Six Month Doctor Appointment

The twins had their six month doctor appointment last week! They haven't been since their four month appointment, so I was interested to see how much they've both grown in the last two months. I know Peytie certainly FEELS so much heavier, I was thinking 25 pounds or something.

I had lots of questions this visit, so it didn't go as fast as the last visit. One big difference this visit was that Peytie was actually happy throughout (except for when he got his shots, of course), and Lauryn was the fussy, crying one this time.

To make a long story short, Lauryn is doing just fine. She's a strong girl who is growing just as she's supposed to. There are some concerns, however, with Peyton. The big one for now is his head size. Not so much because of how big it is (Brayden's was almost the same size at six months, but he also wasn't born premature), but more because of the rate of growth. It's just growing too big, too fast. It could mean a lot of things, or it could mean nothing. I'm trying my hardest not to let my imagination run wild but, naturally, I consulted Google Doc and have driven myself wrought with worry.

Another concern for Peytie is the fact that he still has a little cough. STILL. I feel like he was born with this. Again, could mean something, could mean nothing.

Because of these issues, Peyton will have a head ultrasound on Wednesday, and an appointment with a pediatric ENT the following week. Any and all prayers/pixie duxt/good vibes/or whatever you believe in would be appreciated. My little guy can use all the help he can get (and momma too because I'm really, really sad and worried about it).

Overall we got through the appointment with only a few tears (babies, me, all around) and left the appointment ok. A family selfie was in order.

Their next pediatrician visit is at 9 months!

Lauryn Elizabeth

Weight: 17 lb 10 oz (75th percentile)  Gained 3 lb 3 oz since their four month appointment!

Height: 26.0" (51st percentile)

Head Circumference: 42.5 cm (56th percentile)

Peyton James

Weight: 19 lb 8 oz (82nd percentile) Gained 4 lbs 1 oz since their four month appointment!

Height: 26.0" (19th percentile)

Head Circumference: 45.8 cm (97th percentile)

The Twins are Six Months Old!

And just like that, it's their half birthday. These little nuggets (well, not so little anymore, I guess) have been with us for a half of a year already and they are now SIX months old!!!

Unfortunately, I had to work on their half birthday, so the pictures I took aren't the best. Early morning light is a little harsh. I was determined to get some pics of the day though.

These two are as different as can be. What she likes, he doesn't, and vice versa.

Lauryn is my active little wannabe gymnast. She is all over the place. Not crawling or anything, but if you put her down somewhere, it's almost guaranteed that she'll be in a few spot/position before long. She loves to "jump" when held in a standing position. Peytie is the complete opposite. Still not turning completely over (he can get halfway), he is content being wherever you put him. As long as he has toys. All of the toys!

They still are not eating any solid foods - doc wanted to hold off until after 6 months, so we'll likely start very soon. Peyton seems to want to eat every 2 and a half hours, so I'm pretty sure he's ready.

I have been reading to them more, still not as much as I'd like, but we've been reading a few books.

Lauryn 

This girl is too much! For one, I think she is gorgeous. Those eyes! Still blue, by the way. I hate to hope that they stay because I know I'll just be disappointed. It's just so weird that her eyes are blue and her hair is strawberry blonde. I mean, whose child is she?!?!?!

She is also SUPER active. She will hold on to your hands and bounce and bounce for the longest time. Don't expect this girl to stay in one place for too long. Her curious and adventurous spirit has her constantly looking for what's next. I love the wonder in her eyes when she's out of the house and discovering something new. And also the craziness in her wide eyes when she's not quite sure about something.

Feeding her can still be difficult. She's just not that interested in food. She would rather be doing something or exploring her surroundings than eat. She's still my skinny Minnie! She's mostly wearing 6-9 month clothes now, and 9 month jammies.

Nicknames: Laurie Lou, Pretty Girl, Princess, Princess Peach (new), Princess Peachie, Baby Grill, Finkie Twinkie Girl (a totally made up word my dad used when we were kids and we still use to this day)

Peyton

This boy is my life. I think that because of his rough start in life (that still continues today), my heart just bursts whenever I'm near this kid. I'll write about their 6 month doctor's appointment later this week and share some new, even scarier, concerns his doctor has, but I'm determined to keep this post light and full of awesome facts about these two cuties. When he is happy, I am elated. I love this chunker so, so much!

Peyton is HUGE. At just six months of age, he is wearing 12 month clothes. And you know those zip-up Carters footie jammies? He can't even wear 18 month ones because his arms are too chunky. Big, big boy.

Peytie is also an extremely lovable and affectionate little guy. He loves to stare at faces while touching you all over. It's like he's trying to rearrange your face. He cuddles, too, which is something Brayden never felt comfortable doing. I could seriously love on him all day.

Nicknames (lots of them): Peytie, Peytie Pie, Peyter, Tater Tot, Peytie P, Peyterater, Handsome Boy, Smiley Boy, Pitter Patter Peyter, Pitter Patter Peyterater, Bub, Bubba, Bubbawub, Bubbawubba, Bubbawoonies (our newest one - Brayden calls him this too)

Baby Milestones

Social and Emotional

Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger
Likes to play with others, especially parents
Responds to other people’s emotions and often seems happy
Likes to look at self in a mirror

Language/Communication

Responds to sounds by making sounds
Strings vowels together when babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”) and likes taking turns with parent while making sounds
Responds to own name
Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure
Begins to say consonant sounds (jabbering with “m,” “b”)

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

Looks around at things nearby
Brings things to mouth
Shows curiosity about things and tries to get things that are out of reach
Begins to pass things from one hand to the other

Movement/Physical Development

Rolls over in both directions (front to back, back to front)
Begins to sit without support
When standing, supports weight on legs and might bounce
Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawling backward before moving forward

Lauryn aces all of these, and Peytie does most too - except for the Movement/Physical Development milestones. He can't do any of those. If things don't improve by 7 months, I'll have to make the call to Early Intervention. Let's hope I don't have to.

The Twins are Five Months Old!

The twins are FIVE months old!!!

We were out of town when they turned 5-months-old, and we were having such a good time, too. They were AWESOME to have on our little mini vacay.

What can I say about these two? They are the loves of my life (well, now I have four of them) and my life has changed completely because of them. SO. MUCH. LOVE.

They still are not eating any solid foods - doc wants to hold off until after 6 months. Lauryn might be ready sooner, but at the rate he's going, Peytie will have to wait till 8 months or something!

One thing *I* wish I did more is read to them. We have lots of books, but I never think about it. I definitely want to read more with them before bedtime.

Another thing - it's kinda gross, but I want to remember this in the years to come - they are both learning how to poop better. Up until recently, every single time they had to poop they would SCREAM. It hurt them SO BAD. I asked their doctor about it, and she assured me that, while difficult to watch, it was actually quite normal for premature babies. Instead of relaxing when they had to poop, they would clench up instead, causing them pain. Their brain needs to tell their behind to relax. Thankfully they are outgrowing it and have learned how to let it go. Literally.

Lauryn 

My pretty girl! She is so lovely. My mom says she is really finkie twinkie, but I must be at work whenever she is. She always has the biggest smile on her face. She is also so curious. She turns on her belly all the time when we put her on her back, and loves looking around. She tries to pull her jungle gym down all the time too.

Feeding her can still be difficult, and it shows in her weight too. She feels loads lighter than Peytie. I did just start her on level 3 nipples on her bottles and she finishes her food so fast and is doing much better. I'm thinking she's probably been ready for them for awhile.

She is usually the first one up in the mornings too. 4am. FOUR in the morning!!! If I wasn't working I'd probably be a little ticked at that, but since I leave for work at 6:45am, it's nice to get to hang out for a bit before I go.

Lauryn is still wearing 3-6 month clothes, and sometimes even 9 month jammies. Now that she's eating more, though, she's gonna grow out of 6 month clothes soon.

