Dear Babies,
Another month has gone by and here we are, still in survival mode. The house is a wreck, and I don’t think we’ve folded our clean laundry at all this month, but we are getting by.
We’re packing up all the 0-3 month clothes and are going to need to pull out the 6-9 month clothes, especially the sleepers because you are so long.
You are still not sleeping, and maybe I’m starting to get used to it? Living in a constant state of sleep deprivation is not glamorous, but we’re getting by. You still wake up every couple of hours (or more) and I have started to come to terms with it. My memory is terrible (who knows what I am repeating each time I write one of these letters), I don’t ever seem to get enough work in, most personal projects are at a stand still, I can’t seem to hold a coherent conversation most days, and my personal hygiene is not at its best (nor is yours, to be honest). Here we are 9 days into July and I am just getting around to writing you this letter, and I still haven’t taken your 5 month pictures on your blankets, but like I said before... We get by.
You’ve still been breastfeeding, but your latches have gotten terrible (have been for a while now), especially yours, Lennox. It’s possibly the reason for all the spit-up. I’ve been working on it though, and trying different things in my diet like going dairy free for most of this month. But for a few reasons including Lennox’s low weight gain, and how guilty Wren has been making us feel when we eat in front of her, we decided to give you your first food on your 5 month birthday. Your dad cooked you up a batch of sweet potatoes and Hazel gave you your first bites. I think you wore more than you ate, but it’s a start. Wren, you were excited but kept pushing it out with your tongue. Lennox, you were less enthused and didn’t even really want to open your mouth. We’ve also started doing triple feeds some nights to hopefully help with weight gain. I will nurse you, then pump, and then your dad tops you off with the bottle of breast milk. It’s a lot of work, but it’s been a nice bonding for you and your dad I think.
We’ve been so busy still, with family visiting, the company picnic in Prescott, and another trip to Mexico. You got to meet some new family, my Aunt Karen and Uncle Dan from Colorado and Cousin Sarah who all came for a visit over Father’s Day weekend. In Mexico, you got to dip your toes in the ocean for the first time, and you survived a 2 hour wait at the border in 100+ degree heat with an air conditioner that wasn’t working. Wren, you didn’t make a peep the whole time and I had to keep checking to make sure you were breathing still!
You’ve continued to get better at using your hands, and you’ve also discovered your feet. Lennox, you love to study your hands and how they can manipulate toys (or just by themselves). Wren, you are pretty interested in your toes and how they taste.
You’re starting to interact more and more. When you are next to each other you’re often holding hands or grabbing at the other’s head. You smile at each other and one night your dad and I were holding you facing each other and you were giggling at each other! Moments like that are so much fun, and make me forget about how tired I am for a little bit. You also giggle when you get raspberries blown right under your cheeks. Your giggles are still deep and old mannish.
You both really dig your big sister. You love to watch and listen to Hazel and all her antics. You also think she’s very funny. One morning Wren was giggling every time Hazel would beat on her homemade tambourine. She likes to talk to you both a lot now, and give you bedtime hugs and kisses. She’s also started wanting to hold you again. When you’re upset and mom and dad are trying to clean or cook or pee or something of the like, Hazel turns into Spiderman and comes to your rescue by putting your binky back in or shaking a rattle at you.
Your dad is beginning to like you and is ready to admit it. Remember, he loves you and always has, but he’s had a hard time liking you. He calls you potatoes all the time and though that might not seem like a nice thing, it is truly a term of endearment. “Oh, you’re a sad potato!” or “I’ll give this potato a new butt.” (aka diaper change). For Father’s Day you gave your dad a full night of sleep when he took Hazel to hang out with Aunt Cathy in Oak Creek for a night. You two volunteered to stay home with me that night and rendezvous with him to celebrate the next day. 😉
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Wren,
You weighed in at 13 lbs. 6.4 oz.
You have been so hungry! You would love to eat something. Anything! If something gets to close to your mouth, like my hand, you attack it with a vengeance and chew on it. You are a cannibal. One night you were chewing on the chicken wing teether, and you would yell out, bite the teether and chew! Then take a pause and do it all over again. We were all cracking up. Your hungry eyes, and drooly mouth were making us feel so guilty at the dinner table. Lucky for you we gave in and fed you those sweet potatoes, but I think you were a little disappointed. You’d love a real chicken leg to sink your gums into.
You do like to yell a lot at your toys and when you’re talking. We went to a breastfeeding meet-up and you yelled while you were face to face with a little boy your age and he started sobbing. Way to go, Wrenling. I love you!
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Lennox,
You weighed in at 11 lbs. 9.6 oz.
I think you might be a redhead. I’m not sure why but sometimes the way the light hits your hair it seems very strawberry. I could be totally wrong, but I’m excited to see.
We have been working a lot this month on your spitting up issue. I tried going dairy free for a few weeks, but I didn’t cut out butter so I don’t think it helped you any. I think it’s more of a latch issue that results in you swallowing a lot of air. We’ve gotten a lot of advice on what we should try, but nothing seems right to me. I’m trying to work on getting you to latch better instead of a more aggressive intervention. As of recently you seem quite a bit better, so maybe you’re just growing out of it. As I mentioned above the doctor was concerned about you falling off the growth curve. We’ve taken her advice and started giving you some extra milk by bottle, and you do seem to be filling out a bit more. Regardless, you seem like a perfect little doll to me and I am not overly concerned. I know you’re going to come out strong and fiery.
I love you, little spitball!
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You are so different from each other, it is fascinating. It definitely proves the point that every baby is different, and even when you’re given the same environment and parenting, you can still make each experience your own. I often find myself wondering how things would be different if we’d only have had 1 more baby, and certainly it seems like it would have been a whole hell of a lot easier, but I love you both so dearly I can’t actually imagine what I’d do without you two.
Love your mother-zombie,
Momma
This month I got ambitious and I'm including pictures from your dad instead of just ones I took...
Dad's Pictures:
{ Baby leashes?!?!? <--- Probably why they look perplexed at their party. } |
{ Wren and Lennox LOVED the mariachi band. Hazel cried. good times. } |
Mom's Pictures:
{ Cousin huddle with JZ } |
{ We were at the tile store and I looked over and Lennox had poop on her face. Aaand we didn't have the diaper bag. But luckily we were close to home? } |
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