his eyes, he is starting to look more like Mommy these days. :)

Christian:

aka Mr. GQ Cover Boy

aka Mr. I will Nap when I want to Nap
aka Mr. Chatterbox

aka Mr. Sometimes I puke more than Camden just to throw you off

Ah...my olive skinned beautiful boy. Anyone else notice that this kid has perfect eyebrows?! Seriously, he's just gorgeous. And he is a talker! He will chat and chat and chat with you. And smile and he kind of pulls in his lips when he has a big grin and he looks like such a cheeseball! But when the camera comes out...he gets all serious, like he's totally workin' it. It's so funny!

He hates the carseat which we so wonderfully found out while on our trip.

He also is a light sleeper and he doesn't take long naps. He consistently gets up before his brother, which isn't too fun since I'm trying my hardest to keep them on the same schedule. He's kind of got this attitude of, "I will sleep and eat when I want to and not a moment before...but if you wait to long I will be so upset and inconsolable that you will have great difficulty doing either". Oh he keeps me on my toes!

He started rolling over from back to front last week! Both boys have rolled over from tummy to back from the early days, but this is a whole new ballgame! And he kind of scoots on his back, so I leave him in one spot and just a few minutes later he's totally in another spot!!

He loves to look at himself in the mirror (you're so vain, you're so vain)

He is skinny. Most of the 0-3 clothes are a big baggy in the waist/chest area. Although he is quite long so the length is perfect.

And to make up for his lack of long naps...he has begun occasionally sleeping through the night! From about 8:00pm to 6:00am! YES! I will gladly welcome that, thank you very much! And although his brother is still getting up once, it does make for a shorter time that I am up in the night!

I am excited for the next few months which will include starting solids around 6 months, sitting up, getting up and rocking on all fours...all the things I remember Jack doing around this age. And also teething :/ Hoping we luck out and it isn't so bad. Jack didn't have tons of trouble.

We are going in for a weight check today, so I will let you know later what the status is on that! :)

Anyways...that is the update on the little boys! My heart grows more and more each day and I'm looking forward to the next month!

Breastfeeding Answers!

So, I went to see the lactation consultant today. Thankfully the boys behaved as they normally do for her, so she got to see first hand. The pulling off after 7-9 minutes and not wanting to re-latch.

Well, guess what.....

My boys are ridiculously efficient. Christian ate for 9 minutes and took in nearly 4oz. Camden ate in 7 minutes and took in nearly 3.5oz. Wow. The LC was amazed. No wonder they don't want to latch back on, they are getting their fill!!

Also, I learned something new today. I asked about pumped breast milk. She said that babies remove milk differently and more efficiently than the pump. The longer the baby sucks, the more fatty your milk becomes. When you pump, it all ends up in a bottle dispersed throughout. So babies who get breast milk from the bottle are having to eat more just to get enough fat, where as babies who feed at the breast get it in less time and less amount. Hence why when we give Camden a bottle every now and then, he eats more like 5 oz.
Made me feel so much better knowing that this is the amount they should be eating at this age and that they aren't struggling, they are just doing AMAZING!! :)

So, Camden weighs 10lbs 8oz and Christian weights 10lbs 2oz :) Amazing that with all that puke Camden is gaining more!!

Ahh...I feel so much better :)

Bed Bug Bumpers

You might have read in my vacation post about bringing Jack's "bed bumpers" with us on vacation. I did a post on my old blog about them, and since we are still LOVING them so much...I thought I would send you over there to read about them. If you have kiddos that are in "big kid" beds now, this is the only way to go as far as a safety measure for keeping them in bed. SO much safer than the standard rail that is hard and metal and looks industrial and has a space between the bed and it where kids can get trapped. SO....head on over to my post and let me know if you have questions!

Bed Bug Bumpers!

This is not a paid advertisement. I just love their product. :)

Good Stuff.

While I was away....

So, while I was gone I was featured on the totally awesome site Multiples and More!
Although I'm bummed I couldn't highlight it the day it was published, I can now send you there for a little looky ;0)

Multiples and More, Featured Blogger

Vacation....with 3 kids under 3

We survived.

