15 Months Old posted late

Stella,

Another month has passed and you're another month older. I can't believe what a big girl you are now. You're a little better at listening this month than last, but are still a little wild woman. You are following simple directions more consistently and respond better when we tell you "no". You're repeating a lot but so much is jibber jabber that it's hard to decipher the real words in there. I need to get a video of your "talking" because it's so cute and nearly constant. You have a LOT to say! Your sleeping hasn't improved a ton this month although you had ONE night where you slept all night long and I even had to wake you to nurse before I had to leave that morning. You generally are up once a night, but some nights are worse than others. I was convinced you were cutting your canines on the top earlier this month and then they went away and your crankiness improved, without any new teeth. My new thing is worrying about your bottom tooth. You have 3/4 of your bottom teeth and I recently learned your Aunt Charlotte also doesn't have that tooth. So now I'll worry until it appears...or not. You are going through a huge mama phase and cry a lot of the times I pass you off to others, even Daddy. I had to stop dropping you in the childcare area at the YMCA because they would come get me since you were crying so much. It's a bummer, but I'm hoping a little time will solve that problem and we can try again. Your eating is hit or miss and you still love meat. You love dairy although it definitely makes your reflux worse. With your cold we actually had to increase your reflux meds this month because you seemed uncomfortable a lot and weren't eating as well. You are down to one nap a day and usually nap at the same time as your sisters. You nap anywhere from 2-3 hours most days and I love that down time when everyone is sleeping. It's so nice when the house is so quiet, although it never seems to last long enough. You have such a big personality and add so much to our family. I just love you little Stella.

crazy girl

Looking at the trees at the tree farm

The only Santa she would go near

Not so sure about him...

Accidental twinning with Mama

Christmas Eve 

She wanted to carry her stocking just like her sisters did. 

More twinning 

I'll jump on any breastfeeding bandwagon. These pics were going around social media so I made one for us too. 

5 months old

Stella,

I can't believe you're five months old already! You're growing and changing so much and definitely aren't that same squishy baby we brought home 5 months ago. You're officially rolling both ways now and are so proud of yourself when you do. We've started focusing more on sitting and helping you practice that and you're already getting better. You've almost grown out of all of your three month clothes and I was a little sad you barely even wore some things. Your sisters fit in 0-3 month clothes for a long time. You're generally very happy and smile at everyone. Your face lights up so huge when you see your sisters. They're so good at helping to bring you toys or talk to you when you're being fussy. You're getting really great at grabbing things and pulling them to your mouth and you love to pull my hair any chance you get. We're still working through the hearing and reflux issues, but hopefully will have that figured out soon. You had a few great weeks when we first upped your reflux meds but lately it seems to be bothering you again. I tried a protein shake that you really didn't like and you started waking 3-4 times a night to comfort nurse. I'm glad I figured out the problem. You're generally up once, maybe twice a night to eat. You are still sleeping in our bed in the Dock a Tot, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Since you're still waking at night to eat and likely my last baby I like having you close. You nap about 4-5 times during the day and have a pretty good routine/schedule. You are a pretty relaxed baby that is willing to hang out as long as you are a part of the action or can see what is going on. I can't believe next month you will be half of the way to a year old! Time can slow down whenever. 

I was sleeping next to her until her sisters woke up. 

Taking a break during our car trip. 

Snoozing

Someone found the tubing to my pump. 

Lucy "reading" to her sister. 

Play date with twin boys Sam and Jackson. 

Cool kids

L & C Update

Lucy and Clara are now 28 months old. For the first two years I was great about doing monthly updates. Once Stella arrived that became more difficult. The thing is, they're still growing and changing so much and I don't want to forget what they were like during this time. 

•Clara has really exploded with her language in the past month or so. She's finally using her words more than gestures or whining and it's wonderful. Everyone is so much happier and less frustrated. She tends to be hard to understand at times. 

•Lucy is also talking more and is regularly coming up with 4 and 5 word sentences on her own. She's pretty easy to understand. 

•The only way to get the girls to go up and down our stairs at home without holding a hand or complaining is to have them pretend to be monkeys. They make loud monkey sounds the entire time. 

