the three month hurdle

WE MADE IT!  WE SURVIVED!...so far.  haha!

well here they are- the princess and the chunk.  3 months old today.  wow.

    Ammon-  "Does this shirt make me look fat?"
    Nev- "it's not the shirt,  you are fat."
    A- "Good.  that's what I was going for- Bodyguard, Fullback, sumo wrestler...something like that."
    N- "well, you nailed it.  All 3."

Another photo that displays why everyone thinks we have 2 sets of twins.  It really looks that way. 

Today, Nev and I took a quick trip to the doctor's office because I thought she had an eye infection.  Wrong.  Just a clogged tear duct that we need to do some massaging on.  Anyway, she weighed in at 10 lbs, 13 oz.  If she's ten, Ammon has got to be 15 or more.  We'll weigh him tomorrow. 

Now back to the topic at hand.  3 months.  They have both successfully slept through the night.  They are smiling and love to coo and carry on conversation.  Both have transitioned to a new and larger wardrobe. 

Ammon has been switched to formula.  The last few weeks we have had to supplement him a bit because with both of them eating more at each feeding, especially him, I was coming up short in the milk department. After a lot of thinking I made the executive decision to switch him to full time formula at 3 months and keep nursing Nev full time.  I can certainly keep up with one plus she doesn't like formula.  No matter how warm it is.  Plus Ammon is a chomper!  And he doesn't even have teeth yet.  ugh.  Yup, bottle time it is for him. 

This morning at the peds office, our dr said how impressed he was that I had nursed them this long and that he was really happy with their weight.  Most mothers of twins don't even try because it is so much hard work and tons of effort.  I kind of blew it off, the same way I did last week when my mom said the same thing.  Why is it that it is so hard for us women, especially mothers, to give ourselves credit?!  So after thinking about it all day, I have decided that I am going to give myself a pat on the back for nursing them exclusively for their first 3 months.  They have more than doubled their birth weight.  All from breast milk.  That's me eating right and very often, drinking tons of water, being diligent on my vitamins, sitting down and feeding them every few hours around the clock for 3 months straight.  That's a sacrifice and I'm giving myself a gold star. 

Today

Today was a really, really, really, really, really long day. 

Ya know how life is a test?....Ever feel like you are failing miserably?  Yeah, that was today. 

But at least I got this picture today. 

And a Smilin' Boy Too!

Finally got a good clip of Ammon...

photo of the Day

Happy Boxing Day to my Cdn friends and family. 

Christmas Recap 2011

We had a great Christmas, just the 6 of us.  My neighbor asked me earlier last week if we were going to Canada for the holidays.  I laughed then almost barfed in my mouth.  The thought of this crew on an airplane ride?  Kill me now.  How hellish would that be?!  Um no.  We statyed home and it was nice.  We had ham and scalloped potatoes, buns, cran-raspberry punch, cranbrosia salads and glazed carrots for our Christmas Eve dinner then just did snacks and leftovers Christmas day.  Everyone stayed in PJs all Sunday and I got to skype with my whole family to talk to my brother who is serving a mission in the Dominican Republic.  It was a great day, the boys are more than happy with their new things and I am ready to pack up the tree and move on into a new year. 


Santa was here!



He ate his snack- Dace requested chocolate milk and shortbread for him, then he left a thank you note! 

Zade almost had more fun with the garbage bag of wrapping paper than with his actual toys. 

Checking out all the goodies in the Thomas gift bucket from Grampa.  It was a bit of a hit.  Thanks Grampa!!!

Lots of puzzles!

The twins got new snugglies and they are so soft.  Both babies are loving them. 

The one thing Dace really, really wanted was a train from Santa that went around the tree, just like on The Polar Express.  Wish granted!  Here's a little clip for Grampa to check it out.  It makes noise, has a front light and puffs smoke. 

Touchdown!

The twins slept through the night!
The twins slept through the night!
The twins slept through the night!!!!

Ammon slept 9pm to 7am
Nev slept 9pm to 730am


Zade woke up bawling at 530.  Dallin went and rescued him and tucked him in between us. 

"Have you fed any babies yet?" He asked

"No.  What time is it?"

"5:30"

"....huh......Are they both still breathing?"

"yup"

"...huh....."

I then was awake just waiting for someone to wake up and eat.  I fell asleep and was in the middle of a weird dream when Dallin brought Ammon in at 7.  Shortly after he was finished, Nevea made her wake up call.  Is this the end of an era?  Will they sleep through from now on?  Will I never nurse at night again? Stay tuned.....

Christmas Eve happenings

Christmas Eve

I talked with my mom and dad today and they are missing these grandbabies something terrible!  Usually I wouldn't blog until a couple days after Christmas, but as a little gift to them, I will post some pics and clips of what our day was like.  lots of fun and lots of crazy!!!  Tomorrow morning is going to be a blast!

