Three Months

It is hard to believe that Bennett & Eliza are three months old! And actually will turn four months at the very end of this week. It has been the fastest three months of my life. Will and I go back and forth saying to each other, “I can’t wait for them to be big enough to _______” to “I don’t want them to get bigger!” Keeping up with monthly updates of them on the blog isn’t something I can accomplish, but I can give posting three month re-caps of their sweet little lives an honest attempt. I’m not exactly sure the direction of this blog, but I still feel called to it- more on that in an upcoming post that I need to sit down and write! So I’ll test out the waters with this post and see how it is received. Every three months also doesn’t seem like it will be oversharing or over posting about B & E. I’m hoping to create a good balance.

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This past weekend we dedicated them at our church. I did not realize how much joy this day would bring us. To stand up in front of our congregation, with our entire family present, holding OUR babies and dedicating them to God was powerful. I wish I could have held a sign for all of the people seated walking through infertility that said, “I understand how this might hurt your heart more than you know. This did not come easy for us. One day this will be you!”

Months 1-3:

Bennett: After days full of crying, and getting through lots of tummy issues we are finally in a good little groove with Bennett! Once three months hit, things just changed. Out of the two, he is the more demanding one. However, he has the silliest little grin and when he is happy, we are all happy! I have a feeling he will be our entertainer. He is so much fun to play with and he thinks I am hilarious, who doesn’t like to be around someone who thinks you’re funny? When he is awake, he is constantly moving and loves kicking his legs. He has also turned into such a good sleeper. He loves (and NEEDS) his naps. The second I put him down, his eyes are shut. He wakes up with a huge smile. We are always trying to figure out exactly who he looks like. He got his blue (very dark blue) eyes from Will, but other than that he resembles my side of the family, at least for right now.

Eliza: She is the prettiest, sweetest little girl. We had some trial and error with Eliza’s reflux before finally finding the right fit/combination of formula and medication. Out of the two, she is the more even keeled child. She doesn’t seem to mind that her brother often gets held more when it’s just the three of us at home. She is, for the most part, content and happy. Her smile will melt your heart. However, this girl has got some lungs. She is harder to console than her brother. With Bennett, you have to figure out what he doesn’t like, fix it for him, and he’s good. With Eliza, good luck. She isn’t the best sleeper/napper, and fights her sleep often. She can, however, sleep anywhere- a recent Easter egg hunt and the baby dedication both perfect examples or her snooze anywhere capabilities. She has the sweetest little voice and is much quieter than her brother, who is very loud! She loves to be held and is such the snuggler. She looks a lot like I did as a baby, but she has her Daddy’s pretty blue eyes and nose. Out of the two, I think her looks will be a better combination of Will and me. She has always been bigger than her brother (even at each ultrasound) but not by much. We are always trying to figure out what color her hair will end up being, I’m thinking it’s on its way to lightening up to match her blonde eyebrows and lighter lashes.

They both smiled at 8 weeks. Started sleeping through the night at 11 weeks. We transitioned to cribs when they turned 3 months, and it’s trickier than I thought, especially after having a nice two weeks of them sleeping through the night. But we are getting there and staying consistent with it. They are both sleeping very long chunks, it’s those last two hours from 5-7 a.m. that they aren’t always sleeping through. At three months, they have started to recognize my face and Will’s face. And they have finally noticed each other! It is THE sweetest thing to see them smile at one another. They have found their tongues, can’t stop putting their fists in their mouths, and are blowing drooly bubbles. They have been swatting at objects hanging from their play mat, and are just now starting to grab and hold them. Tummy Time. It’s a work in progress! Eliza does just fine, but Bennett is not a fan.

Having them on a schedule is key. I know this from all of the twin mom advice I received, so I’m not saying anything new here or reinventing the wheel! This means they eat and sleep at the same scheduled time. I put together a list of my top ten items that we have used daily/weekly/often during their first three months that have made life with twins easier. Some we have used from day one and some we recently started using. I thought this list might be helpful for any expectant mom of twins! Or anyone looking for a gift for an expectant twin mom!

In no particular order, month 1-3 must haves:

1. Fisher Price Auto Rock N Play: We LOVE our rock n plays! After chatting with many moms, this was the number one recommended baby gear item to register for. We have two. Get the auto rocker. We set both up in our living room the first few weeks during the day when visitors stopped over to meet the babies. They were easy take from room-to-room. And at night they moved to the guest room with me where the babies slept next to the bed. We haven’t fully transitioned out of them yet. B&E still take their naps in them.
2. Twin Z Pillow: A boppy for twins! We travel to play dates at friend’s houses with this pillow. It is awesome. When it is just me at home, I prop them on this pillow and feed them both at the same time.
3. Baby Brezza Sterilizer: When you are washing 16 bottles a day, you need a sterilizer. We didn’t run our dishwasher enough to keep up with the amount of bottles that needed to be sterilized a day- paper plates and cups were our fine china! We use this all the time. The bottle usage has been cut in half these days (8 bottles a day, Praise Jesus!) but we still put it to use. It is super easy to do!
4. Halo Sleep Sack Gift Set: When the babies first came home, they did not weigh enough to fit into these so we used swaddle blankets. Once these fit though, we immediately switched. For someone who isn’t that great at swaddling (that would be me) these work perfect and keep the babies snug and secure. The sleep sack swaddles are my favorite, but Eliza would tell you she loves just the sack so she can sleep with her arms up above her head.
5. Angel Dear Bear Lovey: You can never have enough lovies, right? Melissa gave B&E each a bear lovey (pink for baby girl and blue for baby boy) and they just love these so much. Both babies like to snuggle and hold something, once I found Bennett snuggling a burp cloth, so these also get packed up and go with us everywhere. They are the softest and a great size.
6. Johnson’s Hand and Face Wipes: These smell like heaven. Buy them.
7. Skip Hop Grand Central Diaper Bag: Do you want to know something fascinating that exists on YouTube? How to pack a diaper bag/what’s in my diaper bag/diaper bag comparison videos. I could not take my eyes off of them. One night, Will said “Babe you’re still watching these diaper bag videos?” Needless to say after all my research on the perfect twin diaper bag (which all seemed like the size of a suitcase to me) My friend Rian found this at Babies R Us for me. And I really like it!
8. Avent Free Flow Pacifier: We are a pacifier house. These are our favorites. Along with the Twin Z pillow, and the lovies, we do not leave the house or any room in the house without them.
9. Motorola Video Monitor
10. Fisher Price Kick and Play Piano Gym: We love this new toy! After a recent play date with their little buddy who had one, I thought they would both really love kicking the piano. I used the last bit of an Amazon GC from their Uncle Beau and purchased it. They both go crazy kicking the piano, and also really like the toys that hang down. These seem to hang lower than the ones on the other play mat they have so they can actually reach them and grab them.

 

*God Gave Me You onesie from The Light Blonde

*Photography by Claire Town