Tag: Zach

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Babies

World Prematurity Day

November 17th, today, is world prematurity day. I remember seeing preemie mom posts last year & reading the March of Dimes tweets of facts while I sat newly pregnant with multiples wondering where we’d be next year.

I’m so thankful that this November 17th arrived with two healthy babies sleeping the best they have in weeks. They were born six weeks early & are considered late preemies. But preemies no less.

Im thankful to the steroid shots I received at 32w1d & 32w2d right after Zach’s water broke. I help attribute those shots to the fact Zach’s lungs worked perfectly & that Lucy only spent one day on a bubble CPAP machine.

So many preemie parents are so nervous, afraid for their babies. I was calm. Anxious but calm. And thankful.

I’d dreamed of birthing my babies & having them immediately placed on me. I learned that wouldn’t happen with my preemies. I was lucky though. While Zach was whisked right off to the NICU, I held him & was able to put him to breast within ten hours of his birth. It would’ve been sooner, but I was busy laboring with Lucy for 8.5 of those hours. With Lucy, I held her for a minute in the birthing room then later that day in the NICU.

All the tubes & wires couldn’t keep us from getting & giving as many snuggles as possible. Hard to remember them this tiny & yet I know I’ll never forget.

Our little 4lb2oz Zach with his IV, feeding tube & monitoring wires on day two of life.
Our 6lb Lucy girl with her bubble CPAP, IV, feeding tube & monitoring wires on her day two.

Please check out & support March of Dimes & the WHO on the World Prematurity Day.

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Babies

Happy Halloween 2012

Happy {super late} Halloween from my strawberry {Lucy & my banana {Zach}.

Lucy girl all dressed & ready to go {in my aunt’s arms & giving me a ‘what’s going on, Mom?’ look}!
This photo captures Zach’s personality to a tee!

Their daycare had them dress up & we sticker treated from room to room. Jason, my aunt & I went to carry the babies around. And take lots of photos!

Our strawberry & her Daddy in the daycare classroom.
Zach the banana & headless me in the middle of Sticker Treating.

They did great & Zach got warm & comfy enough that he slept through the last rooms in my arms.

Our first family photo in way too long! Happy first Halloween babies!

 I changed them back into their costumes once we got home from daycare expecting trick-or-treater to arrive. We hadn’t had any by 7p. Of course once I got them into {non-Halloween themed} pjs, a group from our neighborhood stopped by. Oh well! I’m looking forward to us joining the neighborhood group for 2013 trick-or-treating!

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Babies

Zach: Five Months

Our Zach has had a cold/runny nose/cough for weeks now thanks to daycare. But you’d never know it by his near constant smile. Tongue out, wide gummy grin. He’s beginning to be more vocal now too. Zach has a softer voice than Lucy, but its worth listening closely for, as are his giggles. He’s quite willing to smile at everyone. And bat those to-die-for lashes. He’s going to be quite the lady killer.

Zach loves to be held. He will look around constantly taking everything in. He’ll only lay his head down on you when he’s sleepy. Standing is his favorite activity. He’ll do squats like he might be a future weight lifter. 🙂 He’s great at reverse push ups during tummy time but hasn’t yet figured out how to roll from back to belly or vice versa.

Zach is our night owl & has been sleeping in the rock-n-play in our room. It sits him up which helps him breath through the sniffles better. He won’t nap in a crib at daycare either. He crashes on the floor or swing or this turtle thing for hours long naps.

He’s continued to wake about every 4-5 hours to nurse. Our breastfeeding relationship is still going well. He usually finishes his 4 oz bottles for daycare but sometimes leaves an ounce behind. He’s still taking zantac morning & evening for reflux which seems to really help.

Zach is in 0-3 or 3 mo clothes. Carter’s fits him well because he’s still a narrow lil dude. We’re guessing he’s around 12 pounds. He can still wear the kissaluv size 0 fitteds & XS covers although he’s in AIO or pocket cloth diapers at daycare. Overnight he’s still fitting in size 1 Huggies naturals.

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Babies

My TW INS

I found & purchased these onesies off etsy while in the hospital on bed rest. I’d almost forgotten about them when my Mom & I discovered them still unworn last weekend.

After both spit up on their then outfits, Mom pulled these out last Sunday. At size 0-3 months, we squeezed Lucy’s on while Zach fit into his perfectly.

Fifty photos taken & never got smiles from both at the same time. But so fun trying!

Life with these two truly means double the grins & double the giggles!

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Babies Photography

Zach: Four Months

Zachy poo is still our little guy. At his four month appt this week, we learned he’s still not quite on the growth charts for weight for his age. Our pediatrician isn’t concerned since he’s gaining weight well & following his own growth curve. Zach now weighs 11lb 7oz {which is almost triple his birth weight}. He did make the chart for height though! At 23.5 inches, he’s around the 15th percentile. Definitely our lil bean pole.

We’ll continue to fortify his pumped breastmilk bottles for daycare with a teaspoon of preemie formula. He’s taking bottles fairly well for daycare. We feel like his reflux is getting better but daycare has laughingly mentioned him being a lil high maintenance {we think due to him taking breaks & needing to be burped multiple times a feeding}. Our breastfeeding relationship has been awesome lately. He’s doing great there.

Zach loves his wubbanub. So much so that we’ve recently bought back ups. So now he has a tiger & a monkey to suck on. You’ll be pressed to find a photo of him where the wubba isn’t close by.

He goes down great around 8-10p & likes to sleep on his side.  Zach’s yet to completely sleep through the night, but for the most part, I’ve gotten to enjoy he & I’s quiet time nursing around 330a. We’ve gotten it down pat: disposable diaper change, nursing, him sitting up/burping while I pump, then both of us back to sleep for another hour or two or three {my dream!}.

Zach is our tummy time champ. With a boppy under him, he’s holding his head & chest up looking around. He likes the bouncy seat, play mat & the little swings at daycare too. But his teachers say & we know that he likes to be held best. And with his gummy tongue out smile or tiny pouty lip & batting those long eyelashes, we will gladly plop him in our laps or next to us in a boppy. Or his favorite is standing & squatting while we hold him up. The doctor was impressed with this development skill of his.

I recently gave up squeezing him into NB clothes & packed those up for his two sets of to-be twin boy friends. He’s now wearing 0-3 clothes well, Carters skinny 3 month fit great & he’s growing into some 3-6 outfits of which onesies can act like shorts too.

We’ve kept Zach in Huggies Natural diapers at night but he wears cloth diapers during the day. Skinny sized AppleCheeks diapers {review to come soon!} & our two Itti Bitti diapers fit our lil guy so well.