Leach Chronicles: 6 weeks and I hit my full term date!

The babes are now 6 weeks old. It's amazing how time has gone by in those six weeks. 6/29/2013 was my original due date. I can't imagine having twins at full term. I know women do it, but to start the clock all over again with what we've learned in the last six weeks? No thanks. I appreciate what I have now.

They had a few milestones this week. Cora is starting to focus more on our faces. She reacts to voices a bit by turning her head when she hears someone familiar. Sutter is starting to smile in his sleep when he is dreaming. It's such a big smile that I look forward to seeing when he is awake. During his waking hours, when he's not grunting for food, we talk to him. He generally has a pensive look on his face, but does a good job of focusing on us. His most alert hours seem to be in the evening. I think he takes after his father in that way.

We have an activity mat that we put them on this week for tummy time. It has bright, contrasting colors with an underwater landscape. It has a mirror, music and lights up like a mini-party. Sutter seemed to enjoy the music. They are both transfixed by the colors. Tummy time is going well, too. They are both able to turn their heads from side-to-side, sometimes even pausing in the middle to put their head up and look around. We call this "turtling" and generally cheer with positive reinforcement when they've done this. It seems like they are both growing and we are proud of each milestone they reach.

Finally, we're feeding them about 95ML of breastmilk, fortified with Similac Neosure, which provides an extra 2 calories for their growth. Sometimes we have to feed them with only formula, but that has a lot to do with my supply and demand of the breastmilk. I would say that they are fed at least 90% of the time with breastmilk. I am proud that I can do that for the babes. I'm going to keep that up as long as I can. I am able to breastfeed them one or two times a day. For all other feeds, I pump - which is an every three hour job. It's worth it to me because of the healthy benefits for them.

As usual, I set the stage in the living room and began taking photos on Friday afternoon, 6/28. I put Cora and Sutter on their Newborn Boppy Lounger, which is the equivalent of an adult papasan. Anyone who has sat on a papasan knows that it's really built for one. Same goes for the Lounger, except when we're trying to take photos. You will see that they roll into each other. Cora took the time to suck on her brothers shoulder, too. He didn't seem to mind, as they do not really know that each other exists, yet. It's only a matter of time!