Whose Baby?

As I said in my last post, Lucy hasn't been feeling well this week. As a result, we've seen a lot of testing boundaries and not listening. The other night she was hovering over Stella's face and not listening about giving Stella some space. I gave her a warning and started to count. I told her if she didn't give Stella space she was headed to time out. After all, we don't want Stella to get sick too. 

Well, she didn't listen or back up so headed right to time out. As she was sitting there, she cried out "My baby too!" I guess Lucy thought I should do a better job sharing Stella. I love how much she loves her baby. 

Mama's Milk

I've been pumping every morning for the past few months to have a little frozen stash. I know I really won't need that milk, but it's nice to know I have it and can rely on it. It also means I rarely have to pump if I miss a feeding here or there. L&C see me pump and help bring me the pieces in the morning. We often talk about "mama's milk". Most nights with dinner the girls get milk to drink. We often offer them the choice of mama's milk or cow's milk. Although Lucy has tried my milk a few times, she never seemed to like it. Clara, on the other hand, loves it. 

Most days I'll only let Clara drink a few ounces since I only pump about 5-7 ounces after feeding Stella in the morning. I want to freeze some of it after all. 

Last week W brought home a low grade cold. As a result, I started pushing the beast milk for Clara. Saturday night Lucy woke up feeling awful. She coughed so hard it made her vomit, her nose was running like a fountain, and she was running a fever. 

Since then I've pretty much been giving Clara all the milk I pump in the morning. And? She still not sick...yet. Haha. 

It is interesting that Clara generally gets sick first between my girls. After all, she was my sicker preemie. She's always sick for a few days before passing it on to Lucy. 

 I'm not saying my milk will keep her from getting sick completely, but I definitely can see a difference. She has a bit of a cough, but no runny nose, fever, or misery like Lucy. 

It's amazing to me that when I've told a few people that Clara likes my milk they think it's weird or gross. Drinking the milk of another species is much weirder if you ask me! She's not nursing, but getting all the benefits. The best part? When Stella doesn't finish a bottle we know it won't go to waste. Instead, Clara happily finishes it. 

Milk with lunch for L &C. Can you tell the difference?

Overwhelmed

Last weekend we traveled to Albany to see my sister, dad, and other family. We left Saturday morning and stayed until after dinner on Sunday night. To say the trip was stressful is an understatement. The girls were great in the car, but Clara woke up with a fever and runny nose on Sunday morning. She was super cranky and the pacis made more of an appearance than normal. 

We stayed with my sister. While the sleeping arrangements were better this time, it was still extremely difficult to stay there. My sister and BiL heat their house with a wood stove. They keep it at least 85 degrees all the time. The space is small and cluttered and they don't pick up after themselves. The TV is constantly on (in fact 2 TV's are constantly on right next to each other). My nephew who is 2 years old isn't on any kind of schedule or routine and it was hard to watch. I didn't see them sit down with him for any meals minus the one we went out for. He really only sat for a minute or two and then ran around the restaurant the rest of the time. Otherwise, he grazed on candy and junk food, didn't take any naps, and went to bed around 10 pm. 

Traveling alone is stressful, but having to stay at my sister's house and Clara getting sick made it really tough. We went to dinner on Sunday night and there were about 25 people there. These people are practically strangers to the girls and they were definitely a little overwhelmed. There were dogs in the house wresting and it was really loud. We went from one chaotic environment to another. 

We were so grateful to be home but anticipated a bad night with Clara since she hadn't been feeling well. When we were at dinner she felt so warm despite being dosed with Tylenol.

Well, it's now Wednesday and Clara seems to be feeling much better. Unfortunately, Lucy now has the same thing. Monday and Tuesday were really tough with the girls and they were so cranky and both wanted me. There was so much whining and I thought I was going to lose it. At one point yesterday I had to put them both in their cribs and let them cry while I took a break. I finally got a little break today as my mom watched the girls while I left for a few hours. I came home to a hysterical, snotty, drooly Lucy and felt a little guilty. Luckily she snuggled into me and calmed right down. 

On days like this I think about how things are going to be with a baby added to the mix. I can't help but feel extremely overwhelmed and scared. I joked we will all have to live in a bubble because I won't be able to to handle sick toddlers and a baby. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle healthy toddlers and a baby, haha. 

I'm hoping Lucy starts to feel better soon so that we are all healthy for vacation next week. 

