Five Little Monkeys

One Month Old

This has been the most amazing, exhausting, joyous, challenging, exciting, crazy month of my life. Each day I marvel at the health and beauty of my baby boys. There have been so many obstacles that we have had to overcome but I believe that God has had his hand on these little ones. With the exception of some anemia in Alex, it appears that the effects of "Twin to Twin" are going disappear with time.

Alex has grown exceptionally well and is catching up to his brother Jordan. Alex now weighs 9 lbs.7 oz. He is pale and has a stork bite on the back of his head which helps us to differentiate between him and Jordie. Alex is feisty and extremely strong, able to hold his head up quite well for his age. He is a very noisy eater!

Jordan is weighing in at 10lbs 4.5 oz , feels solid to hold and is also extremely strong. His complection is dark and he is still slightly jaundiced. Jordan has a hearty cry and is less patient then his brother.

Both boys have flashed their first smiles and are alert when awake. They are not on a regular schedule, yet are often awake at the same time. The boys love to be held which can pose a challenge when they are both looking for this affection.

This last month has been an adjustment for everyone. The kids seem to be transitioning well and adore their brothers. Aiden loves to come up with nicknames for them and can be heard calling them, Wumpy, chubby or sweetie pie. Caileigh loves to hold them and Mikayla likes to try and sit on them.

There are times during the day that can be extremely difficult. Mornings, when everyone is awake, can be overwhelming. I have been finding it "easier" to try and get everyone out of the house during this time. We have a favorite park in town where I can park in the shade and if the boys are sleeping, they can stay in the car. When the boys are both awake and I am chasing Mikayla around, it can be interesting. I do, however, love the enjoyment of being out in the sunshine, enjoying the gorgeous ocean view and watching the kids play. Afternoons are much more relaxing with Mikayla's nap and the big kids quiet time. I use this time to catch up on household chores and enjoy a cup of coffee.

I feel so blessed by my family and I feel more assured each day that we are complete and now able to grow and mature together.

Happy 19 months Mikayla

What a big girl you are becoming. You are cheerful, energetic and always quick to greet people with a "hi" and a smile. You adore your new brothers and love to sit and cuddle them. You are very close to Aiden and Caileigh and love to call them when they are out of the room. You have been exploring your independence and have been known to shout "NO" allllllllll day long. You have also been experimenting with hitting someone and then offering a gentle kiss to follow up. Your favorite games include turning off the TV when Aiden and Caileigh are watching and running away, climbing on furniture and calling "Mommy" with a mischievous grin, and finding new and creative ways to escape from the boundaries of the safety gates.

You are napping once a day for several hours. You go to bed around 7/7:30 and wake up around 6/6:30. You are content to spend time alone. You can repeat any word that is spoken and are using 2 word sentences. You have 12 teeth and weigh 24 pounds.

Although you have no interest in television, you have a keen interest in the characters. You discovered Caileigh's stuffed "Ming Ming" doll from the Wonder Pets and now sleep with him. You also sleep with Aiden's stuffed "Bob" doll. One day we were at Wal-Mart and you would not let Grandma pass by a Wonder Pets shirt. You were signing and begging "please" over and over until Grandma realized that you were asking for the shirt. It has become a favorite!

You keep me running from morning to night and I could never imagine our lives without you.

You are one special girl!

Island Visitors

Thank you Aunt Kathy, Aunt Jean and Cousin Jana for the great visit yesterday. You were wonderful guests and we thank you for the delicious cookies and gifts. I hope we can see you all again soon!!!

Although my days are largely taken up by these two sweeties.......

I am managing to find time to enjoy my bigger sweeties.

Fun with the slip n' slide.

Watching the Sea Fair Parade

Grandma and Bupee took Caileigh to dance at the beach.

I had triplets!

I weighed the boys today and Alex was 8 lbs 11 oz and Jordan was 9 lbs 5 oz! They eat all the time so good to see that it is going somewhere!!

