The first week home

It actually went better than I had hoped. The boys sleep a lot and eat about every 3 hours now. We took them to the doctor's office last Tuesday and they had lost a little too much weight. Jack was only 5 lb, 5 oz. and Cullen was 5 lb, 6 oz. The doctor recommended that we continue breastfeeding but then supplement with an ounce or two of formula after each feeding. That worked like a charm. We took them back the very next day and they each weighed 5 lb, 9 oz. They have been steadily gaining weight ever since and still don't have any 'nipple confusion.' They easily switch back and forth between breastfeeding and bottles without any trouble.

I know the doctors and books tell you not to leave the house for 6-8 weeks with newborns because of germs, but I honestly don't see how that is possible. I was going stir crazy after only a week and a half. So we took them on their first outing to the mall to get Daddy some new glasses. We kept them wrapped up in their stroller and didn't let any strangers get too close. Since they are breastfeeding at every meal and are perfectly healthy now, we just trust that they will be fine out of the house as long as we use common sense. Lots of prayers too!

My mom left on Saturday and Brandon's parents flew in later that night. My mom was a tremendous help while she was here. She took the first shift every night (which just happens to be when the boys are fussiest) and also did all the cooking, cleaning, laundry and errands for the entire week. I am so grateful she was here and got to spend time with her grandsons. I owe a HUGE thank you to my sisters who cared for Grandma while Mom was here. Without you girls sacrificing 10 days of your lives to take care of Grandma round the clock, Mom would never have been able to come. I know it was hard and that you all had to rearrange your schedules and wake up in the middle of the night and deal with the whole nursing home fiasco, so THANK YOU!!!! Mom and I appreciate it more than you know!

Brandon's parents are also a huge help now that they're here. It's funny how grandparents are overjoyed to change poopy diapers and clean up spit-up and wake up at 3 am for their grandchildren. I got 7 straight hours of sleep last night and it felt gooooood! The boys have somehow put themselves on a schedule where their 'awake time' falls between 1 and 3 am. We're working very hard to change this but having grandparents around is a lifesaver in the meantime! Thank you to all of our parents who have served us so well with such joyful hearts!

We gave the boys their first bath last week which they screamed bloody murder all the way through. They are getting better and better about baths now that they've had a few more. I've heard that eventually babies learn to love baths. I can't wait for that, soon they will be so fun! Both of them have a little bit of a diaper rash but with a little Butt Paste and old fashioned Corn Starch they are starting to clear up (thanks Mom!). They're too small for the cloth diapers right now so they're wearing the smallest paper diapers available. But even those are a little too small for them and they often leak out the sides. As a result, they go through 3-6 outfits a day... we've been doing a ton of laundry! They also seem to enjoy waiting until they have a clean diaper on and then soiling it within seconds. They often don't even make it off the changing table before it's time for another diaper change. If they keep this up, we'll be broke in a month!

And last but not least, on Saturday morning, the boys had their photography session that my sweet co-workers bought us as a gift. She is a wonderful photographer and I can't wait to get the pictures back and post them!

Anyways, that's a summary of their first week at home. Sorry I can't post any pictures, Brandon took his computer to work. I'll try to post some later tonight though!

P.S. I have major problems posting videos on Blogger, does anybody know how to do it? I get to the point where it says it's loading but then it never, ever finishes loading. I waited 36 hours and then finally gave up and started a new post.