We Are Mobile!

Jenna, Shelby and Jillian get ready for nite-nite
Jenna and Jilly say cheese for the camera...yes they purposefully smile for the camera now! :)

Shopping at the store to distract us from our crankiness...the girls are teething. :(

The babies have gone mobile! They have been rolling around all over the place for a month or more now. Able to roll back to front and front to back for quite a while. Lately the girls have been trying to crawl but haven't been able to figure it out. Well...not anymore.

Today Jillian crawled across the room to get Shelby's ball. I would move the ball and she would try again to get it. We did this several times. She isn't up on her knees crawling...it is more like a cross between an army crawl and inch worm. It is fun though. Jenna can do her version of a crawl too but she is more likely to sit back and watch Jillian. :)

I am working on trying to get a video...my camera's sound stopped working so I need to figure it out. I promise to work on it though and get something posted! For now I am off to baby proof the house...yikes!

More to Come,

Jessica

Jumping Jenna

Jump, jump, jump! Come to our house and that is exactly what you'll hear and see. Jenna has learned to jump and it is her most favorite activity right now besides sucking on the velvet antenna of her "Love Bug" stuffed toy. :) I have been trying to capture the jumping on video for several days now but every time I start the camera she stops to smile. That's right, Jenna has learned to smile for the camera. Anyhoo, only through a strategic, covert operation the other day was I able to film a video of our little Jenna Bean jumping for joy:

Today we went to our 4 week check up of Jillian's cranial band. She is doing really well in it. The therapist was very pleased today with what she saw. Her head shape is completely different and very close to where it should be. Both the back of her head and the left side of her forehead have rounded out nicely. The ears are taking a little longer to adjust but she said that the ears are always the last and the slowest to correct. We are making progress though! I hope to have it off by Thanksgiving.

More to Come,

Jessica

PS: Here are some recent pictures!

Still practicing with the sippy cups, it is either a hit or miss each day.

Jillian loves her stationary exersaucer

Jenna likes to bounce!


Jenna and Momma cheesin' it up

I think Daddy and Jilly won the prize for best cheese that night

Big Babies

Ahhh, the sound of peace and quiet. It is 8:00 and both girls have been asleep in bed for about 30-35 minutes. I have to say that I am very pleased with their night time schedule lately. We have cut out their last nap of the day, so from about 4-7 is kind of nightmarish, but in doing that most nights they are usually asleep by 7:30-7:45(if not much earlier) and don't wake up until 6:15-6:30. Most people I talk to about their sleeping habits have sort of an "awed" expression on their face. It isn't me people...it is Babywise. I stand firm with that book even though it was hard at first. Remember how I was trying to keep the girls awake more during the day in the beginning? Sleep, eat, wake, sleep, eat, wake....Over and over. Sheesh! What a task! It has paid off though, when I talk to other moms and dads and their one kiddo (who is old enough to be sleeping through the night) is still waking up to be fed a few times and my two kiddos sleep anywhere from 10-11 hours I feel kind of bad. Perhaps this is the time I should be KNOCKING ON WOOD! I would cry if I jinxed it. It seems though that once you have a schedule down it isn't long before it is changing again. I guess I should just enjoy what I have and roll with it. :)

Anyhoo, we all seem to be recovered from the bout of flu that went around. Thank goodness the girls didn't get it too terrible. The flu can be scary. Both Jilly and Jenna actually got better within a week or so and Jared didn't feel bad long either. Jared is lucky though in that he usually doesn't stay sick for long...two or three days and he seems to be back to normal. I think I had it the worst. On Friday I finally succumbed and went to see the doctor. I have asthma pretty bad and it seems to get worse with colds. I wasn't necessarily feeling badly but was having a hard time getting deep breaths, and the cough I had (still somewhat have) was nasty. I figured I had bronchitis and was right. At first the doctor was concerned about pneumonia, but chest x-rays ruled that possibility out, thank goodness. Just a nasty case of bronchitis. So he gave me three different shots, two different inhalers and a prescription for some meds. I feel much better and the congestion is definitely making its way out.

The girls are probably going to get their flu shot on Wednesday. We have our 9 month check up! Can you believe it? Nine months already, gosh! I am betting they are 16-16 1/2 pounds now. Maybe 26-27 inches long? They look like such big girls lately.

Jenna in red and Jillian in pink.

Funny girls, too. For whatever reason they like the "Achoo" sound of a sneeze. Of course it is much more fun when they are getting tickled too, but they get a kick out of it. Here is a video clip of the fun sneezes. :) Kazoontight!

Another new development: a sippy cup. The last two days we have been trying to introduce a sippy cup with absolutely no luck. Not only do both Jillian and Jenna have zero interest in holding the cup but neither can seem to get the suction right. They sit and bite at the tip. I tried using smaller bottles instead, the kind they can hold. They did better holding them but were unsure about the water that was in them, nor could they quite get the head tilt required for getting much liquid out. It seems that at 9 months (adjusted age is 6 1/2-7 months) they would be better with holding objects. Then again, I don't know when babies get really good at things like holding their own bottle. They are good at grabbing, shaking, picking up, switching toys from hand to hand....just not actually using their hands for tasks I guess.

