The Buckmaster Blog: May 2014

Disclaimer -- I actually wrote this post just before they turned three months old but forgot to publish! Oooops! So my time references may seem a little off, but I wanted to remember that specific time and my feelings, so I didn't rewrite it.

Wow -- to say time is flying could be the biggest understatement ever. I always heard moms talk about how quickly time passes with little ones, and they weren't kidding. A family friend (who also had a preemie) told me soon after the girls came home that soon it would be hard to visualize and truly remember how tiny they once were. I thought about that this week as I can barely hold both girls at the same time. My little 4lb, 14oz Annabelle and 4lb, 6oz Ashley have been replaced with chubby cheeks, legs, arms, and bodies. They are growing and thriving and that is such a blessing. I have been able to continue exclusively breastfeeding, which again, I count my blessings. They are doing so well, and it is hard for me to remember them fitting on my forearm and being able to lay both of them on my chest simultaneously with their feet barely reaching my hips. My oh my, how time flies (and babies grow)!

I totally neglected our two month post, so I am going to throw it in with the three month post. I am a few days early with that one because on Monday, when they actually turn three months old, I will be back at work as a kindergarten teacher. As much as I love my students, co-workers, and job, I cannot imagine not spending the day with the girls. There hasn't been a day that I haven't cried about it since Sunday. I am just thankful that it is only for five short weeks and that I work in a profession where I get lots of hugs. Lucky for us, George's mom has offered to stay with the girls until I am done with work. What a blessing she has been these twelve weeks and will continue to be in the month of May. I truly cannot imagine what we would have done without her. She has given us the best gift and has taken some of the worry away from this mama!

Month 2

Ashley

Annabelle

Stats:

Annabelle weighed 9lbs, 13oz at their two month check-up and was 23 inches long. She's more than doubled in weight and grown five inches since birth!

Ashley weighed 9lbs, 2oz at the two month check-up and was 22 inches long. She, too, has more than doubled in weight and has grown five inches since birth.

Both girls are in the tenth percentile for height and weight.

Milestones/Development:

The girls continued to work on head and neck control this month. Every day they get stronger. It's amazing! We also started working on sleeping longer through the night. Dr. Worsley said we could try going four to five hours in between a feeding at night and see if they could handle it. Well, our girls could handle it and this mama began getting a longer stretch of sleep at night. Hallelujah! Towards the end of the month, we were putting the girls down after the 8:00p.m. feeding, then dream feeding them at 11:00p.m. (basically putting a bottle in their mouth and letting them eat while sleeping) and then they woke up about 4:00a.m. It made such a difference for me. I felt like a new person getting those extra couple of hours of sleep! The girls continued to stay awake longer and really study the world. We also started seeing little glimpse of smiles -- so sweet!

Other Happenings:

We continued to try and get in a routine. I needed it for my sanity, and I felt like the babies did better with predictability. We had lots of visitors this month. Matt and Cortney came up to see the girls the weekend of March 8th. We also celebrated Billy's birthday that weekend with the whole Buckmaster family. The girls loved seeing their family and definitely didn't spend many seconds not in someone's arms. Cortney was a lifesaver and got up with me for all of the feedings. I know she probably needed many hours of sleep to get caught up, as the girls didn't sleep much that weekend! The next weekend, my mom and Aunt Dixie came up to see the girls. Poor George got a terrible stomach bug so he was pretty MIA for about five days. Not only did he feel awful, but we didn't want him to get the girls sick. Mom and Aunt Dixie enjoyed loving on the girls and were so helpful to me. The last weekend in March, we ventured out as a family of four to Sundance Square. We pushed the girls around and then had an early dinner downtown. They did great and we had the best day I can remember in a long time. Those days are what mommy dreams are made of! At the end of the month, I was released by Dr. Benz to resume normal physical activity (including ab work) and was so happy to get back to Smart Barre after a hiatus since November.

Pictures from PawPaw B's Birthday Weekend:

Two months old and our first cold! Lots of snuggles were in order!

Let me just say that two months shots were TERRIBLE for us! Not only were the actual shots awful (and sad), but the girls were fussy for about four days afterwards. It was not fun times for them or me! I felt so bad for them and there wasn't anything I could do to make them feel better. Believe me, I tried lots of things: driving them around, walking around the mall, walking around the neighborhood, swings, bouncy seats, floor time, etc. NOTHING WORKED! Needless to say, I know that our girls have very healthy lungs!

The girls had their first babysitters this month! Rachel and Dom watched them while George and I attended a wedding of one of his inside salesmen. Unforunately for Aunt Rachel and Uncle Dom, the girls were still pretty fussy from their shots. It was nice for George and I to get out of the house and do something together.Grandmother and Pawpaw B brought pizza over and helped with the girls, too, so that was nice. The girls love spending time with their aunts and uncles and grandparents!

And now...month 2 in pictures!

Week 5:

Week 6:

Week 7:

Ashley

Annabelle

Week 8:

Annabelle

Ashley

Family fun in Sundance Square

Month 3

Stats:

Annabelle weighed 11lbs, 5oz (19th percentile) and was 23.125 inches long (37th percentile) at 3 months.

Ashley weighed 10lbs, 11oz (9th percentile) and was 22.5 inches long (14th percentile) at 3 months.

Milestones/Development:

Oh my goodness! We are really starting to get little personalities. We are smiling and interacting SO MUCH this month. The girls also enjoy laying on their back and just looking around, taking everything in. They have starting cooing a lot and I love when I hear those sweet sounds. I feel like they are really communicating with us! They enjoy laying on a blanket next two each other and looking all around and at each other. They really get their legs and arms moving and seem so active! Our sleep schedule really turned a corner this month. The girls go down after their 8:00p.m. feeding. We dream feed at 11 or 11:30p.m. and then they usually sleep until 5. it is heaven compared to those early days of eating every 3 hours! We also started using our bumbo seats. The girls love sitting up and seeing the world from a different view! Their little heads are still wobbly, but we are getting better head control every week.

Other Happenings:

Kathy Carmichael hosted a sip-and-see for the girls at her house the Thursday before Easter. It was great opportunity for all of my former co-workers to get to see the girls. They girls wore their Easter dresses (a few days early -- such a faux paux, I know!) and enjoyed being passed around and "ohhed and ahhhed" over. Then Easter weekend, mom and dad (Nonnie and Pawpaw T) came into town. We visited the Easter Bunny at River Crest and got our pictures made. Matt and Cortney also came up for Easter and we hosted everyone for Easter at our house on Sunday. The girls were champs at their first church service -- they slept the entire time!

Our Sip-and-See:

Our First Easter:

Although we made some great memories this month, it was definitely full of fussy evenings! About 4:00p.m. each day until they went to bed, the girls were so very fussy. The "witching hour" was witching indeed, but many parenting books gave me hope that this too shall pass. Once we got the bedtime routine down, this did help a lot with the fussy evenings, and needless to say, we went on a LOT of walks around 5:00p.m. each day! Poor Daddy George joked that he rarely got to see the girls when they weren't crying during the week, since he got home most nights right in the middle of the witching hour.

And the best part....month 3 in pictures!

Week 9: