Pictures: 8 week old "monkey" pictures - Emma, Kendall and Clark. Aunt Karen with all three on her birthday (and Easter and also the day UT men's basketball was on and the babies were decked out in their Vol-wear). Aunt Marsha, cousin Marshall and Clark a couple of weeks ago.
Now that Troy is back to work full-time, I really need to say it again that I am incredibly thankful for those who have been able to help with the babies. Of course, we are so thankful for ALL of the help and the thoughtful things that people have done for us throughout the last 5 weeks at home. Right now though, it is so important to have someone here to help during feeding times as it is virtually impossible for one person to handle all three (at least at this age), so I just wanted to say "thank you SOOOO much". And please let us know if you are interested in coming over to hold babies and help during a feeding time (kimlouis@comcast.net).
We have finally worked into a "schedule" of sorts where we try to feed them at 10-2-6 (am and pm). This makes it easier to arrange for help to be here with me (assuming that Troy is not available). The babies have also been able to stay asleep for longer stretches overnight which means that Mommy & Daddy get a better opportunity for sleep too. We aren't getting 8-10 hours, don't worry. But it's nice to get more than 2 hours. :)
Kendall appears to be over 8 lbs. We won't know her exact weight until their next appointment in a couple of weeks. She is doing well, though it seems that she has hit a fussy stage. We think it has more to do with the switch to the new formula as her tummy adjusts....or that is what we HOPE is going on. She is still so alert and aware of things around her (when she is actually awake) and loves to spend time on the activity mat and also her Tummy Time mat (thanks Sharon A). She had her first sleepover at Aunt Karen's house Friday night and did pretty well. Personally, I think she was just glad to have some time alone to be held and cuddled.
Emma continues to have her fussy times as well and she is also still the loudest. We are just so thankful when she is content to just cuddle (another reason that baby help is so important as it's hard to cuddle with her as much as she may like since she has a brother and a sister also waiting). A couple of us have decided that she thinks she is an only child. Often when they are together (on the activity mat, etc), she tends to turn away from the other two sort of in an effort to deny their existence and therefore get more time in with whoever might be playing with the group at the time. She is a real charmer though when she isn't crying. She loves to look at the bright quilts that Auntie Katherine made and she is fascinated by the monkey stuffed animal (used for taking their pictures in order to see how they grow over time). She is still the smallest of the three, though she has been eating the most lately and proving to be quite skilled at burping these days.
Clark is still too cute with his little grunts and his big happy eyes. He also loves to cuddle with anyone who will put the fussy girls down to hold him. He too is very alert and loves to look at toys, the quilts and just stare at whoever is holding him at the time (especially Daddy). I am wondering if he is realizing that the girls are pulling the attention toward themselves with all of the crying because he's been pretty fussy lately as well. He is usually still the patient one when it's time to eat and he is STILL getting bumped because he doesn't fuss the loudest. We also think he has moved up and over the 8 lb mark, but again, we can't confirm for another two weeks.
Mommy and Daddy continue to work to stay calm during those crying fits - especially when more than one baby is involved. Rumor has it that some of the fussiness can sort of come to an end around 4 mos - or it can turn into more crying over other issues. We are hoping for the first option. And we also look forward to the new things that the babies continue to surprise us with each day. We've been turning on music in their room during the early part of the day (either kids CD or radio stations that offer "flashback" music) and try to get the kids awake and smiling with our singing and dancing. Troy is really looking forward to making goofy faces and getting a response. Right now, the babies tend to just stare at him blankly when he does those things (sort of like Mommy does).
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. Time for me to go get started on another round of bottles.
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