Our Daily Routine

I have had a lot of people ask me about my daily schedule and how many times we feed and change the babies so here you go for all that are interested. Our babies are still wanting to nap a little after each feeding so they aren't yet on the 3 nap schedule unfortunately - we tried to push that and they were angry and would fall asleep anyway and then someone would get off schedule so we'll be patient and wait for that day when they are ready for it.
*I always have at least one other helper to feed the babies during the day. My dad comes every Monday and Friday during the day and Spence's dad comes on Friday afternoons. Sundays we have lots of aunts and/or uncles and ward members/neighbors that come help me since Spence is gone pretty much all day. At the babies last feeding at 8pm, Spence and I and either my mom (W), Spence's mom (M,T) Aunt Erin(W) or Uncle Jon (Th) are here to help since at this time, they all need a little extra love before bed.

Between 5:45-6am - first pumping begins and takes about 35 min
6:30am - babies start to talk with each other in their shared crib still
6:50am- start changing diapers and warm up bottles
7:00-7:20am - babies eat breakfast
7:20-8:00am - play, sing, read books or tummy time
8:00am- start the first nap for the babies
8:00-8:30am - I pump and eat breakfast
8:30-10:00am - make bottles for the day and try to sneak in some house chores while I'm trying to play with the babies too since most days...

*9:00am - Rio is up at this time usually so we play or she helps me clean :)
*9:00 or 9:30am - Jax wakes up - he joins in
*10:00am - we usually have to wake up Austin

10:00am - now everyone's awake so we start changing diapers again, get dressed for the day and warm up bottles and get their daily vitamins ready
10:15-10:30am - babies eat again
10:30-11:30am - play time with the babies - such as work on holding rattles, rolling and sitting in our bumbos
11:30am-1:15pm - all babies nap during this time
*sometimes Rio and/or Jax wakes up though during this time
11:30am-12:00pm-pump again
12:00-1:15pm - I try to get myself ready for the day - yes sadly, most days I don't get myself ready until this time unless I have to go somewhere earlier. Pretty pathetic, I know. I also finish my housework and/or yard work for the day during this time (yes, I assign myself specific chores for each day during the week - it makes it easier to feel like I'm accomplishing things). I also eat some lunch.

1:15pm - start to change diapers and warm up bottles
1:30-1:45pm - babies eat lunch
1:45-3:00pm - babies awake and playing in bouncers or swings or any of the above play things
*I watch Family Feud while we feed them :) - I'm seriously going to be on that show one day - I totally love it!
3:00-4:30pm - babies nap
3:00-4:30pm - I usually try to work on my http://www.teenesteemcouncil.com/ blog, check emails or run errands if needed depending on the day
4:30pm - all usually are awake now and we play for a bit before we get ready to eat
Sometime between 4:30 and 4:45pm - change diapers, warm bottles
4:45 or 5:00pm - babies eat
5:00-6:00pm - some babies nap :) - I know I must sound very strict with the schedule but Jax does not want to nap during this time and Rio and Austin do and if they don't we are in for a world of hurt for the next 2 hours so we let them nap and Jax and I play.
*I also have to pump during this time and get dinner ready or Spence does for me - dinner, not pump that is :)
6:00-6:30pm - pump again
6:30 - 7:00pm - Jax still awake so he plays with Spence usually while I pump and then he watches us eat and we watch a little Seinfield and Friends or Office depending on what is on.
7:00pm-8:00pm- all babies are awake and playing now - we try and go for a walk or do more tummy time or get the babies to talk with us
8:00pm- warm bottles, get Jax and Rio's Prevacid ready, change diapers and change babies into their PJ's
8:10pm-8:35 or 8:45pm - babies eat and get burped
Between 8:30 and 8:45pm - babies are usually in bed for the night :)
9:30-10:00pm - pump for the last time during the day
10:00pm-12:00am - Spence and I watch a movie or our "shows" for the day but now everything is over mostly for the season so we'll have to start watching "Harry" again. But who are we kidding? I usually fall asleep pumping or sometime between this time anyway and miss out watching our "shows" anyway.
12:00am-12:30am - sometimes I pump again depending on if I need to - I'm getting a lot of lumps these days if I wait too long in between although I hardly get anything out of it. I'm almost ready to be done. I'm not producing as much lately so I don't think it's really a benefit to them now. They're only getting 1/4 breast milk and 3/4 formula. Plus, now that the babies are awake a lot more during the day and I hate to take the time to pump instead of play with them so they have to sit in their swings. I don't like that so I'm thinking at the end of June, I'll be done. I can't imagine how much more time I'll have to do other things with the babies and I'm looking forward to it. And then, I can also have the time to start exercising better and work on losing this excess skin and bump on my stomach that still exists! Or.... maybe I'll just make an appointment with the nearest plastic surgeon :)

4 month doctor appnt

Although the babies are approaching 5 months on the 30th, we had our 4 month doctor appointment this week. Everything went great! They are such great babies. Their Dr. is so impressed with how well they have done and how much they've grown even without "adjusted age." Here is the report:
JAX:
weight - 12 lbs
length - 24"
AUSTIN:
weight - 15.4 lbs
length - 25.5"
RIO:
weight - 13 lbs
length - 24.5"

What a great appointment! They are all doing awesome. We were really nervous about them getting flat heads because hard as we try to keep them on their bellies for "tummy time," they don't like it at all! Plus, being premature, they had the added 6 weeks of sleeping on their backs instead of in my tummy. We were so anal about trying to keep their heads rotated evenly at first but now we can't manipulate their heads how we want it. Thus, they began to get a little flatter heads but their doctor said it wasn't a big deal at all - for now anyway.