When it comes to baby care, I have always been most comfortable letting my babies dictate their own schedule. The boys just do their own thing.....sometimes together and sometimes individually. I personally find things much easier when the boys are on an alternating schedule. It is easier to feed, burp and change one baby and then move on to the next. It can be overwhelming when they are both hungry and in need of care. The other night, however, both babies woke up extremely hungry and so I fed them both together. The sounds of them both gasping and swallowing made me laugh so I thought you might enjoy it too.......

The Verdict.....

IDENTICAL!

They each had their own sack but there was one placenta. I am in the process of looking into things a little more but the reason for their size and color difference at birth is due to a disorder of the placenta called "Twin to twin transfusion." One twin, the donor (Alex) gives to the recipient (Jordan). This would mean that Jordan had more fluid and blood at birth and Alex would have had less. They appear healthy now and their weight has substantially become more similar so I just have to find out if they are at a risk at this point. Each day they look more and more alike. It will be so interesting to watch them as they grow and change!

Identical or Fraternal?

You have to love small towns. Today Sean was in Safeway and bumped into one of the Dr.'s who helped to deliver the twins. She says, "So, you got the news!" Sean asked what news and she replied, "That the twins are ______!"

What do you think she said?

Gigi and Poppa

My Auntie Dianne brought my grandparents up for the day to visit. I was so pleased that they were able to meet their great-grand sons. It was wonderful to see them and spend time with them. They are the most amazing 94 and 92 year olds I know!

New hat from Auntie Dianne.

I wanted to ensure that I was on time to my Dr.'s appointment today so I started getting ready an hour and a half early. I arrived promptly at 1:00 only to find out that my appointment was for 4:00. Gotta love my mushy brain!!

*Still waiting for the results of the placenta. Fraternal? Identical?

13 days old

I was recently approached by a local photographer, Jennifer, who asked if she could photograph the twins. Jennifer had not had the opportunity to photograph twins before and wanted to add it to her portfolio. The session was incredibly fun and it was so neat to see her work with them. If I can get 10 friends to comment on her blog I can get a free 8/10 photo. Could you guys help me out and add a comment on her photo blog??

http://jenniferdoddphotography.com/blog/

So it is official, today was my first day with all 5 kids on my own. Sean was out of town for work and I got to experience the "new" normal which was full of highs and lows. This morning, 8am, Mikayla dumped out a box of cereal and spread it through the entire house. She then got into a bingo dabber and had it all over herself and then moved to the puzzle cupboard where she dumped everything out. Aiden began breakdancing in the cereal, Caileigh was doing flips on the couches and both babies were awake and hungry. I managed to quickly assemble a play pen, put Mikayla in it, Aiden brought out the vacuum while I fed the babies and then we worked on getting everything settled. I then put the babies in the stroller, put Mikayla in the Ergo on my back and off we went to the park. I think I may have got a few stares as I went off down the road with purpose. There were highs though when the three youngest were sleeping and Aiden was quietly playing with Lego and Caileigh and I were snuggled up together reading. I realize that I will just have to continue to take each hour at a time. Get through the low moments and savour the high moments.

Someone asked me how the boys are sleeping at night. I realized that I had no clue. Someone cries, I change and feed them and I try and fall back to sleep. This pattern continues all night long. Last night I decided to write down what was happening just for the record.

Here is a sample of my night.

9pm Both boys fall asleep

11pm Alex wakes up. Diaper change, feeding, burping, repeat process and he falls back to sleep at midnight.

12:30 Jordan wakes up. Diaper change, feeding, burping, spit up, outfit change, feeding, dirty diaper, burping, back to sleep at 1.

2:40, Alex wakes up. Diaper change, feeding. I watch infomericals and change laundry over. Back to sleep at 3.

3:30 Jordan wakes up. Diaper change, feeding. I watch Mom Show and have a snack. Back to sleep at 4.

4:45 Alex wakes up. Feeding. I watch "18 Kids and Counting". Back to sleep at 5.

