Party People

We had a very busy day yesterday, so the post is a litttle late.  We started out our day with a birthday party apperance. The twins were excited to see some familiar faces and to meet new friends. We helped some of our best friends celebrate their daughter's first birthday and we had fun watching the birthday girl smash cake and open presents. I remember when she was born and holding her when she was so little, and it's hard to believe that little girl is now a year old and climbing the stairs at her house- where does the time go?  I'm sure I'll be asking myself the same question looking back a year from now.

Our other big event of the day was the arrival of our weekend visitors. Tony's dad is back in town to pick up Tony's mom (she has spent two weeks with us and is now going to Chicago to spend some time with the cousins up there), and Tony's brother and his wife came in town to meet the little ones. Our house is full with family and these babies didn't touch a swing, pack and play, or bouncy chair all day. Ryan and Erica are also expecting their first baby, a girl, to arrive in June, so Tony spent the afternoon giving Ryan some pointers and making him practice diaper changing and burping techniques.

Pictures of the day today go to Uncle Ryan meeting his niece, and to our new niece in waiting; Tony and I can't wait to meet her and watch our kids grow up together. Family really is such a wonderful thing.

 

Bottles Galore

One of the big challanges Tony and I have been facing is trying to organize all the new things that are coming into the house. We have filled the nursery with items that over flow into the dining room and now spill into the kitchen.

When Harper came home, we knew that she would be on a bottle system because she's eating formula thickened with rice cereal. What we didn't understand, was how much room this bottle system would take up, or how often we would have to wash, sanatize and sort these bottle pieces. The bottle system the occupational therapist used in Harper's swallow study is the system that she is currently on; this system seems to be working well, so we decided to try Jack on the same system, when he takes bottles. The bottle claims to help eliminate large quantities of air being sucked down by the baby, but the bottles have 5-6 pieces each and are not our favorite to wash, especially in the middle of the night. In fact, these two generate so many bottles in a day (13-15 total),  that Debbie has become the offical bottle washer and sanitizer- I don't know what we're going to do when she goes home.

When Jack moved to this system too, Tony said something had to be done to try and get organized, so he and Debbie sat down and came up with a plan that seems to be working out well. Harper's bottles for a day are on the green rack, and Jack's are on the red rack. Tony made a "key" so we'd know how many bottles to put on each rack and, here's the kicker, what level flow nipple each kiddo needed. Remember, Harper's formula is thickened, so she needs something with a higher flow to be able to transfer the liquid. Oh, and by the way, the numbers on those nipples are so small, that we've given poor Harper a level 1 nipple (when she needs a level 4) and she tried to eat that bottle for five minutes before I realized she wasn't getting anything at all.

So, picture of the day is of our new bottle system at work; notice the color coding. We also got word that our request for a swallow study for Jack has been approved and he will getting his study done next Friday- woo hoo!  So, our bottle system may undergo another drastic change after that happens as well, we shall see.

Say Uncle

With two days left in Tony’s vacation, we spent the morning at the doctor’s office finishing up our “twin to-dos”. Today was shot day; the twins get a synagis shot to help boost their immunity to RSV and this was the last shot of the season. Poor kiddos both cried pretty hard, but I was very thankful I had Tony with me to help soothe and comfort. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to take both kiddos to the doctor by myself; I hope I don’t have to know for a long time.

Upon returning from the doctor, we were visited by three travelers: Nana, Pop, and Uncle Tanner. Uncle Tanner came by for the second time while he’s home and this time, he was given more responsibility which included feeding and burping Jack, and changing a diaper. He passed all tests put before him, and can no longer claim he has no idea what to do with a baby. After all the excitement of diaper changes and eating, Uncle Tanner and Jack had to rest- it’s very important to get your rest when you’re a growing boy or a college student.  When naptime was over, Uncle Tanner spent some time with Harper; the funny faces he would make mesmerized her. It’s so great to see my kiddos interacting with their uncle before he goes back to school; remember our NICU had strict visitation policies, so they haven’t met any of their aunts and uncles yet, besides Tanner.  One uncle down, three uncles and three aunts to go!

We also spent some time today working in the nursery and Tanner helped me with an art project for the nursery wall. Considering my inadequate art ability, I was very pleased with the final product and will post pictures of the nursery as it comes together. Tomorrow Mimi and I are hoping to find fabric for the nursery drapes and we are all going to enjoy Tony’s last day off from work as a family.