•The girls drink so well from open cups now so that's all we use. We also switched to booster seats and we are all eating at the dining room table instead of the kitchen. I'd like to say we don't need bibs anymore, but Clara does. She such a messy eater and often has full sensory experiences with her meals prior to eating them.  

•Lucy is totally potty trained and only wears diapers overnight. Even though she's dry every morning she still prefers to wear one at night. Clara pees on the potty every time but has had a few poop accidents. Not fun :(

•Lucy is very insistent on doing things by herself. She often has to redo something I've just done if she didn't do it independently. It takes her forever to do some things! 

•I feel like a referee quite regularly as the girls fight like good sisters as I like to say. If we get two of something that's the same, they'll find a way to fight over them. If we only get one, they fight. If we get two that are different, they'll fight. You probably get the point. The sweet moments are there, but some days they seem quite few and far between all the fighting. 

•Lucy hasn't been very good in the car since we went to Albany over New Year's Eve. She always has something to complain about and it's not very fun. 

•Clara still loves books and monkeys. She's accumulated at least five different monkey stuffed animals in the past few months. 

•The girls love the baby and anything new we get for her. We recently borrowed a bumbo seat and they're constantly trying to sit in it. They really love the baby so much and will talk to her and make her smile or talk. 

•We finally weaned both girls off of Prevacid for acid reflux. It seemed like it a took a little adjusting, but they're fine. 

•Lucy has both of her two year molars on the bottom and Clara has a half of one on the bottom. My girls  are always slow to get teeth, so of course these will be slow too. 

•Clara has finally figured out how to jump. It took her quite a while and my mom got them a trampoline for Christmas. Lucy would coach her and say, "Two feet Claka, two feet", or "bend knees Claka". It  was so cute and funny. 

•The girls do gymnastics on Tuesdays, music on Wednesdays, and swimming on Fridays. We usually got to the library or story time at least once a week as well. I'm also hoping to check out a MOPS group this week.

•The baby dolls are still by far the favorite toys. They're starting to get into the Duplo blocks they got for Christmas and Lucy is getting pretty good at 24 piece puzzles. They both love doing puzzles. 

•I have no idea where they got it, but all of a sudden they would say, "Two daddy, two daddy" and each say that a few times taking turns going back and forth and then eventually correct to saying "One daddy" a few times. I teased W about what he was telling them when I wasn't around. They've been obsessed with the number two for a while. 

Well, that's the quick and easy summary of what my girls are up to. Does this sound like your two year old?

Hearing Loss

This past monday we went back to have Stella's hearing tests repeated to try to get more accurate results and see if anything has changed. The first time we went she wasn't very cooperative for the test that she was supposed to be asleep for (ABR=Auditory Brainstem Response testing).  

This time she did sleep so we obtained more information, especially regarding her left ear. After the testing the audiologist shared the results with me. 

Once again, Stella had an absent response for the OAE. She had a flat tympanogram and high thresholds for the ABR, meaning things need to be fairly loud for her to hear them. Stella's hearing loss is currently classified as a mild-moderate conductive loss consistent with middle ear fluid. The audiologist referred us to see an ENT. 

One of the Drs he recommended had great availability and we were able to see him on Wednesday. He may have been one of the cutest Drs ever (bonus!) and our appointment was fairly quick and easy. He again repeated the tympanogram and said it's likely fluid that Stella has affecting her hearing. He said she will not likely need hearing aids once the fluid resolves, but time will tell. He wanted to wait 6 weeks before seeing Stella again. If she still has the failed tympanogram he wants to put her under anesthesia and bring her into an OR. At that time they will likely place tubes. He said they would also do a complete ABR as well to get specific results about her hearing abilities in both ears since she will be asleep. 

When I asked about the congestion and gagging he seemed to think a lot of it was related to reflux. He thought we should see a pediatric GI Dr as her reflux is a an "underlying issue" likely impacting the fluid in her ears. 