We are still alive.

Nobody got injured.

Or sold.

Or given away for free in a cardboard box.

Outside a grocery store.

Not gonna say it didn't cross my mind. Just joking. Sort of. Maybe. Nah.

(this is a long post. sorry about that.)

 

We headed to beautiful Eaglecrest for our vacation, thanks to a sweet couple in our church who donated a week in their timeshare to us! It was a much needed getaway. My sweet husband has been ridiculously busy with the upcoming release of our Saturday night band's first CD in just a few short weeks. He was working even longer hours than he usually does (one day he didn't get home until after 2am) and the stress of getting everything edited and finalized while being a Daddy to 3 babies and hubby to me.....well, it just was needed!

It's usually about a 3 1/2 hour drive east and it's gorgeous.

So...5 1/2 hours in the car with two 3 month olds who are breastfeeding and an almost 3 year old who can't sit still...whew. That was tough. And so were the first two days of vacation. What were we thinking? Why are we here?!

But then....we settled in. Ah. It was still crazy, but it was our new normal so it was nice. The boys (all 3) adjusted amazingly well to the new sleeping arrangements and although we stayed at the condo for more time than we had originally planned, it was so nice for a change of pace and scenery. We did venture out for some walks, and a trip to the outlet stores. And we learned a lot....

While we were there we celebrated 8 years of wedded bliss! I love my man and I am IN LOVE with my man more than ever!

May 31st, 2003
In a 1936 Packard :)

 

First of all, my husband is a MASTER packer. We have a Honda Pilot which seats 8 with no car-seats. Right now, the twins are next to each other right behind the driver and then Jack is in the very back on the right side with the other seats folded down to fit the stroller....which leaves like no room. So, we cannot fit anyone else in our car right now. We borrowed a roof rack and hard carrier from some friends. This is what we brought:

2 Pack N Plays

2 Bouncers

4 Duffel Bags

1 Diaper Bag

4 Bags of Diapers

3 Wipes Containers

2 Monitors

Jack's bed bumper rails

2 Blankets

1 Umbrella Stroller

1 Double Stroller

1 Box of toys

oh yeah....and all of us :)

Oh yeah!

Notes that were taken from the trip:

1. Jack is a Daddy's boy. He wants to be right next to him at all times.

2. Christian hates the car. Hates. And he makes it clear.

3. It was the first real time I realized....we are a spectacle. See number 4.

4. Common scene: Camden in front pack, Christian in stroller screaming. Jack in stroller screaming and throwing things (it was his naptime) people in Carter's outlet....smiling with that "I'm so sorry, I'm glad it's not me" smile.

Or....every time we looked up people were staring at us like we were a circus act.

5. Jack likes to scream. He sees the babies scream and get attention, so now he screams. Even though I told him screaming is only for when we ride roller-coasters. Now he screams. And after several times of being told it's not okay, and an occasional time-out when warranted....he says, "just like on a roller-coaster Mommy". Sigh.

6. Christian is a light sleeper. In one day he was awakened by Jack (see above for reason) and by the dishwasher door falling off. Poor kid. He takes after Mommy.

7. We are outnumbered. They know it. I know they do. How glad am I that on our next vacation we will outnumber them! HA!

8. My husband and I need more dates. Alone.

9. No amount of stress, crying, puking, screaming, throwing, whining or tiredness could make me trade this for the world. I love love love my life.

 :)

And now for some pics....

Our gorgeous view

I Love Oregon

Christian and Camden chillin by the fire

Jack got to see a couple deer up close and personal. Someday he might be hunting Bambi...but right now, he's just cool to look at. Hey, after all...we are Oregonians!

On a walk. Look at that mountain in the back! Have I mentioned I love Oregon?!

Flowers for Mommy



Bath Time



Such a ham...



He grew up in a blink of an eye...

Mr. Smiley Pants

He is the chatterbox and smiles all the time...until the camera comes out :)





Buddies...growing so fast now!

Ice Cream at Goody's!

His face cracks me up!