Little Miss is excited for her first Christmas!

She listened intently to grampa on speaker and he lulled her to sleep.  She misses him putting her to sleep in person. 

Ammon keeping snug and cozy in his fleece hoodie.

Christmas eve presents- the traditional PJs!

Dace was so excited to finally open a present. 

Little St. Nick. 

Christmas PJs.  I asked the boys to stand by the tree for a pic and they took it quite literally.  They were plastered up against that wall.  It was funny. 

Our first Christmas!

Everyone in new PJs.  See Dace's face?  That pretty much explains his level of excitement all day long.  It's so great!

Christmas Kickoff

We are into Christmas celebrations here at our house.  Dace has been counting down days and sleeps til Santa comes all week.  He is so excited, it is so adorable.  Christmas morning is going to be so fun, Dallin and I are so excited to see the boys reactions, especially Dace.  If he only knew how awesome its going to be! 

Anyway, we went for annual light tour tonight to Dove Street and were sadly disappointed.  It was maybe 1/4 the size it was originally.  Even Dace noticed the difference.  Usually the street is hopping with people walking and driving, cars bumber to bumper.  But tonight it was actually quiet.  So sad!  We drove through the fire hall display on the way and it was massive, bigger than ever.  We noticed that they were taking donations that Dove Street usually does so maybe that is the new IT spot.  But we still have a good time.  Two double strollers, sippy cups with hot chocolates and everybody's snuggly blankets.  We had a nice walk in the balmy 71degree evening air. 

so the clementines are being peeled, I whipped up the chips and dip tonight, a Racicot family holiday staple.  I prefer more dip to chip but that is just me.  Dallin and I munched on that with a little cran-raspberry cocktail while watching netflix after the kids went to bed.  Which didn't take too long.  Dace fell asleep in the van despite two screaming babies.  Zade made his way upstairs before zonking out in about 2.2 seconds.  Nev nursed and crashed, Ammon chugged a 4oz bottle the turfed it.  All by 830. 

The twins are down to one feeding a night.  Merry Christmas to me!

The presents are wrapped.  groceries are bought.  Tomorrow I'll be dipping turtles.  Kids are excited.  Dallin is taking some time away from the office and the weather is great.  I wish it would cool  off a bit to be more chirstmasy but we are definitely taking advantage of the nice temps.  We are in for some good family time over the next few days to soak it all in.  Have a wonderful Christmas and we will see you after the holiday. 

Zade being cheesy and Dace loving that he can watch movies in the van.  He loves his van...and his remote.  Hot chocolate is his new favorite drink, thanks to Polar Express. 

So fun to go out in pjs!

The gang's all here!  No we don't have 2 sets of twins.  it just looks that way and everybody thinks it. 

Ammon enjoyed the lights.  Nev spent most of the time being ticked that no one was holding her. 

When the camera comes out, Zade insists on posing for his own shot.  Love this kid!

Dallin propped her up here to fix the tv and she fell asleep siting up.  She was really tired because she was only there for about 15 seconds before dozing off.

Dace's new hiding spot.  He burrows in there when he needs a quiet moment.  Maybe I should see if I  can fit. 

Just Hangin' Around

The Tradition Continues!

Smilin' Girl

I am so in love!  That's it.  I am so in love with this sweetie.

Baby boy takes the Lead

Ammon is currently in first place in the best sleeper race.  Tuesday night he did the first 8 hour stretch, 1230-830am. 

BUT-

Nevea does like to sleep in til 1030 or 11.  She is her mama's daughter. 

who will be the first to sleep through the night?  stay tuned....

pics from the last week

starting to look similar.

Maybe she has some Dean in her after all!

Chunker Elf.

Popcorn time!

When Zade naps, Dace plays games on his 'puter.  He will stand here for hours. 

The pink peanut.  She is getting really good at napping and falling asleep on her own. 

Dace drew a sun and then a train on tracks. He wanted me to take a picture for the blog so gramma and grampa could see. 

Photo of the Day

This captures these boys perfectly.  I have no idea how I got this perfect photo but I'm glad I got it . They run around all day long and more often than not, it is Dace chasing Zade.  Zade loves to provoke him into a chase or Dace will just ask him if he wants to run, Zade will grunt his approval and off they go. 

And now a message from your body

I NEED A BREAK!

My body screamed that at me Monday morning and forced me to listen.

I woke up on my left side.  I hadn't even opened my eyes yet when I went to roll onto my back and - KRINK!- totally threw my back out.  It seized up in between my shoulder blades.  I couldn't move and I could barely breathe.  Thankfully, I had my cell right on my night stand so I called Dallin downstairs to come up and help me.  We got me onto my back but I couldn't lift my own head, I couldn't work out the kink and still could not breathe deep.  I was scared.  I had never had anything like that happen before and I seriously thought that I might end up paralyzed.  It felt like my spinal cord had been kinked up like a garden hose.  It was horrible. 