Nicknames: Laurie Lou, Pretty Girl, Princess, Finkie Twinkie Girl (a totally made up word my dad used when we were kids and we still use to this day)

Peyton

Oh my heart, Peytie. He's had it pretty rough so far, but he is thriving. If you can believe it, he STILL has that croupy cough, but he is getting better. His voice isn't sounding so strained so he's doing a lot more baby talk. Through it all, though, he's been a pretty happy boy.

He is MUCH bigger than Lauryn now. MUCH. He feels so heavy next to her! He has outgrown size 6 month clothes a couple of weeks ago, and is filling out 9 month clothes nicely.

One thing I am worried about with Peytie is the fact that he still isn't rolling over. Lauryn has been doing it for FOUR weeks already! I can also tell that his strength is really lacking. I call him "Bobblehead" sometimes because he is still a little wobbly like a newborn. At 5 months old, I know that's not good. I mentioned it to the doctor last month and all she said was that we'll keep an eye on it. I see some OT in our future, unfortunately. Since birth, my little runt has been a fighter and has already come so far. I'm confident that he'll be just fine.

Nicknames (lots of them): Peytie, Peytie Pie, Peyter, Tater Tot, Peytie P, Peyterater, Handsome Boy, Smiley Boy, Pitter Patter Peyter, Pitter Patter Peyterater, Bub, Bubba, Bubbawub, Bubbawubba

Baby Milestones

I'm having a hard time locating milestones for 5 months old. Most websites jump to 6 month milestones so I'll just wait till then to see where they both stand. Let's hope Peytie gets a little bit stronger!

Weekly Recap #25

I honestly didn't think that work would have me as exhausted as it has, but when I get home hardly feel up to doing anything. Thanks to the 21 Day Fix program, I do work out every day though. I had planned to work out in the mornings before work, but I already get up between 4:00 and 4:30 am, so doing anything extra is just unrealistic. When I get home I work out, eat, and then hang out with the kids until bedtime. As you can imagine, housework has taken a backseat, and I just can't find it in me to care. Here's how my week went.

Monday

Monday was another tough day. Peyton's breathing issues have been more pronounced, and I was advised to take him to the ER...again.

Thankfully, he is still getting enough oxygen, but I was told that he has tracheomalacia (which he has had since birth because he was born early). The condition has been more pronounced lately because he also has bronchiolitis AND croup (STILL!).

All of this sounds way worse than it is. Tracheomalacia just means that he has underdeveloped trachial rings that he will eventually outgrow. The bronchiolitis starts like a common cold. It progresses to coughing, wheezing, and sometimes difficulty breathing. Symptoms may last for a week to a MONTH! He was prescribed a steroid and I pray he will soon be on the mend.

Tuesday

On Tuesday I was FINALLY able to pick up my car from the shop after the accident. She's now back in my garage where she belongs.

As you can see, Peyton still doesn't feel well. I haven't noticed any difference with taking the steroid.

He did discover himself in the bathroom mirror during bathtime though. So cute!

Lauryn loves talking up a storm. She's still not a fan of the black box I hold in front of her face to record though. She shies away when I hold the phone too close. But trust me, she has LOTS to say!


Wednesday

He looks like he's happy, but definitely still under the weather, :(

Thursday

Working out with my favorite workout partner.

He loves falling asleep like this.

Friday

Nice day for a photo shoot! Even after taking a photography class, I'm still using my cellphone to take pictures.

This is now one of my favorite pictures EVER!

Saturday

Saturday was a super busy day! I started my morning with a 5K run at the Fifth Third Bank Ballpark in Geneva. I hope to do a separate post on that experience.

Then is was off to my dad's COLLEGE GRADUATION!!! Getting there, there was a TON of traffic due to this:

Evidently, there was an Anime Conference that weekend near the place the graduation was held. So strange to see! And I was just really upset because I thought we would miss the graduation.

BUT...luckily we made it just in time.

All the grandkids that made it to the ceremony. 3 of mine were missing. :(

Sunday

Sunday was just another photoshoot day. And STILL without the nice camera. Filters courtesy of Instagram.

