Suggestions Needed

I have to say that I was spoiled when it came to feeding Bryggen. Maybe not when and how often or how I had to feed her but what I fed her. She loved food as a baby. Anything would make her happy. But every baby is different and of course my boys are different than their big sister. They look like her and each act like her in different ways. Griffin is a little content but mommy obsessed and though Jackson is giggly and loves me just the same, he is busy and active like Bryggen where Griffin hates the car like Bryggen did. So moving from stage to stage with these guys has been a change from the beginning. And this stage is not worse or better but its unfamiliar. From day one we have had these guys on a schedule. For a long time we have been on the 4 hour feeding schedule. Up to about a month ago they would eat every 4 hours til bed taking a 6-8 oz bottle and a full stage 2 baby food each. Now they sometimes want things and other times act like they hate them. One day they will eat baby food, the next they don't want any of it. I am even having a hard time with the bottle. I have had to hold each baby individually to get them to take 6oz of formula. I used to could lay them on a pillow and double feed. Now when I do that they roll over and want to crawl away. If I let them do that the feeding takes an hour and messes up the whole time. Ugh! What a mess!!! I have been trying real foods but they seem to be picky on that and I am not sure how much they actually need since they've cut back. And cutting back is like a foreign language to me. I thought babies only increased as they grew. Neither kid likes mashed potatoes, they will sometimes eat green beans, they do like chicken but not nuggets- only strips, they love pancakes but we can only have that once a day, like mac n cheese, love granola bars, but where's the veggies and fruits? How can I get these boys to eat better foods, different foods and more formula? How can I do all of this and stay on a schedule? At the end of the day if this is my concern right now then I am not doing too bad. However, the schedule has been amazing for my life and I don't want to loose that. I have enough to think about and keep up with and without the schedule I will be wondering who ate what at what time and how much. I don't have the ability to do that. So, I need some suggestions. Thanks.

PICS

GRIFFIN

JACKSON

BRYGGEN

MY THREE PIRATES- ARRR

FORCED PIC WITH MY PIRATE

Psalm 107:1

Psalm 107:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures for ever."

I came across this verse in a devotional I was doing today and it made me think of something completely different than the devotion but of the great things our God does. It has not been an easy time lately. The whole family has been in DC with work for Mike and the kids haven't adjusted as well as normal. Griffin was sick for the first week with a cold, Jackson has been teething, I have a sinus infection, Bryggen was waking the twins up a lot, they weren't sleeping well and therefore I wasn't sleeping well. When that happens, I am not the best I can be. So, I prayed two nights ago that God would help me to be a better mom. Plain and simple, I needed to be a calmer and happier mom. The sleep didn't happen that night, but I did get to go back to sleep when the boys were napping. Normally, they go down for a nap when Bryggen is up and demanding. But this morning they first woke at 5am and went down at 7am for a nap. I crawled in bed with Bryggen and slept til 8am. Yay! So last night I asked the Lord for sleep. I didnt get much but I got more than usual. So, I am grateful for the extra sleep I was granted because my kids needed me to have it more than I did.

Dear Lord, thank you for the small things. They are big to me and not too small for you. Amen

8 Months Old Tomorrow

My sweet boys will be 8 months old tomorrow and Griffin is sick for the first time. Minus allergies and a small cold here and there, this is the first real sickness. Its a bad cold with the on-set of an ear infection. No meds here just extra care. Poor guy was feeling it bad. I hope he's getting better. When I took him to the doctor (here in DC- more on that later) I found out he weighs 19lbs. Wow! What a big boy! I'm sure Jackson weighs a bit more but neither one are little. They still eat every 4 hrs taking 6oz of formula and a stage 2 food. They still sleep 11ish hours at night. Jackson is crawling but neither one sits up fully on their own. They love their big sister who makes them laugh at the silliest things. She's doing really well too. She's a funny and smart little priss.