Jaxon's murmur is completely gone - his doctor couldn't hear anything. His doctor told us to add rice cereal to his milk to see if that might help with his reflux and guess what? IT TOTALLY WORKS! He has slept so good and hardly spits up at all now. I seriously can't believe how quickly that worked. We just add a tsp. of cereal per ounce of milk. It makes it more heavy in his belly and keeps it down more. I'm so glad - I hated seeing him hurt like he was. He was either hurting or a complete faucet just draining all his food out throughout the day. What a relief!

Our sweet Austin is so big! He's on the charts for a "regular" baby for his weight and height. Regular meaning: born at 40 weeks. They took Austin off the 24 calorie food plan since he's doing so well and is now on a 22 calorie instead. Jax and Rio aren't far behind Austin though - they are so amazing! What a blessing to have them in our lives - we love them so much. They are all smiling, laughing and talking so much.

Rio has the sweetest voice - she's so quiet (most of the time) when she talks but she loves to smile and she's figured out if she smiles at you, she'll get picked up immediately because she's so cute!!!

SLEEPING NOTE:
When they turned 3 months old, we took out their 3am feeding and they did awesome so we were just feeding them last at 11pm and then they slept until 7am or so. SO... over the next few weeks, we kept having to wake them up to feed them then but we were too nervous to not feed them out of fear that they would wake up at 2 or 3 am. But... I didn't think we needed to keep doing that so when they were 16 weeks, we took out the 11pm and fed them last at 8pm and prayed that they wouldn't wake up angry at 2am! GUESS WHAT? They didn't - not one of them! They slept all the way until about 630am and then just chatted with each other until 7am when we fed them. We are so lucky! They are so good! And they've done it ever since! Why does it not feel like I'm getting the same amount of sleep though? :)

Mother's Day - What a difference a year makes!

I say this all the time but I cannot believe how quickly time goes by and it truly amazes me that these adorable babies are 4 months old and so big. Last Mother's Day, I remember thinking, "ugh! One more mother's day being reminded that we haven't been able to have our kids yet and that I'm not a mother." I have never really been bitter about that difficulty but it was often really hurtful on certain days and mother's day happened to be one of those days. So, last year Spence and I and Colin and Ranie (I hope it's okay I'm mentioning you :) by the way) went up into the beautiful mountains we have here and had a yummy breakfast.

Spence and I were just getting ready to leave for Cali to do our IVF cycle and we were so nervous! I specifically remember thinking, "wow, by this time next year, we could be parents." And crazily enough, here we are: What a Difference a Year Can Make!

4 months now!

I know it has been awhile since I've blogged but we've just all been doing so great and been trying to enjoy the weather too! We're getting ready to plant our garden and have been working in our yard trying to get it ready and weeded. I love being outside in the springtime and can't wait to have the kids come out more too! We've mostly been going out when they are napping but every once in awhile, one of them will wake up so they come out with us in their bouncer or stroller - they love it except when it is windy. Poor things -they can't seem to catch their breath!

This is Rio getting ready to go outside with us - she needed her hat!

We go in a few weeks for their 4 month check-up and I can't wait to see how much they weigh. They turned 4 months on the 30th a few days ago and I seriously can't believe that! 4 months! Really? They are doing so good though; rolling from back to side (Jax is the best), smiling, talking and laughing all the time now. Spence can make Austin laugh so hard, it is so cute!

Poor Jaxon's reflux flared up again - he was doing so well for a few months and in the last week, it flared again. We are increasing his medicine and I really hope that helps him - it is so sad, he just wakes up crying and can't sleep well at all but it got better before and will again - it just takes a little time. Hang in there cute boy! Rio is doing good too - she's so funny! She loves to lick things - what a little weirdo :) She has a blanket that has satin along the edge and she loves to lay in her bed because she knows it is there and we put it against her face and she turns her head until she can lick it - what a cutie! Spence says that her aunt Erin used to do that when she was little too so maybe she's taking after her aunt.

We've also been totally invested in the NBA playoffs and thanks to Jesse and Kim Shaw, the boys have cute Jazz shirts so we got into the spirit of the game and Austin helped them win game 6 against Denver last week. Jaxon is still a little too small for his - let's just hope it helps against the Lakers. Go Jazz!