Heading Back to Work

Well, this is it.  On Monday, I will return to being a working mom.  Although about a month ago I was ready to return, now, I just wonder where in the world the past five months went.  Am I ready to head back now? Umm....no.  But I have to realize that I will never get everything I want to done and am trying to recognize everything I do accomplish in a day and take satisfaction in that. 

On my first day, August 30th, the girls will turn 5 months old.  Its hard to believe they are that old already; its very difficult to capture all of their precious moments, especially when you have two infants and a 3 year old.  They are adjusting beautifully to being in school, and I feel very comfortable that they are in good hands.  Catie is just the most outgoing little baby - she smiles at just about everyone and loves to have a good time.  (Again, she continues to look and act JUST like her brother.  Its too funny.)  Carter is just a beautiful little one who likes to assess the situation for a bit.  She'll crinkle her eyebrows in a very serious look, but if she likes what she sees, the rewarding smile and laugh are awesome.  Ellis can make her cackle when he tickles her, and Will and I just love it.

This last week has been a whirlwind of getting things together and getting a handle on having all the kids in school.  It didn't help that our dishwasher decided to break this week, and the pipe busted when they were installing the new one I purchased, flooding our kitchen.  (Yes, flooding -- but that is a whole other story!)  Making 12 bottles every night - with 2 different formulas - is something I am still trying to get used to.  The mornings aren't terrible, but I realize that I am really going to have to be up no later than 6am in order to be at work on time.  That will be a bit of a struggle to get used to. 

Wednesday, I took the girls' preemie clothes to the NICU for them to use on other NICU patients.  It was surreal being back there with all the beeps and noises.  As I think back on the last five months, I realize how far we really have come from March 30th when our little girls entered our lives.  This family has certainly been through it these past months and I have no doubt we are in for a neverending roller coaster.  But when I look at my 3 gorgeous, healthy, awesome children and my incredibly supportive and wonderful husband... I have to take a moment to breathe, smile, and just realize how incredibly lucky I am.

Will has been such a trooper these past months.  He has handled the change in our lives extremely well and is so wonderful around his sisters (seriously!).  So, this last weekend of my maternity leave, we are headed to Hilton Head to meet up with friends for a weekend of rest and relaxation.  We are just taking Will while my parents watch the girls.  I will miss them, but I am looking forward to giving Will a weekend with just Mommy and Daddy - he deserves it.

First Day of School

Well, today was the girls' first day at day care.  They did well, and I think I did too!  Thankfully, I will say that it was easier to drop them off for their first day than it was when I left Will for the first time.  I know the day care very well now, and I think taking out the stress of starting work on the same day helped too.  One thing today taught me is how exhausting it really is getting 2 infants and a 3-year old ready for a full day at school - the bags, the formula, the bottles, the clean clothes, etc etc etc.  Whew!  I haven't even started putting it all together again for tomorrow.  (The formula and bottles is even more complicated because poor Carter couldn't move from Neocate to Soy.  I thought she was doing fine last week, but after about 2 days, she threw up her meal and started to scream in pain in the afternoon.  We moved her back to Neocate, and she stopped.  So, Catie is on Soy while Carter is on Neocate.  Sigh.) 

We fit all three car seats in the back of Ellis' Jeep Cherokee - and let me tell you - it is a TIGHT fit.  But we made it work somehow.  He is going to get some serious exercise heaving one of the infant seats into the middle seat every morning.  We definitely need this week of "practice runs" to figure things out and figure out the most efficient way to drop off, pick up, and prepare for the next day.  Its also giving the girls a chance to slowly adapt to their new surroundings and us a chance to adapt to the new schedule in the evenings before I head back to work.  They slept in little pieces off and on today - Carter slept the longest at one time at almost 2 hours.  They both zonked out after their baths tonight though and I think were very happy to finally sleep in their own little swings.  They were so tired!

A Pat on the Back

Well, I did it.  I finally did it.  I did the entire nighttime routine with the kids on my own - everyone is fed, bathed and in bed.  The girls are sleeping, but I can hear Will making some noise in his room.  But seriously, this was accomplished with no tantrums and minimal crying.  I feel like superwoman.  And its not even 9pm yet.  Wahoo!

Will deserves a pat on the back too.  About a week ago, Will just started to go to the potty when he needed to - not when we demanded him to and not after he already went in his pants.  He goes to the potty when he needs to before he has an accident and doesn't follow it with an accident 10 minutes later.  This is HUGE!!! Know what else he does???  He poops in his little potty, picks it up, dumps it in the big potty, flushes the toilet, puts the little potty back, washes his hands -- All. By. Himself.  And he doesn't even like us to come in anymore when he poops.  He closes the door and tells us not to come in. Such modesty! I can't believe it!  He does still have the occasional accident, but thankfully they are few and far between.  I truly despise potty training and really hope this is the end of it for Will.

Gaining Weight!

Carter went for her re-check today and her ears were all clear.  Hooray!  She weighed 12 pounds and 1 ounce.  I had them check Catie for me too while we were there.  Since I switched her to soy formula, she has been eating so much better.  They say its all about texture and not taste at this age, so I guess Catie just didn't like the texture of Neocate.  Anyway, I was curious if she may have finally made a jump in weight gain - and she did!  She weighed 11 pounds and 11 ounces, putting her on the curve finally at just a little over 5th percentile.

Next Monday, my little girls will start "school."  As the day quickly approaches, I am getting more and more anxious about it.  I have had 5 months off from work, which should be plenty, and 3 weeks ago I was more than ready to head back.  But now ... well, now, I'm a little heart broken about it and begin to question for the millionth time if I am doing anything wrong by sending my kids to day care every day all day. 