We are in DC for a while dealing with work drama for Mike. Fortunately, the whole family is together. Its been the worst week I have had but I am confident its getting better. Having a sick baby, another 8 month old and a toddler has been challenging but things are looking up. Mike has been super swamped but still a big help and God is leading the way. Poor Lille is left behind. Heather is caring for her but we really need to find her a home. Help us find someone to love on her please. She deserves it!!!!! I will post pics when I can.

6 months Now And Then

I wanted to compare Bryggen to Griffin and Jackson at six months old. The twins had their check up yesterday and it went really well. Griffin is 15.12lbs and 24 1/2 inches long. He is in the 50% for weight and 25% for height. He may end up short like his mommy or catch up later on. Jackson is 16.4lbs and 26 inches long. He's in the 75% for weight and the 50% for height. They sleep around twelve hours at night and have three naps during the day. One morning nap that is usually long, a nap after lunch and another nap before dinner thats normally shorter. The boys are eating every 4 hours (7am, 11am, 3pm and 7pm). They have a 7oz bottle and a stage one veggie and fruit. They split one of each. Now this is what I wrote for Bryggen's stats when she was 6 months old: She's 26 1/4 inches placing her in the 75% for height. She had a growth spurt. She's still in the 90% for weight at 18 pounds. She eats stage 2 foods as of Friday and loves them all so far.

Here are some pictures of the three of them at six months old.

Griffin

Jackson

And Bryggen

I am amazed at how much these guys look like their big sister. I think they are all precious and if they continue to grow like her then they will continue to look as cute as ever. I am also amazed at how close they are in height to her. When she was born she was 7.5lbs and 19 1/2 inches long. They are staying on target in growth with her even though she had a pound and a half head start and an inch and a half head start. Dr. Carter always tells me I am feeding them right and doing right by them. That's so exciting to hear.

Hope everyone is having a great day. I sure am.

All By Myself....

Let me just toot my own horn. Toot- toot! I have been super mom and I am proud to say it. I have been home all week with my three kids by myself. Daddy is out of town and so is our nanny. It has been tough and long and busy but Mike will finally be home tomorrow and I can not wait. I had a little help on Tuesday and I took the kids to CDO three days, but I stayed one day and got back early the others. My wonderful mother-in-law took Bryggen to the movies and to dinner last night with her cousins. We have a playdate planned for tomorrow morning and then will probably rest at the house until its time to get Mike. After that Mike and I are headed to the Love Worth Fighting For conference that Kirk Cameron is putting on. Yes he will be there and I am pumped.

On another note, Jackson and Griffin will be 6 months old on Sunday. Wow! How amazing is that. I am sad its going by so fast but I do like this phase. They are sleeping 12 hours at night even though they wake 2-3 times for their paci, taking great naps throughout the day, eating like pigs and laughing and giggling. They can roll over from their belly to their back and almost to the belly from their back. Griffin put his paci in his mouth by himself the other day but that was the only time its been done. They are such wonderful little boys and I am so blessed.

Now big sister Bryggen is full of life. She is the biggest chatter box, she has so much energy and is actually really silly. She still demands alot of my attention but I love it- most of the time. She has been potty trained for 2 months now all except #2. I need suggestions for that please. She refuses to go, holds it in til she bursts and bursts in her pants. She holds it for 5-7 days. How in the world can someone do that? I give her benefiber in her juice, I give her miralax after 5 days but that child does not want to go. at all. Now she starts preschool on Sept. 1st and I am excited for her. We haven't really like her class at CDO now that Mrs. Monica is leaving and the preschool thing was planned long time ago and I am pumped about it.

I will update again after the boys six month appointment on Monday.

TRIPS

check out all of our pics on facebook.

Traveling

Hey guys! So sorry for the late post and without pics. We have been super busy traveling. We made it to DC and New York and leave tonight for Hawaii. The five of us made it for July 4th to DC by ourselves and spent two weeks total gone to both DC and New York. It was great. Now Mike, Bryggen and I are headed to Hawaii leaving Griffin and Jackson behind with Bonnie. I am devastated to be away from them but know they're in good hands. I hope to post pics real soon. But we are off. Pray for safe and calm travels, pray for me and the family.

