One Month Already!?

Yesterday on 10/13/11 my sweet babies turned ONE MONTH OLD! I know I will say this every month, but I cannot believe how fast this month has flown by. In this short month we transitioned from a family of 3 to a family of 5. We have worked on a schedule and remembered so many things that we thought we had forgotten about taking care of newborns. We have adjusted to life on a few hours of sleep at a time, and I have learned (nearly mastered) the art of nursing two babies at once.  It has been an amazing month and we have loved watching our tiny babies grow and thrive. At least once a day Stuart or I will ask the other if it is really for real that we have TWO new babies. We are getting use to the idea that they are ours and here to stay.

A few stats about The Duo:

Weights: (as of 10/4/11)
Shepard- 5lbs. 10 oz (up from 5lbs. 1oz. at birth)
Sara Kate- 6lbs. 6 oz. (up from 5 lbs. 11oz. at birth)

Lengths: (as of 10/4/11)
Shepard: 19 inches (up from 17 at birth)
Sara Kate: 20 inches (up from 18 at birth)

Diaper Size:
Shepard: Newborn
Sara Kate: Newborn

Clothing Size:
Shepard: Newborn (still a little big- wears some preemie)
Sara Kate: Newborn (still a little big)

Sleep:
Both wake every three hours during the day to eat. Sometimes we do have to wake them to eat. At night they are stretching it out about 4 to 4.5 hours. Once one wakes at night to eat we wake the other to keep them on the same schedule.

Eating:
Both are nursing very well. They have gotten very good at tandem nursing which cuts our feeding time in half and we are all learning as we go along. They will take a bottle if they need to and I am able to pump if we are going to be away from home or for Stuart to help with the night time feedings. This has been great and they have shown no signs of confusion from one to the other. This makes me feel better about the idea of pumping once I have to go back to work.


Shepard Randall:
Shep is our little laid back fella. He does not cry much unless he is hungry. When he is hungry WATCH OUT. He can get very loud. He is a little smaller than his sister, but we are working hard to get him to catch up. He has taken a little longer to learn to latch on and feed but he gets better everyday. Don't get me wrong- he eats, but his sister is a ferocious eater so he just seems a little more timid when it comes time to eat.  He can sleep swaddled or not. During wake time he is always wide eyed and looking around like he is taking it all in. He is such a sweetie and we just love to snuggle him and watch him discover his new surroundings.

Our  Shepard- 1 MONTH OLD.

Sara Kate:
Sara Kate is our little drama mama. She is our expert eater and lets you know when it is time to eat! She does not cry often unless she is hungry- but sometimes she just wants a little love. She is super snugly and is getting really good at holding her head up- getting stronger everyday. She does not mind her hair bows, but does not like to be naked. She screams during diaper changes and baths. She likes to be covered up (like her momma).  She does not enjoy wake time as much as her brother, but does not mind tummy time. We have not done much tummy time just yet, but when we do she does not seem to mind. She is an adorable little bundle and I am enjoying the whole idea of hair bows and accessories. We love her so much and love that she has two brothers that love her very much too.

Sweet Sara Kate- 1 MONTH OLD

 They are such a joy and having two really is double fun. It is so much fun watching them interact and I am trying to soak them in and enjoy each day because I know they are going to be big before we know it. Seeing Clark with them has only reminded us just how fast they grow. It really does seem like yesterday when he was this size.

 I had so much fun taking these one month pictures and I might have taken about 50 so here are a few more to enjoy!  (PS- they are wearing stickers on their onsies. They are from a company called Sticky Bellies and I think they are super cute and each month is different. I did not have these with Clark so I am hoping by having these I will be able to remember to take a photo each month to watch them as they grow- we will see!)

This makes me laugh. They look like they are saying "Really Mom!"

I just love her little crossed legs.