Pictures of the day go to Uncle Tanner enjoying quality time with Harper and Jack.

Heavy Weights

 Today was the big weigh-in and...both kiddos are up in weight!  Miss Harper weighed in at 6 lbs and 11 oz; that means that she has put on an ounce a day for the last four days. Mister Jack is also up in weight and now comes in at over 7 lbs. Tony and I are so proud to see both of them growing big and strong. It's hard to imagine that they were so small not so long ago.

Overall, we had a good day. Poor Jack is still having reflux problems and we're hoping to get him into a swallow study to see what's going on with his eating. I have a feeling that he might end up on thickened liquids as well; if it's going to help him, I'm all for it. Hopefully that will be something that we can get into sooner rather than later.

Pictures of the day are of Jack and his special baby sitter this morning while I fed Miss Harper and Harper, who got to spend some time swinging today while Jack took his nap

In addition to the weigh-in this morning, we also got back our preview for the newborn photo shoot we went to yesterday. Here is the link to the preview so you can check them out; Haley did a great job:

Collett Twin Preview

Supermodels

The twins went on their very first photo shoot today. A big thanks to Haleyb Photography for getting us in on short notice and doing a great job with the kiddos. We didn't have any major melt downs while shooting, only one kiddo peed (they will remain nameless), and they both slept 80% of the time. It was fun to see them all snuggled up together; when we put them in the same pack n' play, all they do is accidentaly hit each other.  The photographer did a great job posing them and making sure they were comfortable and cozy. I was very happy they were so good and I think the pictures are going to be fantastic.

We came home from the photo shoot in time to eat lunch and then the kids were out again and we spent a very low key afternoon at the house. It was so low key, that everyone got a chance to take a nap- awesome!

Next up on the agenda for Wedensday: a weight check for the kiddos and a hair cut for Mom- I cannot wait.  This week is like our "Spring Break"; we are busy getting things done before both Tony and I head back to work. The nursery is the looming task that we both need to tackle here at some point, but it's hard to go in and work when you have to leave this...

More pictures tomorrow and updated weight info too; I can't wait to see how much they've grown!

Dad's Vacation

Tony took this week off work so he could spend time with the kids and with his mom who is visiting us to help out- we appreciate this very much. So far, however, Tony's vacation time has not been much of a vacation.  Here's a run-down of what a normal day looks like for us:

Feeding times for Harper: 12, 4, 8, 12, 4, 8 (it takes about 25-30 min for her to eat each time)
Feeding times for Jack: 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30, 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 (he eats in 15-20 min)

*Remember we have to hold Jack upright for 30 min. after every feeding which means if you start feeding Jack at 12:30 and he's done eating at 12:50, you're not actually done with your job until 1:20.

Amid feeding the kids we also have 14 bottles to make, wash, and sanatize everyday. We've been averaging 20 diaper changes a day and at least one load of laundry- usually 2 if we wash any adult clothes, sheets, or towels. We are also taking out the trash at least once a day- something we did once a week before.

Tony is in charge of making all of Jack's bottles (gathering the right amount of milk for 8 bottles from the deep freeze, thawing out the milk, mixing it with a little formula to up the calorie count, shaking it up, pouring it into smaller bottles, and storing in the fridge). Tony is also the chef around the Collett house and he's been venturing to the grocery store and cooking dinner for us- steaks tonight.

So, as you can see- this "vacation" is not really a vacation for Tony this week.  The best part, though, is that he gets to spend some time with the kiddos and they get to spend some time snuggling and playing with their dad.

Oh, and a great big shout out to the two people who made Tony possible. Happy Anniversary Mimi and Papa; they've been married 41 years today and we love them very much!

Luck O' the Irish

The kids wore green today and had the Luck of the Irish! Jack and Harper were lucky and got to meet their Uncle Tanner for the very first time; he's home from Colorado State for spring break and liked the kids so much he's even coming back later this week to hang out :).  Uncle Tanner brought Nana and Pop with him who did not have the luck of the Irish today- Nana got sprayed while changing a blow out diaper and Pop went home wearing Harper's lunch, but they both seemed to have a good time too- go figure.


Here are some pictures of their adventures on St. Patty's Day. A big shout out to Marysia Norris for providing the awesome hats :)