4 Months Old And Huge

Our little men are 4 months old. Yes, I said 4 months old. I can not believe it but it has happened. They are no longer newborns. Great thing about that is the sleep at night and the cute chunky legs. One of my fears for having twins was that having preemies usually means little babies. Well, not my guys. They have chunked out just like I want it. I love fat babies with rolls on their legs. And I now have two more just like their sister was. We had their check up with Dr. Carter on Friday.

Jacksons stats are:

weight 13.12 90th percentile

heights 24 1/4 75th percentile

head 16 50th percentile

Griffins stats are:

weight 13.7 90th percentile

height 23 1/2 50th percentile

head 16 50th percentile

They look great. They started some cereal and are allowed Stage 1 baby foods when I want. Yay! I am going to do that when they eat the cereal a little better. That will be soon I am sure. They love to eat.

Giving Credit

Mommy with Griffin and Daddy with Jackson in Costa Rica

Sweet Bryggen waiting to ride the swings

Sweet smile again

Jackson almost 4 mos old

Griffin almost 4 mos old

Let me just say that I do not give my guys enough credit. Of course, I praise our Lord for the blessings in our lives which include the good and the bad of everyday life. But these little guys are awesome. I know I complained last and with reason but now things are getting better. We just returned from our trip with The Slocumbs. We had a great time and never want to leave. To make this trip even better was the new routine these guys started. We have had them on an eating schedule every 4 hours for a while. They are now eating almost 6oz every 4 hours. And when we headed to the beach I gave them a tiny bit of cereal. It didn't work out well in the bottle and they are just learning to eat it so they really only eat about a 1/2 tablespoon if I am lucky. Anyways, I put them to bed the second night we were there and low and behold they slept 11 hours only waking for their passy 3 times. That continued the entire week. And two nights they slept 12 hours and only asked for their passy once or when they were waking. Now last night, back at home, they woke 6 times for their passy but still went 11 hours wo eating. Praise the Lord!!! The nights are getting better.

Now here's their daily schedule:

Wake/Eat 5-6oz w a lil cereal 6:30-7am

Nap around 8:30am

Eat 5-6oz 11am

Nap around 12:30pm

Eat 5-6oz 3pm

Nap around 5pm

Bath/Eat 5-6oz w a lil cereal 7pm

Bed around 8pm

Of course this varies some days depending and its only gone on like this for a week with the sleep because before they would wake anytime between 3:30-4am and then again 5am-6:30am. They are smiling a lot and Griffin even gets the giggles a lot. He is more vocal. He coos and giggles a lot but Jackson smiles a lot too. Griffin plays while he eats but Jackson is focused on eating. Jackson stares at me A LOT. Its so cute and so sweet but sometimes I feel bad when he is staring at me and I can't talk to him because I have Bryggen or Griffin to tend to. He is patient about it though. Both babies do well in the bath but neither baby does well in the car. Here I go again with car issues. Bryggen was the worst but these guys aren't far behind. On our ride home from the beach yesterday, I spent 95% of my time seated between them on the floor of my car. It wasn't comfortable and it makes me want a new car with a middle bench seat specifically for me. Crazy I know. But it will be a good investment if they do this as long as Bryggen did. She was awful til she was 1yr old. Plus we are loaded down in my car with stuff. Think about how much stuff 3 babies 2 and under require. This week long trip required a lot:

Double stroller

Pack N Play

Play mat

Two bags for the twins (one for clothes, etc., one for bottles and formula-3 containers)

One bag for Bryggen

One bag for me

One bag for Mike

Two beach bags (one toys, one towels)

One small cooler

One diaper bag

One small bookbag for Bryggen

One computer bag

One box of diapers (72 count and used over 50 of them)

Most of you know I drive a Cadillac Escalade but the standard model only has about 2feet of room behind the third row. We fold down half the third row to lay the stroller on it then the rest is filled to the top with luggage; the cooler and diaper bag and computer bag and stuff fill in between seats and then theres just barely enough room for my bottom to fit in between the boys captain seats. It would be nice to have a bench seat so I can sit between the boys and then it would be nice to have more room behind the third row. We are looking into things but I will not complain because this is a great problem to have.

This week is going to be interesting. I am going to start potty training Bryggen while her school is out for VBS. Tomorrow morning we are going to go pick out big girl panties and potty treats. We have a potty that sings and I am going to put that in the living room (gross I know) and have it handy to use often. I hope it works well. She seems so interested even going in the bathroom with her cousin Emery to see her go. Guess its time. Let's Go Bryggen!!!!

Need Suggestions Desperately

I am very grateful for the life that I have. I don't want to seem like I am complaining at all but there are things to complain about. I think we all always have something we can complain about so here I go. The boys are fabulous but they are obsessed with their pacifiers and I can't get a hand on them. I have night help and I don't know what I would do without it because when I do have them on my own I am up 6-7 times a night dealing with the passy. The daytime is just as bad but I am awake and have help there too so its not as bad. I have changed and tried every passy. The best ones for these guys are the Binky pacifiers. They love them and can hold them in better. I am placing them on their bellies at night now and have been doing so during the day for a while. I would love to start sleep training them to sleep through the night because they only eat once but I can't begin to do that if they cry for their passy all night. I tried to "take it away" a month ago but I think that was too soon because they screamed for an hour and wouldn't let up so I caved. We go back to Dr. Carter on June 17th so I am going to ask him for suggestions but he was the one who suggested we take it away. Guess I could try that again but I am not sure I can let them cry for an hour or more again. Please help me if anyone has a suggestion email me(heidislocumb@hotmail.com). Thanks!!!

3 Months and Counting

Bryggen holding Griffin

Jackson sitting by Bryggen

Bryggen on Easter morning in her new shades

Bryggen in her dress up clothes playing

Bryggen at Target with Mommy with her "prize" for being so well behaved

Bryggen and her brothers or as she calls them "my babies"

Jackson and Griffin 3 months old plus a few days

Griffin smiling at Mommy

Jackson smiling at Mommy

My favorite people all together

Wow! Has it really been 3 months since I had my sweet boys? I can't believe how fast time has flown. It went by fast with Bryggen but now its flying by with all three. I am such a happy mommy. I have so much support from Mike and he is just an awesome Dad. Jackson and Griffin are such precious and somewhat easy babies. Poor Bryggen had such a hard time when she was this age with colic and gas and not being able to sleep well. But these two do a lot better. No colic for us! Yay! We have small tummy issues here and there but overall our biggest problem is the passy still. I have put them on their bellies at night as well and that seems to help a lot. We still have to give them their passies a few times through the night but they eat once and usually around 4am and then we are back on schedule for the day. That seems to be the norm though it does vary some days. I still have help during the day and at night. The night help will end around the first of July but we will keep Bonnie on for good. She is amazing. Griffin and Jackson went to Bryggen's school last week for the first time and did great. I am taking them once a week just so they can get used to being away from mommy when they are old enough to realize it. They are getting chunky like their sister was. It is so cute to see them fill out. They are wearing 0-3mos and 3mos clothing right now so they are exactly where they need to be. I am not sure their exact weight but I am guessing 11-12 pounds. We don't go to the doctor til June 17th for their 4 month check up. Jackson is still bigger than Griffin and probably by a pound now. We shall see. Both eat around 5oz during the day and 4oz at 4am. Some times Jackson will take more than 5oz so I think we have a growth spurt coming along. They normally eat around 8pm and are asleep a little after 9pm, they ask for their passy around 1am-3am a few times, eat around 4am, bath at 6am and fed again around 8am and every 4 hours after. They still nap/sleep a lot so I am trying to get a schedule of that down to see the consistency. Any suggestions on how to help them sleep through the night? Or any suggestions on how to manage the passy issues? We've tried every passy and the best ones we have found are the binky passy. They do much better with those but we still have those times. Should I make them cry at this age? I tried it at 2 months old but they cried for an hour and that was long enough for me. Bryggen is still doing great though she started sucking her thumb a couple of weeks ago. Its for attention for sure but not sure why she just started. She picked it up one day and hasn't stopped. In fact, she does it a lot. I will ask the pediatrician about it when we take the boys next. I am not worried about it unless he thinks I should be. We are under way with the construction of the beach house. We are headed to the beach this weekend to work on certain things. Its been fun so far but I am anxious to have it finished (probably Oct-Nov). That was a long enough update.

I'VE BEEN RESTORED

I have regained access to my facebook and my hotmail accounts. Yay! I even figured out who hacked into my accounts. I am so thrilled and hope this doesn't happen again or to anyone else.

Update on the family to come soon.

I'VE BEEN HACKED

Hey Guys,

I hate to post this but my Facebook and Hotmail accounts were hacked. I am completely locked out of both and are starting over. If you need to find me I have a new email at slocumbheidi@yahoo.com and am starting a new FB page.

Thanks,

Heidi

2 Months And Overjoyed

Jackson, Bryggen, Mommy and Griffin

Griffin, Bryggen and Jackson

My guys turned 2 months old on Apr 14th. They are doing great. I will admit there are some days now that both guys are demanding but I knew it was coming. We still have some tummy issues that we are working out but the passy seems to be the biggest curse. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with them. Right now the guys are able to hold up their heads up and focus on things. Hopefully we will get a smile soon. We had a check up at the doctors this week that went well. Jackson (the bottom pic) weighs 10.6 and is 21 1/4 inches long. Griffin weighs 9.13 and is 21 inches long. Bryggen is still doing well with the boys. She even helps out. Overall we are getting busier and busier with them but its exciting.

Family of Five Survives

Jackson on left and Griffin on right

Griffin

Jackson

Proud Big Sister

The boys are now 7 weeks old (tomorrow) and the sleep 24/7 phase has ended. They still sleep 90% of the time but are showing signs of wakefulness. They might have an hour or two of straight wakefulness a day with small amounts at other times. We had their 1 month well ness checkup on the 25th. Griffin weighed 7.8 and Jackson 7.13. They are now eating every 4 hours and taking around 3oz. They are around the 25-50% for the adjusted age which is fabulous. Griffin is still my laid back content child. He rarely fusses. If he has a dirty diaper he might fuss and sometimes he wants his passy so he will fuss. He fusses if he has the hi-cups. But otherwise he is great. Jackson on the other hand is a little more high maintenance resembling his big sister. For example he couldn't keep his passy in his mouth from 3am on this morning. He ate at 4am and still never really settled back down. He is happier being held and doesn't require his passy then. He fusses when he wants anything and poor Griffin sleeps through most of it. Overall, they are both still pretty wonderful. They have some tummy issues/reflux issues. I hope we are getting it under control but it is sad when they aren't feeling well. We are taking the whole family to the beach next Thursday so we will see how that goes. Fortunately, my mom is going with us so she's our saving grace.

The First Month

Griffin, Jackson and Bryggen

1 month pictures: Griffin on left and Jackson on right

I can't believe they are already a month old. I am truly blessed to have these little guys in my life. We have survived well. Thanks to my sweet husband, my mom for driving us around the first week, my mother-in-law for coming to help out for the first two weeks we were home, Bonnie for working with us during the day, Phyllis for the night help and all of the people who fed us (Mary Wynn, Bonnie, Beth, Candice, Leigh, Peggy, Jana, Andrea, Katherine, Tracy, Mrs. Merrilyn, Mrs. Bonnie and Tammie).

These guys are pretty easy though. We wake them every 3 hours to change and feed them. They sleep 90% of the time only fussing for their passy or minor gas pains. Mostly the passy. Its amazing what you can do when you need to do it. Like feeding one baby while holding another and having a 2 year old sleeping on you. But that wasn't stressful at all. In fact, it was nice. I'm trying to prepare for the craziness to hit but am soaking it all up while I can.

My kids: Bryggen, Jackson, Griffin and Lille. I'm so blessed and I thank God every day.

G-Dub after his first bath.

Griffin, G-Dub, getting his first bath.

J-Man after his first bath.

J-Man, Jackson, during his first bath.