So, we have the next 6 weeks to try to get the reflux more under control. We tried switching to Prevacid which works differently and is supposed to be stronger, but it went horribly. It was like it didn't work at all and she went back to screaming most of the day. Currently she's on Zantac twice a day and while I feel like it takes the edge off (she's not screaming in pain all day) she still has quite a few reflux symptoms. We went through a few days last week where she didn't want to eat (likely from the pain of reflux) and was going 4-5 hrs between daytime feedings. She wakes up so congested most mornings I have to suction her, and she has the most sensitive gag reflex I've ever seen. Even though it's a ways off, I'm concerned it will affect her eating of solid foods if we don't get it under control. I'm reluctant to switch meds as it went so poorly last time, but don't feel like what's she's on is doing the trick. I did some reading yesterday and found that reflux is very common in these kiddos with fluid in their ears and that some of the fluid was found to be stomach acid when studied. 

If anyone has any experience with tubes in infants, feel free to share your experience. I'd love to hear more as I don't feel like this is hugely common. 

Updates and Stella at 2 Months

Life is crazy with three kids aged two and under. Since I lasted posted it's has been a whirlwind. L & C are currently potty training. They go completely bottomless at home and just wear loose fitting pants  when we go places. We had been giving them peanut m&m's every time they went on the potty but quickly had to switch to mini m&m's. Good thing they like all things "baby" and get even more excited about their tiny treat. I have to laugh because that wouldn't be my reaction to the situation, haha. Both girls are taking a lot more. Lucy, or "You You You" as she refers to herself, is stringing two and three word sentences together regularly. She talks a lot and is pretty clear and easy to understand most times. Clara, or "Claka" as she calls herself is also using more words. Unfortunately, she still relies on whining quite a bit. W and are constantly reminding her to use her words, but she's a very emotional little girl. The girls copy each other constantly and if one does something the other has to as well. That's part of why the potty training is going so well. That are always encouraging each other and both want the reward of course. Lucy continues to process auditory information at an amazing speed and W and I joke that she's already smarter than us. It's tough for Clara because if you ask them both a question Lucy usually answers before Clara has time to fully process it. Clara is more like a typical two year old in that regard. She's usually happy to let Lucy take charge though. Lucy loves playing with her babies and is very helpful with Stella. We're always reminding her that some jobs are only for mommy and daddy. I swear she thinks she's the grown up in charge half the time. Clara continues to love her books. She'll sit and let pretty much anyone read her a book. She has her favorites, and she's also super into monkeys lately. We've been getting a lot of books from the library about monkeys and she loves any monkey stuffed animal. Clara also loves baby Stella and is always trying to talk to her and get her to smile or coo to her. Both girls love when Stella blows bubbles with her mouth and they get so excited about it. It's so cute. They are such good big sisters who are rarely jealous.

Stella turned 2 months old on the third

All my girls in matching outfits that my friend bought them. 

Helping daddy give Stella her first bottle.

Showing off their sweaters their Grandma knit for them. 

Getting their nails painted by Pop Pop.

Three across. 

Reading books with Grandpa Scott on Thanksgiving. 

Snuggles for baby Stella. 

That's an interesting use for breast pump pieces!

As for Stella, she's now 9 pounds 11 ounces and quickly growing out of clothes that L & C didn't fit in to for what feels like forever. The combination of being a full term baby and likely my last makes it feel like it's going by that much faster. Stella, or "Stella-Lella", and "Lellie" as I often call her sleeps about 6 hours at night. She's not a super easy or relaxed baby and I think her reflux has a lot to do with that. We tried increasing her Zantac and have just switched to Prevacid to see if it works better. Her crying and discomfort have definitely decreased, but she still sounds congested a lot. 