But, what they can't do with their hands they make up for with their mouths. Today we had a merry chorus of "Ga," "Ba," and "Ma" sounds. No "Da" yet which is weird since that is usually one of the first ones. Also, spitting! Jillian spits all the time. She just sits there and makes "tthhpp" sounds. Usually it doesn't bother me. Except she has really started spitting a lot at eating time. I should probably admit that I am sitting here typing with Gerber Peaches on my shirt and spots of Gerber Sweet Potato and Turkey dinner sprinkled on my arm. Yup, I smell right fine! Anyone have any ideas on how to teach a baby not to spit? I don't think my no-no's are working.

On that note, I am going to get cleaned up leaving you with More To Come....

Jessica

A Cruel World

This past week we have all been battling a cold. I have a feeling that it was probably more like the flu but I shudder thinking about it. The flu is ick! It started not this past Thursday but the Thursday before that. Jenna came down with fever while at Grammy's house and her fever didn't break until Sunday. Jillian's fever started Saturday and didn't break until Monday. My fever started Wednesday and broke around Friday. Jared's fever has started today. :( The girls and I are on the mend but are left with a pesky cough that won't go away. Even my mom-in-law (Grammy) who watches them got it. Is it a coincidence that sicknesses run rampant around the same time kids go back to school?

Anyhoo, even though we are under the weather it doesn't stop the girls from all the things they like to do. :) Jenna is making headway on many milestones right now...which is super exciting. She has starting saying "Ga" which is great! Before it was just a bunch of "ahs." :) She is also starting to get up on her knees while on her tummy. I keep thinking she is going to start crawling each time but once she is on her knees she never knows how to get going so ends up doing a face plant into the ground most of the time. Soon though....very soon.















Jenna tries to stay balanced on her knees

Our challenge right now is we are trying to get the girls to only two naps a day. It is weird... when I wanted them to take three naps a day I could hardly get them to take any and now that I only want them to take two and not three they want to sleep all the time. Crazy kids. :)

We started having a really hard time putting the girls down for bed at night and we couldn't figure out why. They were sleepy but were just battling the physical act of going to sleep. So we decided to try different things...we put them in separate rooms, we turned off all night lights and then we started noticing that if they didn't get their last nap of the day then they were ready for bed on time and not only went to sleep fast but would stay asleep all night. So we started not putting them down at all for the last nap of the afternoon. Boy, things did a bit of a 180. (I know...knock on wood right?!?) Now their two naps of the day are usually really great (1 1/2 to sometimes 2 1/2 hours!). They are in bed and asleep usually by 7:30ish (8 at the latest) and don't wake up until around 6:15ish.

Sometimes I wonder though if this might be cruel and unusual punishment...for both parents and baby. From about 4:00-7:00 at night the girls are...um...durn cranky for lack of better terms! Poor Jillian was so cranky that right at 6:00 last night when I went to heat up her bottle she actually started to put herself to sleep on her play mat in the living room...

Jilly plays possum

I felt bad getting her up but knew she needed to eat and if she took a nap there was no way I would be able to get her in bed later. The girls are weird like that...if they even sleep for 15 or 20 minutes it makes no difference for them, it is as if they took an hour long nap. I try to remind myself that even though they are cranky this really is better for them. Before we were lucky to get 12 hours of sleep every day (naps and night time together) and Jillian was still having a hard time sleeping solidly through the night. Now, by us cutting out that last nap, they get on average between 13 and 14 hours of sleep, sometimes a bit more. Jilly also has an easier time of going to sleep and staying that way instead waking up a few times a night for her pacifier or mommy rocking time. The pediatrician says babies this age need between 14 and 16 hours of sleep each day so it seems we are on the right track.

More to Come,

Jessica

Jilly and Daddy are couch potatoes!

Jenna (L) and Jillian

One of Jenna's favorite dinners is Gerber Chicken and Rice Dinner. If only Mommy and Daddy could aim better, right? :)

Chunky Monkey

Isn't amazing how adaptable babies are? Yes, I completely agree that there are times when babies are inflexible and the slightest change in schedule throws off your entire day. However, it is amazing how quickly they become used to something new. Or maybe they just have short attention spans?

Either way, I am truly grateful that the process with Jillian's band so far is going well. In fact, the band hasn't seemed to bother her one bit. She cried in the office when the therapist first put in on, but both my mom and I agree that she was most likely crying because an unknown person was touching her. That is a big No-No for Jillian. She very much has to get used to your presence before you can approach her. Not all the time is it like this but the majority of the time it is. I think that is funny because Jenna is the opposite. She will let most people hold her without putting up a fuss.