#MicroblogMondays: 5 years

Friday was our 5th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately it didn't go exactly as planned as W woke up with a stomach bug. He ended up taking 1 of his 2 remaining paid days off for the year. He was so sick during the day but started to feel better by the afternoon. I gave him his gift (a pen made out of wood), a card, and some homemade applesauce to try to help him feel better. 

Unfortunately it hit me that night a little too. I didn't feel anywhere near as bad as him, but I sure didn't feel great either. Luckily we hadn't cemented any plans prior to the day. 

Saturday was spend lounging around on the couch and doing nothing. On Sunday we got together with friends and enjoyed a beautiful fall day. 

I'm sure when we stood on the altar 5 years ago we had no idea what was to come; infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and then twins! It's been a wild ride to say the least! I'm sure it's not quite what we pictured, but I also can't picture my life any different. 

Sick Babies

I think the only thing worse than one sick baby is 2 sick babies. 

The week we were on vacation my mom got sick. By the following week (last week) she said she was feeling better and came over on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. She was still coughing and lethargic, and obviously having her here backfired. 

This past week we were adjusting to being home and trying a slightly different schedule where we get up around 7:30 for the day. The girls used to sleep longer but that stopped before we left for vacation. We didn't bother trying to make the adjustment until we got home. 

On Wednesday night Clara was up all night crying and wanting to eat. I'm pretty sure I fed both babies twice during the night. Normally Clara sleeps soundly for about 8 straight hours. I'm used to getting up to feed Lucy, but not both babies multiple times!

Thursday night Lucy woke up with a high fever of 102.8 and a stuffy nose. We gave her Tylenol, but she did not sleep for any long stretches or sleep soundly. 

On Friday I continued to give her Tylenol but the fever wouldn't go below 100.5. We finally took her to the ped that afternoon. Her fever was still up but apparently I was under dosing her. Instead of 1.5 ml I should have been giving her 2.5 ml. We left with a script for amoxicillin just in case her condition worsened over the weekend. We were all in agreement that we didn't want to give it to her unless absolutely necessary. 

Friday night the fever went down some and by Saturday she only had a low grade fever. On Saturday Lucy was still very grumpy and not napping well. Saturday night, luckily, both girls finally slept well. It was amazing.

It was also very short lived. Clara woke up Sunday morning with a high fever and stuffy nose. Both girls slept horribly again last night and I'm exhausted. Clara did a lot of crying all night and I know she didn't feel well. I don't think I slept more than 2 consecutive hours. Lucy is never a great sleeper so she got up a few times too. Clara woke up again this morning with another high fever. I'm really hoping both girls are feeling better soon. 

So, the past 4 out of 5 nights have felt like the newborn days all over again. Broken sleep, lots of crying, and exhausted parents. I'm really hoping Clara starts to feel better soon. This mama needs some sleep!

Seriously?!

I'm pretty sure W is trying to sabotage our vacation plans. I don't think he realizes it, but man he's making it difficult. I'll be amazed if all 4 of us are on that plane on Sunday. 

It started with the passports. I filled out the applications for the ones for the girls and dealt with their pictures. W did his own application. We mailed them all at the same time. 

Over a week ago we received Lucy and Clara's passports. W said he checked about his and they had cashed the check. 

By the following week I asked him if he could check the status. He said he tried but it only had old information regarding a passport card he got last year. 

Well, on Saturday we received a priority envelope. In my excitement I opened it up expecting to find a passport. Instead I found a letter. It stated his picture wasn't recent enough and that his application was denied. Cue freak out.

He made some calls and got a new photo taken. He sent it overnight on Monday. He seemed confident he would receive the passport on time. So far, no passport. 

Then there's this morning. I woke up to hear W slamming the bathroom door and then vomiting. Cue freak out #2. 

I was supposed to do an evaluation today. Instead I cancelled, packed up the babies, and went to my in laws house to try to escape the plague. As I was walking out the door I heard W vomiting. On my way I got pulled over going 53 in a 30 mph zone. Luckily the police officer let me go. 

So, now I'm at my in laws praying we don't all get this nasty bug. Last I talked to W he was struggling to keep down even small spoonfuls of water. 

So, hopefully the rest of us will stay healthy and W's passport will arrive on time for us all to enjoy our vacation. Please send us happy and healthy vibes for the vacation I so badly need!