I start work one week from next Monday but thought it would be best for all of us if the girls started a week before I went back to work.  We need some time to figure out the insane schedule that we will soon have of everybody gettting out the door in the morning on time and back from school, eating dinner and to bed at a decent hour in the evening.  Plus, let's be honest, it gives Mom a little bit of free time to run all those errands and take care of all those things I swore I would do this summer --- or at least try to knock off one or two things on the list.  But putting them in school next week when I'm not back at work yet ... well, Mommy guilt is hitting hard this week.  Very hard.  I think I will feel better as soon as I get the first day over with.  Will is at the same school and I swear is a better child for going there.  And I know a lot of the women in the nursery who will be taking care of the girls.  I know they will be in good hands ... I just wish they were MY hands! 

More Beach Pictures

The beach cart is the best thing ever.  Makes going to beach with kids so much easier!

Sweet outfits from Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary.

Carter

Catie

Update on the Girls

The girls are too cute right now.  At 4 months plus a couple weeks, I am reminded how much I loved it when Will was this age.  They smell good, they make the most adorable faces, they just kick and move like crazy on a playmat or blanket.  I am trying to just soak it in these last few weeks before I head back to work.

No question, they are still a lot to keep up with.  They are now up a lot during the day.  And woe is me when they get on different schedules and refuse to nap at the same time (that happened yesterday).  They still do not have a nighttime routine really, but we are moving toward it.  They usually have a bottle around 7:30 and head upstairs with Will for bath (sometimes) and pjs.  And they both drift off to sleep at some point after that, sometimes in a crib, sometimes on their boppy loungers and sometimes in a swing.  After their late night feeding, they sleep in their cribs until about 6 or 7 in the morning. 

Big news in diet though - I moved Catie to soy formula on Saturday night and she has done wonderfully.  No more Neocate for her.  She is eating 3 ounces most feeds now, which is great.  I'm keeping Carter on Neocate for a while though, especially since she is on antibiotics for her ear infection.  I plan to take a real stab at giving them rice cereal in the next few days.  We'll see how that goes.

Carter

Catie

As they get older, it is amazing to me exactly how different the two of them are.  I realize many people can't tell them apart as easily, but, to me, they look nothing alike.  Catie's eyes are turning darker already while Carter's are still pretty blue.  I think Catie will have brown eyes like Daddy and me and Carter will have hazel like Will or bluish-grey like Bapa.  Carter loves to smile real big with her mouth wide open and giggles and squeals loudly.  Catie gives huge smiles with her mouth closed and her tongue usually sticking out a bit.  She doesn't laugh out loud very much but kicks and squirms with excitement when she loves something. 

They are both getting very interested in reflections and love any toy that flashes lights and plays music.  A couple of times, I have seen them start to notice each other - laughing or smiling at what the other one is doing, but overall they still do not really take notice of each other.  However, they do tend to get upset if the other one is upset - real fun for Mommy.

The girls' cries are very distinct, and I can tell who is upset by just hearing the cry.  Carter's is a high pitched cry that cannot be ignored, and she spits all over the place when she cries (real nice).  I call Catie my little seagull when she gets upset because that's what it sounds like to me when she cries.  

Carter blowing raspberries. Her favorite thing to do.

They are both doing well on their tummy.  Catie is doing awesome keeping her head up for some time without getting upset.  And today, for the first time, I watched Carter roll off her tummy on to her back.  I guess she hates being on her tummy that much!

Carter

Catie

Its Off!!

Will's temporary cast is off and he is "discharged" from the orthopedist!  Hooray!  I took him back to the orthopedist this afternoon, and the x-rays confirmed that Will's arm is all healed.  The doctor was pleased with how it looked and said bye-bye to Will.  We don't have to go back.  Although the 6 weeks seemed like SO long, it is absolutely amazing how fast a little 3 year old's bones grow.  Thank goodness!!

Beach Vacation

This week we are at the beach.  Getting a 3-year old and two babies packed, traveled, and unpacked at the beach is as harrowing and crazy as you can imagine.  But we did it with the help of my parents, and its overall been a pleasant week.  Will continues to absolutely love anything water.  On the beach, all he does is jump in the ocean and play in the waves.  He could care less about playing in the sand or having anything to do with sand castles.

This year, we rented a house that has a small pool in the backyard and is right across the street from the beach.  It makes a beach trip with the kids so much easier.

Grandma has been wonderful about watching the girls for us while we take Will to the beach.  The girls have stayed inside at the house.  Its too hot for them (and way too much effort for the adults!) to take them on the beach.

Will has stayed up late this week so that he can hunt for crabs on the beach with mommy and daddy  at night.  We have been unsuccessful at spotting any crabs, but give that boy a flashlight that he can use up and down the beach and he just beams from ear to ear.

He has also loves having the undivided attention of either Bapa or Daddy to play with his Batman cave, Buzz, Woody, etc. 

Of course, this family's vacation - given the way the last 5 months have been - would not be complete without a visit to the doctor's office.  Carter developed some kind of rash last week.  I took her to the doctor Friday afternoon to make sure all was okay since we were leaving Saturday.  They said it was likely a rash caused by the cold virus she had.  Well, Monday she started running a temp that would flare up over the span of 2 days.  So, yesterday, Daddy and I spent the afternoon at a pediatrician's office to get confirmation of what I already knew - Carter has her first ear infection.  After 2 doses of antibiotic she is already better.  Of course, the rest of us are now developing scratchy throats and running noses....

Catie

Carter

But with my parents help, I think we are all managing to have a pretty great time with moments of peace and happiness (and lots of drinks!).  :-)