So today was the first day where Jillian wore her band for almost all day. In fact, she would have worn it for the full 23 hours today if she had not come down with a cold and fever. Jenna caught some type of viral cold this past Thursday and her fever finally broke today. Jilly got the same thing and her fever spiked up to 102.5 when I got home from work this afternoon. The band tends to make her overheated (this is normal) so I decided to take it off of her until her fever goes away.





Once the fever is gone the band will go back on. She wears it for 23 hours out of every day. We take the band off for one hour, during which we vigorously clean the band with Rubbing Alcohol and we wash her hair/head. We also do her neck stretches while the band is off.

We are expecting Jillian to wear the band for between 8 and 12 weeks depending on how fast (or slow) her head grows. Which I am perfectly okay with because it looks so darn cute now.

I ordered my decals from Bling Your Band on Wednesday and got them today....Coree (the owner) was sooo fast and great to work with. She helped me come up with this custom "Chunky Monkey" design. Isn't it cute? The decals come on transfer paper so I have to cut them and decide where they should go on the band. It was fun decorating it! I love how it looks...so much better than plain. Plus...Jillian gets to be a model! I sent the final pictures to Coree and she used them on her website. Check out Jillian's modeling debut! http://blingyourband.blogspot.com/

I am not sure if you remember but when Jillian and Jenna came home from the NICU, Jillian was MUCH bigger than Jenna. Of course she was only about a pound bigger but almost 6 pounds looks way different than almost 5 pounds (which is what Jillian and Jenna weighed when they finally met each other at home for the first time!). Jenna, of course, caught up quick and they pretty much weigh the same now, or at least with in a few ounces of each other. Anyhoo, because Jillian was so much bigger visibly, we called her our Chunky Monkey. Jenna was our Poky Puppy because of how long it used to take her to finish her bottle. :) Now Jenna is usually finished with her bottle first. She doesn't like to waste time that one. :) Her nickname subsequently changed to Jenna-Sauras because she can sometimes sound like a dinosaur when she is really mad, Ha Ha! Jilly's nickname pretty much stuck though. We also call her Silly Jilly but I thought the monkey idea was much cuter for band bling. :)

More to Come,

Jessica

Jillian Has Been Banded

Here is Jillian with her band. So far she is doing really well, actually she hardly notices it. I promise more details soon but wanted to get a picture up so you could see. :)

More to Come,

Jessica

PS: There is someone who doesn't like the band: Shelby the Dog! She got all a twitter when I brought Jillian home yesterday; stiffing and jumping around trying to lick her head. Goofball.

It Could Happen To Anyone...Right?

Funny Story! Last night, after Jared and I had fed the girls and gotten them ready for bed, I decided to go on a few quick errands. I needed to go to Target for some things and also the gas station; since we are driving a good bit today to pick up Jillian's cranial band. :) Sometimes it is just easier for me to do these errands at night after the babies have gone to bed rather than take them with me during the day, I am sure you understand.

Anyhoo, I left Jared with the girls at about 7:45 and he was going to get them in bed and asleep. I left for my errands and was home by 9:00. He did a great job, both girls were fast asleep. One little lady was in her crib in her room, the other was in the pack-n-play in the guest room. We have found that naps and night time go a LOT easier if they are put in separate rooms to fall asleep. After both girls are asleep at night, I move the baby in the guest room to her crib. They don't wake each other up once they are asleep, but they have a hard time going to sleep with someone in the room. Especially if that someone else has the giggles.

So, I go to check the babies, making sure they are definitely asleep before I think about moving the one to her crib. Jared says that Jillian is in her bed and Jenna is in the guest room. Sure enough, Jilly is in her bed and asleep. So I go to move Jenna, grab her up, get her in her bed and I look down at her face and clothes and it isn't Jenna! I look again, trying not to wake the baby up too much and sure enough Jillian was in the pack-n-play, with Jenna's Lovie and pacifier. So I go and take a second peak at who I thought was Jillian in Jillian's bed and I am doing everything I can not to bust out laughing and wake up the babies. Jenna is in Jillian's bed with Jillian's Lovie and pacifier!!

Ha-Ha!! So I get them situated (I didn't move them to the right beds, I am not that insane!
I want them to stay asleep.) and go back in to our room. I ask Jared which baby he had put where....just in case I heard him wrong, and he says Jenna was in the guest room and Jillian was in her crib. So I ask him if maybe he was wrong and you should have seen the look on his face when I told him that the girls had been goofed! Priceless!! Then he said..."Hey, it could happen to anyone!" I don't think his excuse made him feel better though, he was still trying to sort out the mix up this morning.

So, the moral of the story is....if it can happen to the Daddy, it can happen to you. For all those who still don't know who is who (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!) you can rest easy; if we don't know which kid is which, we can hardly expect you to know. :)

More to Come (with updates on how it went with Jillian's band this afternoon),
Jess

Who am I??

Who am I??

Jillian (L) and Jenna (R)...Yes I am sure!!!

Jillian (on her back) grabs for Jenna....

Oops! Jilly may have grabbed too hard. :(