LOVE her blue eyes! Peytie's changed long ago. It's surprising how long hers have stayed blue. I'm not sure if my husband has anyone in his family with blue eyes, but I know my grandpa on my mom's side did. So there's still a chance they'll stay!

For the 4th week in a row - FOUR WEEKS! - I have maintained my diet and exercise schedule. I owe it all to the awesome program that 21 Day Fix is. Next week I'll be streaming different workouts on the Team Beachbody website to change it up a bit before the next challenge starts on June 6th. At this point, I can share that I have lost 10 POUNDS so far. Still aways to go, but I'm happy with my results. I haven't measured inches lost yet though. I'm just gonna keep on keepin' on!

Four Month Doctor Appointment

The twins had their four month doctor appointment two weeks ago! After Peyton's last appointment, and the car accident that followed, I have to say that I wasn't thrilled to return to the doctor's office. You gotta do what you gotta do, so we headed back to the office for their four month checkup.

This visit was super-quick. Doc came in and checked the babies. Lauryn, as usual was her happy self.

And Peyton, of course, was not.

Both babies were growing well. One surprise was Peyton's weight. For the first time, he weighs more than Lauryn does! Quite the chunker! He was still sick though and doc agreed that he is much weaker than Lauryn. Poor baby...I have such a soft spot for that boy. When the visit was over, it was selfie time before the babies got their shots. Overall, a very short visit.

Lauryn still has those baby blue eyes! I will miss them when they're gone.

Their next visit is at 6 months!

Lauryn Elizabeth

Weight: 14 lb 7 oz (54th percentile)  Gained 2 lb 12 oz since their two month appointment!

Height: 23.5" (11th percentile)

Head Circumference: 40 cm (30th percentile)

Peyton James

Weight: 15 lb 7 oz (47th percentile) Gained 4 lbs 5 oz since their two month appointment! Went from the 12th percentile to the 47th percentile since our last visit.

Height: 23.5" (2nd percentile)

Head Circumference: 42.5 cm (74th percentile)

Weekly Recap #24

Lots of great things this week, and I finished Week 2 of the 21 Day Fix! Just one more week and I will have finished a full round! I'll let you know how it was at the end of next week, but - short teaser - I am VERY pleased! Here's how the rest of the week was for the fam!

Monday

Monday was a GREAT day! After 9 years at my previous company, I started A NEW JOB!!! It felt really weird to drive to a new location in the morning, but I am very happy. Missed those babies though!

Tuesday

Wednesday

Wednesday I got a keratin treatment!!! I'm so excited. It's supposed to last 6 months and I'm really excited about that!

Thursday

Wednesday I made these mini meatloafs and they were DELISH!

Friday

With my workout buddy! Brayden has been working out with me every day after work. We both love it!

Saturday

Saturday was a SUPER fun day! Our town hosted an Open House at their public works facility. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was - by far - my favorite city event that we have attended. Indoor touch-a-truck, truck rides, goodies, lunch & snacks. All FREE! We had a blast!!!

We even hung out with our mayor!

Brayden helped make a street sign.

Taking a ride on the snow plow!

Lovin' their daddy!

Tummy time!

Sunday

Sunday morning I took a photography class to try and better understand my camera. It's going to take me lots of practice, but I'm gonna have to learn how to use this thing.

Just wanted to show a little more of what we go through when trying to feed Lauryn. This girl can't keep still!

We also attended a birthday party for one of Brayden's friends. It was at a local karate school and now Brayden can't stop talking about karate! He was given a free month pass so I think I'm gonna have to sign him up. SO. MUCH. FUN.

The Three Amigos, Cousins Edition!

Breaking a board!

Super cool goodies!

Met all three goals for the THIRD week in a row! The 21 Day Fix program is kickin' my butt, but is still awesome. Hoping I start dropping these pounds!

Weekly Goals:

• Goal #1: Log calories everyday this week. 
• Goal #2: Work out 3 times this week. 
• Goal #3: Drink at least 6 cups of water every day.