12 weeks old

Sutter and Cora were 12 weeks old on Friday, August 9. We celebrated by taking photos, getting out the blocks to acknowledge their age, and having them endure a little extended tummy time. At 12 weeks old, they are becoming more alert of their surroundings. I've noticed that when I walk in the room and start talking they will turn their heads towards me in recognition of my voice. Cora has begun smiling back at us, and we've even heard her laughing in her sleep. Sutter is trying to talk to us. His arms go straight by his side as he focuses on us. Then he begins to talk. His bottom lip may quiver a bit and he lets out a few grunts and a smirk or two. It's great to see their progress as they engage us. We feel that they are hitting their milestones for being 12 weeks old. But most of all, it feels so good to have them recognize us.

Cora & Sutter are 12 weeks old today.

Sutter often smiles at objects that are interesting - corner of the room, the contrasting artwork on the wall, and the blinds that cover the front window. Actually, both kids like those things.

Sutter puts his arms straight down getting ready to talk. 

Tiny feet

At 12 weeks old, his hands are as big as half of my pointer finger. 

It's not always the best time to take photos, Mom. 

Oh, wait...you mean you want to take pictures of me? OK!

Cora, still loving to smile all the time, moves her arms involuntarily. It often looks like she is raising her hand to ask a question. I have a voice that I use to say, "excuse me, I have a question..." and proceed to address what I think would be on her mind. It's all part of my non-stop chatter at the kids.

Round 2 of photos, post-nap and afternoon snack, Sutter and Cora were talking to me during this shoot.

Sometimes I get the crazy looks from the kids, perhaps with my incessant talking. 

12 week tummy time, except Cora who was laying on her back that moment.

My phone is in the foreground. It's playing the Lullabytes app, which has 12 classical pieces for kids. There is a timer on it, that allows you to keep track of how long it takes for the babies to fall asleep. I'm not convinced that my kids are able to fall asleep to music, yet, but they do enjoy it. You'll also notice that Sutter is attempting to roll over onto Cora. His gaze is fixed on the artwork in the room that is both of their favorite thing to look at. 

10 weeks old

The babes have grown a bit more. They are out of their newborn diapers. They are in size 1. They are also in 3 month sized clothes. When you hold them, you can feel how strong they are getting. They will kick your stomach with their feet and try to stand up. They also like to hold their head up as long as possible, before it rolls down into your shoulder. They are both quite the talkers during tummy time. With a combination of gee's, goo's, and huh-huh-huh (which sounds almost like a laugh).

Sutter

Cora...just a lil' spit up.

Avery's visit

Avery came to town to meet her cousins for the first time in person. Prior to her visit, we would Skype with Avery every couple of days. On Skype, Avery would watch us feed, burp and play with the babes. We would talk about what she wanted to do with them when she finally got to meet them. The babes heard her voice, so they were familiar with her when she arrived.

The moment that Avery walked into the house, she immediately washed her hands in the kitchen sink, without being asked. Within moments, she was holding Cora in her arms. She was able to spend the next few days with the babes. She learned how to feed them, burp them, change their clothes, change their diapers, put them to sleep and give them a bath. The fun part of playing with them during tummy time was a bonus.

It was really fun to have her here. Come back soon!

Where does the time go?

Yes...where does the time go? I'm talking about my time. We had a pretty good schedule working there for a bit. They were up in the morning for a feed and promptly went down for a nap. At that time, I can sneak in a few extra winks, have two cups of coffee and eat a little breakfast. Before the next feed, I would pump and get ready for them. With each subsequent feed throughout the day, I was able to get them to go down just after a bit of awake time. However, these last few days have become more unpredictable which means less me time. Perhaps the other mother's reading this would laugh at the expectation of me time, but I treasure it.

During me time, I usually order groceries online, perhaps order dinner to be delivered if we don't have leftovers, take a shower, answer emails, make calls to find a nanny, and start a load of laundry (to be finished 8 hours later). These moments happen in the morning, as the afternoons are slipping away these days. I realize now why people were suggesting to get a nanny or some help sooner rather than later.

Enough with the whoa is me. I love that I'm a mom and I get to experience each of these milestones, even if they make me a little crazy at times. Here is a belated set of photos from the last two weeks.

The babes are growing about a pound a week. You can really see it in their cheeks. Again, please excuse the lack of editing. I'm just psyched to be able to share some photos with you.

