The Twins: One month old!

As of Sept 21, these two cuties are already one month old! Man, how time flies and yet goes so slowly all at the same time! Even though it’s been over a month with them in our lives, I still often look at them and declare with much amazement “I STILL can’t believe we have TWO children!!” I wonder if that awe will ever go away?!

Both babies have gained more than 2 pounds in the first month! At their one month appt, Abram was 8lbs 14oz and Madeline was 8lbs 7oz. It’s funny how they seem SO big to us, even though they are the size of many babies at birth!

Some thoughts from month one:

Most surprising thing? I was surprised to see how very different they look from each other. Someday I’ll get pictures of them both looking in the same direction with their eyes open, to show how really different they look! Abe has a much darker complexion, and Madeline has very light skin (to where sometimes I do a double-take because it looks like her skin is so white that there must be a problem!). Madeline is more petite and has a thinner face and head, whereas Abe’s head and face is very round. Abe has very plump lips and Madeline’s are more delicate (although in side-by-side photos of them below, Abe is sucking in his lips, something he does quite often!

Second most surprising thing? During the first three weeks, I was so surprised at how much energy I had. One of my biggest fears before they were born was how I would operate on such little sleep, so I was shocked at how energetic I was for those first few weeks. I believe that was supernatural energy :) However, it really caught up with me and I was feeling terribly exhausted during weeks 4 and 5!

Third most surprising thing? (ok, ok. I am realizing I could go on and on and on about surprising things…I suppose I could have written a whole post about that!) I’m surprised at how quickly my body healed from carrying and delivering twins. I was only in pain from delivery for a few days, and even that was nothing too awful. It was so fun to lose so much weight overnight, and overall, I’m pleasantly surprised at how my body has “bounced back” so far. Sure, I’ve had my moments of being discouraged about my jiggly tummy, my stretch marks, and not being able to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes, but then I have to remind myself all that my body went through carrying these two to term and be patient with myself. And, of course, that having a fit, lean body is not a priority right now!

Favorite Moment? Oh, so many! But my favorite moments include watching Grant as a daddy. My heart swelled within me when he played guitar and sang to them the other day! (pic on instagram – follow me for more twins pics) He also has such a magical touch when it comes to soothing little Madeline during the nights!Most difficult thing? For the past week and a half or so, Grant and I knew something just wasn’t right with our babies. I won’t go into all the many details, but to quickly sum it up, they have terrible tummy problems. They scream unconsolably during the daytime, especially the couple hours after they are fed. They arch their backs and make a choking sound while they eat. They push and grunt and are in obvious discomfort. So after many phone calls with our doctor’s nurse and all sorts of suggestions to try, things elevated to just awful yesterday. Both Abe and Maddie were screaming at the top of their lungs, and nothing I did would console them. We called the dr again and ended up going in to the after-hours clinic. We are so grateful for that doctor – she set in place a logical action plan that will help determine what their problem is. I have now cut all dairy out of my diet and the babies are being fed a special (and very expensive!) dairy-free formula (called PurAmino) for 2 weeks until all the dairy is out of my system. They were also put on two medications for acid reflux. It hasn’t quite been 24 hours yet, and they seem like different babies!! Today SO much better than yesterday, meaning they are normal, fussy babies rather than ones that scream inconsolably! We are so very excited to be able to enjoy our little ones again, rather than just “survive” each day. Praise God for this!!

Second most difficult thing? I will answer this one in a separate post :)

Most fulfilling moments? Being able to tandem feed these babies. I’ve had all sorts of breast feeding challenges (like Abe’s trouble latching, oversupply and forceful let-down, etc), but those handful of times when I was able to nurse both of them at the same time were unexplainably beautiful. Tears come to my eyes just thinking about it! Isn’t it amazing how God created a woman’s body to be able to nourish her children, and how babies innately know how to nurse?! Truly amazing. I am hopeful that I will be able to nurse them again in a couple weeks after dairy is out of my system!Best advice for those expecting twins? I will also dedicate a whole post to answer this one :) Not that I am an expert by any means, but there are things I wish I would’ve known!

Favorite activity with twins so far? Taking walks! I’ve loved taking them on morning walks, whether at the park or just around the neighborhood. These have been some of our most peaceful moments in the midst of their fussiness due to tummy pains. And, after being on bedrest and completely inactive since the beginning of June, taking walks feels incredible!!

What I’m most looking forward to? I can’t WAIT for them to be able to respond to us and each other! I can’t wait to hear their little laughs & coos, and overall be more responsive to us! OH and I’m also looking forward to getting more sleep…someday! :)
What I have decided? Insurance companies should totally cover the cost of live-in nannies for parents of twins…right?! For at least the first 6 weeks! :)

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tel 913-209-8842Kansas City
tel 913-209-8842Kansas City