6:10 All kids up and ready for the day. Begin coffee drinking process!!

These boys always seem to find the same positions.

They're awake!

Alex 7 lbs 1 oz

Jordan 7 lbs 14 oz

I woke up in the middle of the night with a realization. Sean and I had decided to spell Jordan's middle name Shea. We came up with this middle name as a combination of Ash and Sean. Well, I have been spelling it Shae and even wrote it that way on his birth certificate. A minor issue but how absent minded of me!

First Family Adventure with 7

Everything was running smooth this morning so we head off for an adventure to the beach.

We enjoyed coffee.

Jumping puddles. (As a side note, yes our kids dress themselves.)

Met fellow walkers along the trail. This man was sharing an interesting rock that he found on the beach.

Played on the historical equipment and posed like a Sears catalogue model.

Fed peanuts to the squirrels.

Walked hand in hand.

Played at the park and had an ice cream.

Great morning!

Oh and look! They're holding hands!

All before 9am, Caileigh had given herself her first haircut, Mikayla had coloured in the bassinet and I had changed 1/2 dozen diapers and nursed multiple times. I turned to Sean and pointed out that two people should not be in charge of caring for 5 children. It is just crazy!

I have a lot of pictures of these two sleeping because it is what they do well during the day. Today they were awake a lot more and I got a dose of how busy things will become. It seems that the boys have an awake time from 11pm until 1-1:30. They then usually sleep until 4:30-5ish and then again until 8. I have been averaging about 4 hours sleep a night. I think I have been flying by on endorphins and excitement but I can sure feel the exhaustion setting in. You know that you are not thinking clearly when you are disappointed that you slept through a program that you wanted to watch on TV at 3am. I am trying to make an adventure of it and yesterday after being up since 4:30 I made muffins and then drove Mikayla (my 5am wake up buddy) and Alex to Starbucks to get a coffee.

Here is our first family portrait. I can't decide if Sean and I look like relaxed veteran parents or just plain exhausted.

Don't you just love Aiden's socks. A boy can't be too careful about leg chills.

This girl can't get enough of her little brothers. Today Caileigh tells me that being a big sister is the best thing in the whole world. She then comments, "I sure love your little children."

The boys continue to be on similar schedules and do things at the same time. It is amazing how they are almost always lying in the same positions. Jordan likes to be snuggled in his Woombie and will take a soother which proved useful last night as Alex likes to be able to nurse to sleep while I lay on my side. Alex likes his Woombie but needs his hands free so he can suck on his fingers. Today I discovered a hickey on his forearm as he likes to suck on that too! Sean has been sleeping upstairs in the big kids room and I have been sleeping with the babies in our bed. I figured that the best technique is to have them together in the center of the bed and then I move from side to side as they need nursing. When they first wake, however, I usually sit up and nurse them together.

Here they are 2 days old in their woombies.

Sean's parents went home today and it has been such a blessing to have our parents helping out. Aiden and Caileigh both got to have their first sleep overs with Grandma as well as down at the beach with Nanee and Bupee. Having one or two children spending special time with their grandparents helped to change the dynamics and make things easier at home. We are so grateful for the support of family!! This transition has been made much easier with it. Auntie Misty came up for the weekend and my Dad provided support and coffee while in hospital. Friends have been dropping off meals and gifts and we are overwhelmed by the care and support that we have been receiving!!

Both boys hate having their diapers changed and despise being naked. Such a change from Mikayla who adored to be naked and still does.

The big kids seem to be adjusting to the change fairly well. There are a lot more tears and they seem generally over tired and over emotional but this is to be expected. They all show love and tenderness towards the boys and I know that as we settle into a routine they will begin to settle as well.

I am feeling better each day and didn't quite realize how uncomfortable I had become at the end of the pregnancy until I wasn't pregnant anymore. My final weigh in was 70 pounds gained!! I have lost 40 pounds already and assume that I must have been retaining a large amount of water. No wonder I lost my ankles. Now, let's just hope I don't lose my mind.......