Dallin gave me a blessing then went down to be with the boys til Jenna got here and I called my chiropractor.  She figured I had thrown out a thurasic and possibly a rib.  She said to ice it, hot shower, ice again and come in.  So I did.  My spine was a mess where I felt the most pain.  She adjusted me, then we did traction then she adjusted me again but the muscles in my shoulders and neck were so tight that she figured they would pull everything out of place again if I didn't get them to relax.  And I did have a rib out.  She had to adjust it from the front which was an awkward feelng but felt so much better.

We got home and the only relief I felt was laying flat on the floor on the heating pad with my feet up.  Which I could only do for a few minutes a couple times during the afternoon.  Other than that, I just wandered around the house all day because there was no position I could get into that relieved any of the pain.  It was horrible.  Worse than post-Csection.

My saving grace was a friend from church who is a massage therapist.  She came to my rescue and worked on my back for an hour and a half.  My whole right side was in spasm and she said that most of the muscles were so tight and knotted they felt like bone.  Talk about a wake up call!  My chiro had listed off all the ways a mother twists and lifts all day long without really noticing and after thinking about it, I realized that i haven't gone for more than a couple hours without lifiting something for over 2 months.  Lifiting babies in and out of cribs, car seats, change tables, lifting them to nurse, holding them to nurse.  No wonder my shoulders and neck were such a mess AND I was blown away at how far reaching the damage went.  That kink went all the way down to my lower back, wrapped around to my chest to where I have been having nursing pains.  All these little problems were connected to one big muscular knot that I have felt for weeks and had neglected. 

So a wake up call it was for me that I have got to take time out and take care of myself.  It's strange because just the night before I was making a mental list of the aches and pains and bangs and bashes that I feel throughout my body and now I realize that I have been pushing it too far.  Our bodies, these machines that we have that run 24 hours a day, really need a tune up from time to time and I haven't done anything for months. 

I have resolved to be more attentive to relaxing my body and giving it a break when I can.  Laying down for a 5 minute nap here and there isn't cutting it.  It needs massage and hot baths and yoga and stretches and more vitamins, water and nutrients and of course more sleep. This was definitely an unforgettable learning experience and I have gained a new found empathy for people who deal with back pain.

I am feeling so much better today.  Able to breathe and move about 90% normally.  Still need some heat and stretching but at least I could function today.  The twins went back to bed at 9am this morning.  I was tired but felt like I should get showered and do laundry but then I thought, No.  My body is tired, Jenna is here so I can sleep.  I am going back to bed.  So I did.  It was wonderful.  From now on, I am going to listen to those little messages from my body.  Because if this one breaks down, there is no spare in the trunk. 

Photo of the Day

Without fail, every time we go to a ward party one of the boys is sick the next day then they pass it to the other.  Dace came home with a cold from the Christmas party and Zade took his turn with it starting Monday night.  Poor little tike.  Fever, bad cough, stuffy.  Yesterday was better and today was even better but I still kept him home from a play date-Dace got to go by himself. 

We had some good mommy and me time this afternoon while the twins slept.  I got him dressed to go outside but we only had about 2 seconds before it started raining.  I love this little hoodie of his and so does he.  It's going to be too small for him any minute and I want to get some good pics of him in it.  I attempted that shoot today but the weather did not cooperate.  This is the only pic I got before the rain started.  At least its a good one. 

Aaaaaand Switch!

Saturday night Nev won the favorite award by going to bed at 8, getting up ONCE to eat at 3am then sleeping til almost 8.  Ammon got up at 1 and 4 to eat. 

Last night, they switched places.  Nev ate twice, Ammon only once. 

Both were in bed asleep by 8pm tonight (so were the older boys).  We'll see what happens tonight but I feel like they are really starting to settle into their nights.  I started bathing them every night just for a few minutes to establish that routine and it has really made a difference.  I'll keep y'all posted.....

And here's the picture of the day.  I look completely haggard and am still dealing with post partum skin issues but I love my little snuggle bug.  I think she would live in this wrap if I let her. 

Step Right Up and Guess My Weight!

Come on, I dare ya.  Take a guess!

Check me out.  Whadya think??

And me too.  They call me Little Miss but I'm not as little as you might think.....

(I have no idea why this picture won't load turned)

Well we finally got to the dr's office today after church.  It's one of the nice things about having your Bishop also being your Pediatrician.  Anyway, I was completely SHOCKED at what these babies tipped the scales at.  Final guesses....

NEVEA 9lbs 11 oz!!!!!!

AMMON  12 lbs 6oz!!!!!

I have to say, I think that is pretty impressive.  For babies that are barely 2 months old and were 6 weeks premature, I think that is an amazing feat.  Both babies are only ounces away from completely doubling their birth weight.   If nothing else, I have done this thing right.  If nothing else, I make good, healthy, fattening milk.  If nothing else, I think I deserve a gold star for this.  ;)

All Mommy and Daddy want for Christmas is a Silent Night!

Oh my gosh, you guys- this is really hard!  Dallin and I were talking yesterday about how our current situation raising these two babies with these two toddlers is the hardest thing we have ever done in our lives.  It's funny how building families means having kids yet raising kids can sometimes ruin your marriage.  ha!  ugh....   

Last night I think we each averaged about 2 hours of sleep and that wasn't the first rough night we've had.  I now know why sleep deprivation is a form of torture because I am beyond sleep deprived at this point.  Thankfully the body is adaptable but what I would give for a sound 4 hours.  just 4!  There have been so many times over the last weeks that I have been woken up at night and have instantly been on the verge of tears because I am just SO tired! 

I have been trying for weeks now to get the babies on a routine but it has been like beating my head against a wall.  I have gone from Plan A to about Plan Q and still feel like I can't win.  I have never had such inconsistent babies before.  Let alone x2!!!  I have read books (okay, flipped through them and tried to find the key points to apply) searched blogs and asked friends to try and figure out what these babies need.  They have gone through growth spurts and cranky times and slept all day then been up for nights.  Oh my goodness, when will the madness end?!  Not to mention that I have 2 toddlers who have decided not to listen to a thing I say so that is another head against wall situation.  erg! 

But all hope is not lost.  not yet.  Both babies are slowly adapting to the EASY method- Eat, Activity, Sleep, You time.  Although Nev still prefers sometimes to nurse to sleep, both are doing well at falling asleep on their own which is a huge feat.  After reading a blog post yesterday, I have decided to give them 1 more month before I pull out anything drastic.  I am grateful that they are warming up to EASY and then we have to get them sleeping through the night.  I bet Ammon is over 10 lbs and Nev has got to be between 7-8.  I might pop over to the docs tomorrow morning and have a weigh in just so I know where they stand.  So they are at a good healthy size to be able to sleep at least 6-8 hours without eating.  Nev has done a 7 hour stretch on 3 different occasions but I don't think Ammon has gone past 5.  Oh the thought of them sleeping through the night makes me want to cry tears of joy.  It will be so life altering once we get back to that point.  Dace slept through the night, 12 hours straight, starting at 5 weeks.  Ah, memories.  good times, good times.  To get our sleep back, our sanity back, will be so great. 

Their awake time is also improving.  Ammon is quite content at sitting or swinging on his own and taking in the sights, trying to figure out the ceiling fan and loving the Christmas tree lights.  His favorite is sitting by the window and looking up into the tree tops.  You can just see the wonder and amazement reflected in his eyes.  It is such a neat thing.  Nev, on the other hand, is still a little bit more maintenance.  She'll only last for a few minutes before she squawks and wants a pick up.  Where is Grampa Larry when we need him?!  :)  She definitely misses those snuggles, dad.  She loves my mama wrap so i will tuck her into that and do what I can with her tied on before she falls asleep and I put her down.  I'm slowly trying to stretch our her independent play. 

They have both started cooing and making those little gleeful squeaks over the last couple days.  I have begun giving them a quick bath each night, working on that whole routine thing, and both are loving that.  Ammon can be a bit more dramatic if he's really not in the mood for being naked but he warms up in a couple minutes, scowling the whole time however.  ha!

In big brother news, Dace and Zade are quite the tag team these days, playing great together for the most part but then equally getting into mischief and refusing to listen just because.  Zade is slowly starting to try out new words and his favorite expression these past few days is a scowl, glaring at you from underneath his eyebrows.  He's trying to be mean but it's hilarious!  They loved decorating (and undecorating) the Christmas tree and Dace is slowly putting together his wish list.  Our block has tons of christmas lights on it and they love taking a short walk before bed to check them out. 

These last few weeks have been very trying, very tiring and very rough.  But I know we're on the verge of a breakthrough.  At the end of December, the twins will be three months.  That seems to be the magic marker.  My mom always says that by three months, babies have all those kinks worked out and everything becomes that much easier.  Here's hoping and praying that that rings true for these two as well.  We'll get them on a good daily routine and sleeping through the night and then sanity will be restored and I'll remember what my own name is and life as we  know it will be that much easier.  I know it's still going to be a handful and tough at times but if we can just continue to survive another day, in a few short weeks this too shall pass.  And then we'll exhale.