Big Weekend

Twins on their Boppy fort on Sunday... can you tell I got left alone with twin duty and the camera?!?

Aren't they cute on thier boppy?

Anna and Thomas Dickenson with the twins... they are doing their Dugger's pose. Now we just need 16 more kiddos and we can be on TLC too :)

Manny and Julie with Cooper, Isabelle and Sofia and Brandon and I with the twins

More of the Dickenson's with the twins... they are a wonderful photo opp!

Christian on my lap after a feed.

Brock on his boppy fort- we prop him up for 20 mins after his feed to help his reflux.

The boys had a very big weekend this weekend! On Friday the twins got a visit from my mom for the afternoon and then Josh and Lisa Taylor who were in town for the wedding stopped by to meet the twins. Then aunt Sara and uncle Bryan offered to watch them while mom and dad attended Aaron Koury and Elizabeth's wedding rehearsal. Brandon and I had a great time with them and Sara and Bryan did a wonderful job babysitting. On Sat. Thomas and Anna Dickenson came in town and stayed with us and meet the twins and then we all went to the wedding while the twins stayed home with a sitter. Sunday morning the twins met their first set of other multiples when Manny and Julie stopped by with the triplets! 5 babies is quite a bit but it was fun to see everyone!!! I was on twins duty while the troop went to the Cowboys game in the afternoon. We woke up to two CRANKY twins today from all the excitement over the weekend!!! I was very proud of my little guys and know that they will have lots of visitors over the years.

We tried a new sleep positioner... bad idea. They were both able to get themselves out of the positioner in about 5 minutes. We went back to the original positioners and will just have to figure out a way to keep Brock in it and in place. Our strong guy keeps moving down his crib.

Several people ask me the same few questions about the twins... what are some of our "must have" products and what do we need two of and what do we only need one of? For any other multiple mom out there... here is what I have found:

Must Have's:

- Pack and Plays (2)

- Miracle blanket's (2 or more)

- sleep jammies (tons and they have to have snaps or zippers and feet) they twins don't really like the kind that go over their heads at this stage) we also can't do complicated with two so no real buttons or difficult jammies

-Boppy's (2)

- Bathtub (1)

- diaper champ's (2)- one for each room the twins are in

- Changing stations - we have three... and we use ALL three

- Blankets- a TON

- Burp clothes- we use 16 a day if all goes to plan (which is rarely does).

- Bottle warmer (1) and we use it 16 times a day as well.

- Dr. Brown's bottles- we use 18 a day of the small 4 oz. bottles.

- pacifiers- a TON soothies. We try to keep them separate but that is so hard!

We have both the boys on Axid reflux medicine three times a day which has made our life so much easier!!! No more groaning and crying during feeds.

More Pics of the Boys

Christian on right and Brock on left

Brock on right and Christian sleeping on left

Family photo from Christian's first day home last Tuesday

Cute!

Our little Steelers fans!!!

We had a great doctor apt yesterday. Brock weighted in at 9 pounds 4 oz and Christian at an even 7! They are really growing! Christian was 19 3/4 inches long and had a very large head compared to other babies born at 28 weeks (75% for head size). The doctor thought they both looked very good and we are still going to continue with the higher calorie formula (which I also put in their milk from me to add calories). Christian is on 24 cal. and Brock is on 22 cal. We will do a weight check with Christian in two weeks and then they will both go in for a four month apt.

More Boys= More Football

Dad holding the twins.

More twins

Cliff and Brock watching Tx/OU... I think Brock has seen enough!

I have discovered that the more men there are in the house... the more football gets watched! We have a great weekend hanging with the boys. On Sat. Brandon had Cliff Newby over to watch TX/OU which was fun for all the boys. Cliff got LOTS of baby experience before his little one arrives any day now :) Brandon and I had a date night on Sat. night which we feel is both important and needed in the land of baby. We saw a movie and had a wonderful night hanging out with other adults at the movie :) Sunday we had more FOOTBALL! The twins and Brandon dressed up for the Steelers game even though it was not played on tv here in Dallas. They all looked so cute in their Steelers gear and we got several pictures that I will post soon.

Today the boys and I head to the pediatrician for a check up. It is my first time out with both boys and I am scared and excited all at the same time :) I am hoping for NO meltdowns at the doctors office :)

Twice the work and twice the love

Well having two babies IS different than having one baby! The biggest difference I see is having just one of me (or Brandon) makes it so everyone's needs are not met the moment they happen. We are both very used to having our babies on a schedule and feeding them when the time is right... with two we have had to work on our schedule a bit. Brock has started to take longer to eat these days (I think just to spite his brother) and Christian can often take more than 30 mins... so someone has to eat a little late. In baby world, this is a VERY big deal. You have to listen to one cry while the other is eating and that is hard. We are also trying to squeeze in tummy time for both babies before we eat and it is a challenge. We had a little "meltdown" at our 5p feed last night with me alone and two VERY unhappy and one hungry baby. I will look forward to a time when they are able to have their bottles propped up into their mouths... a few more weeks I think.

Other than that, we are loving having our whole family home. What a blessing and treat to have all my men under one roof. I love having all my babies to look at during the night. Christian is a very sweet baby and only cries when he has a problem. He is looking stronger and stronger to me every day.

Brock went yesterday and got his RSV shot (Christian had his in the hospital) and he weighted in at 8 pounds, 13 oz. RSV is a very scary illness that preemies can catch since their lungs are not fully developed. In adults it is a cold and for preemies it can be hospitalization and even death. RSV is everywhere an you can carry it without even knowing it, so it is VERY important to wash hands before anyone touches the babies. They will both get one shot per month from now until spring to try to lessen the symptoms if they are to contract RSV. Even with the shot some preemies wind up in the hospital on air. So now we are trying to avoid both the flu and RSV... winter is a scary time for a preemie.

We have a duo pediatrician appointment on Monday so we will get a new weight on Christian then. We had a very cute moment with Brock this morning when we were feeding.. he smiled and laughed at Brandon. It just melted both our hearts. Christian is very expressive with his face... we never wonder what he is thinking.

We will post some new pics soon. I still think they resemble each other and Brandon still thinks they look very different. We will see what you all think!

Finally!!! Two Babies at Home!!

Aren't I cute in my moose outfit? I am so happy to be with my family.

Our second "station" for the babies. All snugly in their pack and plays :)

Well, big day today! Christian is officially checked out of the NICU and home with Brandon and I! All our family under one roof is a really incredible feeling :) He weighted 6 pounds 7 oz today and did very well on his first car ride home. We are so thrilled to have our whole family here with us. YEAH!!!! Here are some pics of Christian at home today.

Some pics of the weekend

Three generations of Barefeet men.

Don and Karen with Christian... hopefully one of his last nights in the hospital :)

Don and Karen with Brock.

Little Brock after his bath... I love a clean baby!

Dad and Christian... I think there is a family resemblance :)

This could be the big week!

Christian

Christian smiling

Isn't he cute with his whole face showing

Brock and dad watching the Steelers

Go Steelers!!

We have been so busy around here!! We have had my mom with us for a bit and then Brandon's parents with us all wonderful helpers :) Brock has been a great baby for us but so far is NOT a fan of his crib. We tried for several nights to put him in there and he is not a fan. Sooo... brandon and I caved and put him back in his pack and play bassinet.

Christian is doing amazingly well at the NICU and we really hope that this Tuesday will be his homecoming day. He is off all air, feeding tubes and they are not even checking his oxygen saturation anymore. He would have been home this weekend except he had a brady episode that has kept him there through the weekend. If he acts good... Tuesday is the day. He is up to 6 pounds now and looks great!!! We are sooooo excited to have him home. Mom was about to go and steal him from the hospital if he didn't come home soon.

We have one happy family over here these days. I have attached a few pics over the last week or so.

Wonderful Week

Brock eating his hand.

Christian on Sunday 10-4

Christian loves his dad!

Brock posing for the camera

Brandon and I have had a wonderful week with the babies. Christian was taken off air for his third try to see if he could go without it. They took out his cannula at 10am on Friday and he was doing pretty well. They put it back in for a couple of hours yesterday and today but he was off it again this afternoon... pretty good progress! He is approved to eat 8 bottles a day now and this was a huge improvement for him. He ate 6 of 6 yesterday (yeah!) and they told us to bring in our car seat on Monday for his car seat test... we are close!!! The nurse thought about another week which fits right in with what the doctor had said also. He was 5 pounds, 4 oz today.

Brock had a great week too. He got some acid reflux on Tuesday and we spent lots of time on the phone with the doctor and at the pharmacy getting him some much needed relief. He is on Axid right now, three times a day and it is really helping! He also got his first diaper rash this week and we made it through that... whew!