New pictures...

Rosalyn was SO delighted that I let her play in the rain last week...

Caroline and Elaina are 10 weeks old! Where does the time go? Here are few pictures from this week and today...

Having a "conversation"

Caroline

Studying her toy

Smiley Elaina

Sweet girl

Beautiful (Serious looking!) Caroline

Elaina (she was not very happy about these pictures!)

See how big we are!

Paci Babies :)
Not sure why this picture is sideways, but this is a favorite group activity at our house...sometimes (especially when Rosalyn is crying too) I feel like joining right in!

Wednesday 6/23

Here is my "little shopper" :) Rosalyn loves to get dressed up, put her baby in the cart, and go shopping around the house for items! The bag in the back of the cart is the diaper bag she packed for her baby. She is such a good little mommy...the bag had a blanket, diaper, bottle, toy, and a banana! She is so imaginative and loves to play pretend games. It is really fun to see her changing from a baby/toddler into a little girl!

Caroline and Elaina had their 2 month appointment on Monday. They have grown!! Here are their "stats"...

Caroline:
2 months...weight 10lb12oz--30%, length 21.25 in--4%

birth...weight 7lb1oz--32%, length 18 in--5%

Elaina:
2 months...weight 10lb10oz--26%, length 21 in--less than 3%

birth ...weight 6lb2oz--10%, length 18 in--5%

Rosalyn (just for comparison):
2 months...weight 11lb8oz--49%, length 22.25 in--25%

birth...weight 7lb11oz--58%, length 19 in--33%

They are short, chunky babies like Rosalyn was :) The pediatrician was impressed with their growth and said they were both perfectly beautiful and healthy. Here's what they are doing now: smiling, making eye contact, starting to gurgle/coo, holding heads up well, pushing up with arms, batting at objects, starting to really develop personalities and can be quite opinionated (especially Elaina!), sleeping at least one 6-7 hour stretch at night, eating 6-7x/day, capturing our hearts more and more each day!

They each got two shots at the appointment and they were definitely NOT happy about it! They cried so hard...much harder than I remember with Rosalyn! Caroline even held her breath until her little eyes bulged and her lips were turning purple...it was kind of scary, but I knew she was just upset and would be fine. Once I got them home and the Tylenol kicked in, they just slept the rest of the afternoon on the couch.

Elaina

Caroline

Sweet Baby Girls...

Caroline and Elaina will be 8 weeks old tomorrow! They are both smiling all the time and beginning to coo and make sweet little baby gurgle noises...it is precious :) Here are a few pictures from this evening...

I think Caroline (in stripes) was about to sneeze...apparently Elaina thought it was funny!

Smiley Face Caroline

Because every one loves to play the look-alike game...

Here is a picture of the babies asleep. Caroline (right) is not really that much bigger than Elaina, it just appears so in this picture because of their positioning and the fact that their heads are such different shapes (Elaina's head shaped like mine and Rosalyn's, Caroline's head shaped like Jason's). When I weighed them today Caroline was 10lb10oz and Elaina was 10lb3oz.



Now, because one of our favorite current games is trying to decide who looks like who, I decided to post a couple pics of each baby + a few of Rosalyn at about the same age!

Caroline:

Elaina:

(Both babies are smiling all the time and starting to coo...just haven't been quick enough to get Caroline on camera)

Baby Rosalyn:

I personally think they all look different and very much like theirselves, but there are definitely features in both C and E that remind me tremendously of their big sister Rosalyn!

Splish-Splash....

Rosalyn insisted on taking a bath in the sink like her baby sisters. She was definitely a sink full, but thought it was great fun to sit in the sink and get washed with baby soap!


A couple of funny things Rosalyn has said/done this week--

She told me yesterday (as the babies were both crying) "Momma, these babies are acting so crazy...they have lost our minds." I just smiled and told her that I agreed with her and felt like my mind was certainly lost sometimes!

She "accidentally" locked herself into the dark bathroom this week. Despite my best efforts, I could not get the door unlocked so Jason had to come home from work to get her out. She was hysterically screaming and crying...even a plate of M&Ms passed under the door could not console her! She kept saying (she was in full drama mode, if you can imagine): "Mommy, did you know that your little girl is trapped in a dark bathroom? I need my daddy to come rescue me!" Those exact words in the most pitiful voice ever! The ordeal lasted about 30 minutes and she told the whole story to anyone who would listen!

My Sweet Caroline...

Princess Elaina...

The babies are 7 weeks old now and weigh about 10 lb each! Their sleep continues to improve, thankfully. They are as sweet and smiley as can be!

"I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep..."

I love this poem...I am planning to post it on my fridge for a visual reminder when I begin feeling overwhelmed! The housework and cooking and chores will always be around...my three babies will only be little once.


Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rock-a-bye, Lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek-peek-a-boo).
The shopping is not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there is a hullabaloo.
But I'm playing "Kanga" and this is my "Roo."
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rock-a-bye, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Ruth Hulburt Hamilton, 1958

New Pictures!

First, Pictures...

Recent photos of Caroline--

Smiling in Her Sleep

Beautiful Baby

Giving me a bad look...maybe she was tired of pictures!

So Sad!!

She is so smart! She has learned how to hold her paci in by balling up her fist and placing it against the paci...it is really cute!

Recent Photos of Elaina--

My Sugar Pumpkin

Serious Face!

Just looking around!

Cute Girl...looks like she is practicing her karate moves!

Just one of my feeble attempts to get a decent picture of all three. They were PRECIOUS! in their matching outfits! (Elaina Left, Caroline Right)

Little naked babies :)

Caroline--Green Paci, Elaina--Pink Paci

This is what my cart at Target looks like now! I have to make a super short list because very little will fit in the cart after adding all the kiddos in!

Rosalyn wrapped up in her frog towel at her school end of the year party

Sweet girl! She was waiting on her Starbucks treat...apple juice and chocolate covered graham crackers :) Just one of the many reasons I love the Baytown Target...Starbucks in the store!

She colored her face blue with chalk!

Now, for a little update...

Rosalyn is 2 years+9 months now and doing great! She is totally adjusted to the babies now and loves helping with them. She is an expert paci-replacer which comes in handy when I am pumping/driving/etc. She loves them so much! She is 33 lb and 35 3/4 inches tall. She is completely potty trained...she was mostly completely potty trained before the babies arrived, but she has now gone two full weeks with absolutely no accidents! I am so proud of her! As usual, she keeps us smiling with her crazy outlook on life and all the silly things she says. Her speech is really amazing. Also, she has learned how to stand on her stool and turn on the lights...right now every light in the house is on because I am tired of going behind her turning them off!

Caroline and Elaina are 6 weeks old now and just as precious as ever. They both weigh over 9 lb. They are beginning to sleep much better at night. Our bedtime routine is: quiet playtime on the living room floor, bath, bedtime bottle, bed. They are usually in bed around 9 pm...they then wake up to eat around 3 am then go back to sleep until about 7 am, eat, then back to sleep until about 9 am. They have even gone as long as 7 hours at night lately! During the daytime they eat every 3 hours and still sleep a lot in between feedings. They usually drink 3.5-4oz at each bottle. They are getting 50-75% breastmilk. They are starting to stay awake a lot more during the day although it is still 30 minutes max at a time! They have started smiling at us a lot when we talk to them...it is the sweetest thing ever! We are so happy we have these sweet girls!


Jason and I are doing well. We are always sleepy, but that is just how it is in this season of life. It is getting better. Thankfully, my mom helps us tremendously...not sure what we would do without Nana! Jason went back to work this week and although we miss him, it is nice to kind of get a little routine going. I use the word routine loosely as this routine does not include much cleaning or cooking, haha! One day I will have time for that stuff! These days I consider my house clean if: dishes are in dishwasher, floors somewhat clean, bottles clean/prepared, counters wiped a bit, toys somewhat picked up, beds with covers at least pulled up, clothes in the laundry basket/washed when overflowing, and toilets clean. Otherwise, I don't really care. Also, a nutritionist would have died if they saw my grocery cart yesterday...I don't think I've ever purchased so much frozen/canned/processed/premade/prepared food in my life! Oh well, I am sure we will all live!

So, there is our little update! Things are hectic, but I am loving life as a mommy of three!

Family Pictures...

We have had lots of visitors lately, so I thought I would post a few photos!

Pop Holding The Two New Princesses...

Uncle Alan and Aunt Kelsey

Jason, Me, and Alan

Nana (She and Pop don't really count as visitors since we see them nearly daily)

My Mamaw and Papaw (my Aunt Gwen and Uncle Mark also came on this visit)

Isaiah, Rosalyn, and Addy (I think Rosalyn was trying to make them paci addicts like her!)

My cousin Quinn came with her two little ones, so we had newborn twins, an almost two year old, almost three year old, and almost four year old in the house for a few days...it was fun!

Rosalyn and Addy (Rosalyn was in heaven playing with her cousins all weekend!)

Uncle Jody and the babies...Aunt B was here too, but she was busy making ice cream!

Anthony, Karen (+ Jordyn), and Elliot came also, but I didn't get any pictures with them :(
I wish I had more pictures to share (I have been terrible at remembering to take them!)....we have so enjoyed spending time with all of our family!