It has been an amazing, busy, whirlwind the last few months. We spent the first few weeks at home getting settled into our new roles and new routine. We had lots of help and support from our family and friends. We are so lucky to have a strong support system... it takes a village, really. Everything we read before the arrival of the girls said that we should try to keep them on the same schedule, for our own sanity and to be able to have time to do anything else. Fortunately they started a three hour schedule while we were still at the hospital and have stuck with it. We have been tandem nursing, which was really intimidating at first, and we had some difficulties which have been resolved. We have a nursing pillow that is made for twins, and it wouldn't be possible without that. I can't imagine nursing them one at a time, I would have time for nothing else. Every time I am holding them to nurse I am in amazement that there are two of them!!! They are so sweet and special, we are so lucky. Seriously, we have three kids! I'm still in shock.
When we finally got home from the hospital we decided that we wanted to find out if they are identical or fraternal twins. As far as we could tell it looked like there was only one placenta, but it was inconclusive. Also, we didn't find out their blood type, which would have been another clue. So, we ordered a kit that provided the supplies to do a cheek swab on each of them and we sent those in to be tested. It took a few weeks to get the results and the anticipation was killing us! But the results showed that they are IDENTICAL!! At this point we can still tell them apart. They are different weights and half a pound makes a big difference at this point. They also have a different look about them, we can't quite tell exactly what it is, but their heads have a little bit different shape... Possibly from the different ways they were delivered? What ever it is I have a feeling it won't last for long. As the days go on they are starting to look more and more alike. Matt and I have both been unsure at times, at first glance, who is who. It's also a fun game for the family and friends to try to tell them apart. I'm sure as they get older, their personalities will help to tell them apart as well. Everyone keeps asking if we can see their little personalities developing yet. Not exactly, but there are little things about them... For example, Rosie loves her paci, which can be nice sometimes, but she has a hard time keeping it in and it wakes her up when it slips out - not so fun in the middle of the night. Hattie, doesn't have the same love of the paci, she'll take it, but she can sleep without it if it slips out. I think as time goes on we will start seeing more and more of these differences.
When the girls were about a month old they came down with a cold. After a few days we could see that Hattie was struggling a little more to fight it off. She was having a hard time breathing and we ended up taking her to the hospital. After some monitoring and a few tests they told us that she had RSV, which is a respiratory virus. RSV is really just a standard cold for most of us. But for such a young infant, especially a preemie (they were just getting to their due date), she was not able to fight it off. We aren't sure why she ended up with the virus and Rosie did not, you would think they'd been exposed to the same things. She was having spells of apnea, which means that she was not getting enough oxygen and that was causing her heart rate to drop. She ended up spending the next week in the NICU being monitored and hooked up to oxygen to assist her breathing. They finally sent us home, but a few days later we could see that she was still having a hard time. We ended up spending another five days at the hospital. The doctors have told us that typically infants this young that have RSV will end up having some respiratory challenges in the years to come. She is more likely to develop asthma and may have more respiratory distress along with future colds. It was a real challenge being separated for those weeks. Fortunately, Matt's parents and my mom and GiGi, who were in town visiting, were able to help out with Oscar and Rosie at home, so that Matt and I were able to split our time between the hospital and home. I am so glad that we made it through and we were so relieved to get home together again.
SAD AND SICK LITTLE HATTIE
THEY MISSED EACH OTHER.
Oscar has been such an awesome little guy through the last few months. He has taken this all in stride and has adjusted better than we could have imagined. He loves to help out when he can, getting a diaper or blanket, or helping Rosie get her paci back in her mouth. If he hears them crying -"sisters!", if they are fussing a little -"it's ok, it's ok", and if he's been gone, the first thing he looks for when he gets home is " sisters". He was very worried about Hattie while she was sick and talked about her all the time. He loves being a big brother. We just wish he wasn't sharing all these yucky germs with his new sisters. He has also surprised us the last few weeks with his new found interest in potty training! He has been sitting on the potty for the last nine months or so, and right before Christmas he used the potty for the first time. So last week he told me "Mama, stay right there" as he headed to the bathroom. I quietly followed just to observe. He turned on the light, got his pants off, took his diaper off and put it in the trash, got the stool and his potty seat in place, climbed up and sat down- by this point I was in the room watching... And he actually used the potty! I was so proud of my little guy. Since then he has frequently had dry diapers (even after a nap!) and has been happily using the potty when we suggest it. It is hopefully becoming part of his routine. We really hadn't been pushing it or really even working on it because we didn't want to put any pressure on him especially with all the big changes he's been dealing with in his life. I've heard that when they are really they will let you know... I hope we are there. I would love to have one less diaper to change! He's really becoming such a big boy, and he'll tell you "I'm two.", like duh I'm a big boy!
POTTY TIME!!
So this past Sunday the girls were officially eight weeks old! We took them in for their two month check-up today. They are healthy, aside from another little cold, and are doing great! Rosie is weighing in at 9lbs 14 oz and Hattie is 10lbs 6oz... I'd like to point out that they are still not as big as their brother was when he was born! They got their first vaccinations and did not like them, but were very brave. We are looking forward to the next eight weeks with these little girls. Hopefully we will have warm weather and healthiness coming our way soon!
Its is impossible to imagine our life any different. Matt and I were just talking about how it's hard to remember what life was like when it was just the two of us, before we had kids. It's going to be so much fun to watch these kiddos grow up together. We love our big family! Our house feels so full of love and we couldn't ask for anything more.
***I WILL TRY TO ADD/POST MORE PICS SOON***