Two Squared

That’s right, we have two 2 month olds. How crazy is that?!?!?  The last two months have absolutely flown by. Most days I feel like it was just yesterday that we brought the boys home, but at the same time I almost cannot remember our life without them. In just two short months Braxton and Carter have entirely changed our lives and completed family.

The boys have changed a lot since their 1 month birthday. Both are growing like crazy and seem to want to eat all the time. At their 1 month appointment Carter weighed 7bs 12.5oz and Braxton 7lbs 8.5oz. Last Wednesday at the 2 month appointment Carter was a whopping 11lbs 1oz and Braxton was 10lbs 10oz. Wowsers! I was able to exclusively breast feed them until 6 weeks, and then I just couldn’t make enough milk for both of them. The doctor told me they would need between 1-3 ounces at each feeding. But these guys put the kibosh on that real quick. They can nurse for half an hour and then put down a 4oz bottle with no problem, and likely would take more if I let them. If you do the math, there is no way I can make 12 ounces every three hours! So even though I didn’t want to, we have been supplementing with some formula. Based on their weights - it’s obviously going great.

Sleep is still pretty light around here. We have a semi set schedule, but they are still up every 2-3 hours at night to eat. A few days ago they went 4 hours, so I’m crossing my fingers that might be a pattern that we could enjoy in the future. Somehow we are functioning pretty well on not a lot of sleep, but whenever the opportunity of a nap arises, we often take it.

Our first trip to the beach.

Before the boys got their shots we couldn't go anywhere in public. But the boys and I did sneak a trip out to the beach to see Grandma Danette and Sir. They have timeshare at Depot Bay so we were able to take the boys to the condo, and still not introduce them to anything dangerous. But since they got their vaccinations on their 8 week birthday, we’ve been on the go. I decided I couldn’t stay here and look at these living room walls anymore. They got their shots on a Wednesday, we let them recover on Thursday, and on Friday the three of us went shopping at the outlet mall for the first time. Everyone thinks I’m crazy taking 8 week old twins out alone, but it has to happen sometime that we go out, so why not now? The boys did great! We had no time constraints, I had bottles ready for them, and we just went with the flow. It was awesome! Then on their actual two month birthday we took them out to WOU sporting events. This was the first of many many sporting events they will go to and we had a lot of fun.  They bounced back and forth between the WOU Women’s Softball Games and WOU Men’s Baseball Game. I don’t think I have ever seen Michael so proud as he showed off his little boys. Both Braxton and Carter were passed around to our WOU family who wanted to hold them and love them like we do. We are so lucky to live in a small town and be connected with the university. Both boys have many “Adopted” aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Little Comedians 

Since their 1 month Birthday I have seen a lot of changes in both of them. Carter has multiplied his smiling tenfold. He might be the happiest baby on the planet. He smiles when he’s awake, when he sleeps, when you talk to him, and for no reason at all. The only time this is a problem is when he is being silly and won’t stop smiling while trying to give him a bottle. His features have also changed too. He used to have this tiny little head and face which made him look very petite. Now his face has filled out and his head has grown a lot. In his second month he definitely found his voice, as I don’t think he cried much the first month. When he gets mad and cries his “pout” has become super prominent. My mother in law confirmed that Michael also did that when he was an infant, so I guess it is just one more thing Carter gets from his dad. His legs are getting chubbier, and he still has a bit of an “outtie” belly button. We also were pretty shocked when a birth mark showed up last week. We called the pediatrician and he said children can actually get “birth” marks until they are 2 years old. Weird.  And finally Carter’s craziest thing this month has been his refusal to sleep. He actually went one day where he woke up at 7:30am and didn’t nap but a combined 24 minutes of cat naps until 5:30. INSANE. Needless to say, this mommy had her hands full that day. But our little Tree Frog Carter is so dang cute that you can’t ever get mad at him.

"What did u say Braxton?!?!"

Braxton has changed a lot in the last month too. His cheeks have continued to grow, making him look more like a chipmunk than before, but they are so adorable. He she still has a short fuse and little patience, but as long as he has what he wants, he’s a really happy baby too. He is smiling a lot, especially on the changing table. That guy LOVES to get his diaper changed! Sharky Boy, as we call him, still adores his binkie, but isn’t sleeping with it as much as he was before. We have learned that when we take a bottle out of his mouth to burp him mid feeding or to let him breath to keep it super close because he is not a fan of stopping eating. Ever. He loves to sit facing out looking around because he doesn’t want to miss a single thing. He isn’t as sensitive about getting cold as he used to be, but he still really loves to snuggle up to go to sleep.

Both boys are full of those herky-jerky movements and their little arms and legs are always going every which way. I love to watch them both consciously and unconsciously make those little limbs fly. They are also starting to really love their play mat and reach for the toys. Brother time is getting more and more crazy as those above mentioned herky-jerky movements usually end in someone getting bopped in the face, but they can’t get enough of being close to each other. Recently I laid both boys down in Braxton’s crib to play while I was working in the nursery and Braxton dozed off to sleep. In attempt to keep him that way I picked up the wiggling Carter and thought I would rock him to sleep too. A few moments later Braxton opened his eyes and when he realized his brother wasn’t there, started to scream. As soon as I set Carter back down he was just fine. It is pretty cool to see the bond that they share.

So my boys continue to grow and change. I guess that’s what babies do. I’m just trying to soak in every second because if time continues to fly by this fast, they are going to be in college before I know it.