Highlights include: Sutter's first sneak peak at his smile. Cora's ability to smile almost all the time, and it really looks like she is smiling at you. Cora is eating nearly 105ML and Sutter is eating 110ML (which is nearly four ounces each). Tummy time is coming along really well, partially due to the cuckoo crazy hours between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. each night. During those hours, the babes are fussy and sometimes nothing will get them to calm down. They both seem to hold their heads up for longer periods of time, possibly in anger, frustration, or over-stimulation. The result is that they are getting stronger. Finally, they are both out of their newborn outfits. They are officially wearing 3 month outfits now.

It's a smile. We have seen them while he sleeps, but they're starting to make their way to awake hours. Apologies for the blurry photo. 

The only song that I know all the words to is "Take me out to the ballgame." It's their lullaby right now. And yes, we are "root, root, rootin' for the GI--ANTS"

Cora during tummy time, looking straight ahead at the carpet.

Sutter attempting to get his head up off the ground. 

We have lift off!

See Mom...I am strong!

Just after a feed, Cora is happy to be wearing her party girl clothes. 

Happy baby

Well, her eyes are a little crossed in this photo. That is normal for this age. She is happy!

Cora...10 weeks old.

Sutter 10 weeks old.

Please let me take a nap, Mom.

We took our baby Bjorn's out for a walk! We've been waiting for this day.

2 months old!

The babes had their two month check up on Wednesday. They are continuing to gain weight and grow as they're supposed to for a 2 month old baby.

Cora weighs 9 lbs, 6 oz and measures 21.5 in. She has gained nearly 5 lbs since birth.

Sutter weighs 10 lbs, 7 oz and measures 22.5 in. He has gained 5.5 lbs since birth.

Cora is cooing during her awake time. She is smiling more. As much as I would like to think she is smiling at me, I think it might still be a reflex. But I'll take it. She has rolled over from her stomach to her back - twice in one tummy time session. Her cousin Avery and Granny were there to see it.  Her neck muscles are getting stronger. She can nearly hold her head up at a 90 degree angle for at least 10 seconds at a time. Cora is also more fussy now in the early evening. We're working on understanding what we can do about that now. She feels like a feather in weight compared to her brother. When she cries out it sounds like "gheeeeee." We often call her kitty cat or ghee as a nickname.

Sutter is able to focus better this week. His eyes were mostly darting around the room for a bit, but he has tuned his vision into voices and music. While he once was our most fussy baby, he is now pretty calm. I believe his digestive tract has matured. He has a more manly cooing, which is a combo of grunting and a bass-like coo. When he cries out, it starts off with a few grunts. When he finally cries, it sounds like a billy goat "whaa."He has flipped over from his stomach to his back a few times now. During tummy time, he is getting stronger and is able to hold his head up at a 90 degree angle for a few seconds at a time. His legs are also becoming stiffer such that he can stand up for a second or two when we hold him on our stomachs.  While he is only a pound heavier than Cora, he is meatier.  Frank & I call him chunk-a-monk. He is definitely all-boy!

Here is a random assortment of unedited photos from the last week.

tandem feeds sometimes call for tandem cuddles.

Post BF, on the night of the two month shots, they passed out together. They were breathing in tandem, too.

I'm learning to smile!

I was born smiling. Smiling is my favorite.

ah- gooooooo

This post was brought to you by a full night of sleep and a strong cup of coffee.
xo

Cry it out - not just for the babes

When I heard that to sleep train an infant you need to let them cry it out, I thought that it would just be something easy to do. But after a very long day of sleeping, eating, burping, repeat, having them cry it out in the early evening is tough to do. I found myself crying as much as they are. Maybe that's what it is all about?

We are on the plan to let them cry it out for 10 minutes, to begin the process of self-soothing. It works most of the time, but not all of the time. I find that it will work for Sutter, but Cora requires some holding and rocking to get her to calm down. Our goal is to develop these habits now, as a family, so that when we're training for longer periods of sleep in the future that it will be easier.

I just wish it was easier right now. In the meantime, I'm going to cry it out on my own.

While that is only a small portion of my day, I am finding time to develop a routine with them. At the second feeding of the day, we spend time listening to music and playing on the mat. I noticed that Sutter responds to the music. His eyes and head turns towards the lullabies playing on my iPhone app.  During the time on the mat, I find that they both are cooing and flailing their little arms around. Sometimes Sutter's fingers wind up in Cora's mouth. She likes anything that lands near her mouth, so that is fun to watch. They are both getting much stronger with their necks, as they turn their heads from side-to-side on the mats when they are on their tummies. It's great to watch them develop.

We are two days from their two month birthday. Here are some random highlights from the last few days.