Relating to the congestion likely is her hearing abilities. Stella failed her newborn screening twice in the hospital and then again a week later when we followed up. This meant we got a referral to an audiologist for more involved testing. Initially I really didn't feel like she was hearing us or startling to sounds. She's improved there and will turn when she hears our voices, but she once again failed the same test (absent responses on the OAE and a flat tympanogram). The ABR testing showed that she is hearing and the nerve and cochlea are likely intact and functioning well. They weren't able to get a full reading of her hearing abilities on that test because she was supposed to sleep and really wouldn't for long. I even wore her for part of it but she kept rubbing off the electrodes or waking up during testing. The audiologist was very patient and we were there for over two hours. Her results on that test were consistent with fluid in her ears. The audiologist said he was able to visualize her eardrums and there were no signs of infection.  It's likely just fluid that hasn't resolved from her birth. That paired with the congestion from reflux encouraged me to increase her dose of the reflux medication. The tube that drains your ears is in the back of your throat and much flatter in children (making it harder to drain). It makes sense if she refluxing all the time it's either causing her ears to have a hard time draining or adding to the congestion in her ears. We go back in another month to retest and if the results are the same we will get a referral to an ENT. 

Prior to increasing her reflux meds I hired a lactation consultant. This person said her grassiness and fussiness was likely from an upper lip tie and her difficulty latching well because of it. She said she was likely swallowing a lot of air and not eating very efficiently. I knew the lip tie was there and was something we'd have to deal with at some point, but decided to take her to have it lasered since it was the end of the year and we've met our deductibles. Apparently, she was also a little tongue tied so that was also lasered. The dentist quickly did the procedures and I nursed immediately after. I was given stretches to do with her and sent on my way. Unfortunately, there wasn't a ton of follow up from the lactation consultant after that apart from telling me I needed to be patient with her and to try and relax. Unfortunately those things didn't help any and she's still clicking her tongue/smacking her lips a lot when she eats. This is discouraging and frustrating to me because it's uncomfortable. I guess breastfeeding will never be "easy" for me. I think I figured by this point we'd have that stuff ironed out. It makes me think if I can't help myself with nursing problems, how could I ever help others?

Apart from the reflux Stella really is a sweet baby. She started smiling and cooing shortly after we had her lip tie lasered. I think it did help some with her mood, but just not as much as I had hoped. I feel like the reflux is really one of our main underlying issues. She loves watching her sisters and when they talk to her she smiles at them frequently. She loves the ring sling I bought and almost immediately falls asleep in it every time. She's so snuggly and sweet in there and I absolutely love wearing her. It's something I feel like I missed out on a bit with the girls. You just can't wear twins like you can a single baby. She's so strong and stands up on her feet. This is one of our best burping techniques currently. She still likes her pacifier but has a crazy strong and unpredictable gag reflex. Sometimes she takes the pacifier like it's the best thing ever and other times she gags, wretches, and acts like it's poison. She found her hands and often has them in her mouth all covered with drool. Her eyes are really blue and she still has quite a bit of dark brown hair. I think he eyes will stay blue.

I tell the girls to put things at her feet (rather than on her face). Guess they got a little carried away. 

Stella's Thanksgiving outfit. 

Always with the tongue. 

Such a sweet and snuggly baby. 

As for me, life is crazy. We celebrated Thanksgiving at home with my dad and then went to my moms for a second meal for dinner. My c section incision became infected a few weeks after Stella's birth and I had to go back to my OB multiple times and take antibiotics. I had a tooth that needed a crown and then a root canal. I haven't had much time for myself and W is working on being able to take care of all three girls alone. I'm going out for the first night tonight and leaving him with all three. It's tough to feel like I always have someone with me or attached to me. I'm definitely in high demand. I love it and wouldn't change it for the world, but it can be exhausting at times. I'm hoping to find some time for yoga or some exercise for myself soon. Even though I've lost most of the weight I gained with Stella things really don't sit and look the same. The "shelf" above my c section incision looks worse having had two surgeries but I try not to focus on that. My body also gave birth to three children in two years. We get out of the house most days and L & C are currently doing soccer and gymnastics. We also go to story time at the library most weeks. We've signed up for music classes again starting in January and I'm really looking forward to that.

Life certainly is crazy and I'd love to make more time for writing and this blog. I do love that I have this space that I can come to and write whenever I want or need to though. It's nice to know it'll always be here waiting for me. Whether the people will still be waiting here to read is another story. I remind myself that I write for me and to document these days that would otherwise be forgotten in detail.