Hair and other stuff.

It's been forever since my last post.  Sorry.  I've been using all my free time (after the boys go to bed) to either work out or address Christmas cards.  I'd promise to be better about updating in the future but we all know that's not going to happen.  So I'll continue along with these somewhat periodic posts as best I can.  And, with all that unnecessary ado, here's an update of what's been going on around here lately:

Hair is a big issue right now, mine in particular.  It has been falling out in clumps since the boys were 3 months old and it shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.  Boo!  Thankfully, I started off with a lot of it.  Hopefully I'll still have some left by the time summer rolls around.  In other hair news, Tait has a head full of red hair.  And I mean fire engine red.  Where'd he get it from??  No idea.  My mom claims her mom (my grandma, Mimi) has red hair, but I've never seen any red in it.  [And, full disclosure, my mom also claimed Tait had inherited "our" beautiful olive skin shortly after he was born; turns out he was just jaundiced.  So, though I love her to death, you sort of have to take what she says with a grain of salt.].  But, yea, red hair.  W/ red eyebrows and everything.  Crazy!  Deuce also has hair now, but his is blond.  Both boys also appear to have curly hair.  When I told Scott that it looked like their hair was going to be curly, he was disappointed (but come on, he had to know that was a possibility, right??).  Also on Deuce: his hair came in on top long before it came in on the sides, which caused Scott to nickname him Ponyboy for a while.  :)

In developmental news, both boys are doing well.  Each can sit so long as they are using their arms to support themselves and Tait is a rolling over machine.  Deuce has rolled over a few times on accident, but he doesn't seem much interested in doing it purposefully.  We've met with Deuce's physical therapist (she's fixing his mild torticollis) and I've got to meet w/ her again after Christmas.  Hopefully there will be some improvement.  I can tell you that he HATES the stretches she makes me do to his neck.  At the first appointment, she made Deuce do tummy time, which we do all the time at home (though, to be fair, he doesn't like it much and has never liked it much).  He did nothing but lay there and scream his head off - refused to lift his head an inch.  She looked at me like a degenerate mother and told me I needed to "increase his tummy time."  How do you explain to someone that doesn't know your child that, even though he's only five months old, he only does what he wants when he wants!  If he doesn't want to do tummy time on your schedule, then he doesn't do it.  That said, I've taken some pictures of him doing it at home so she knows he can do it.  (I'm ignoring that she's probably going to think I'm insane for taking tummy time pictures . . .)

The boys are also really developing personalities.  Tait is a bull in a china shop.  I put him in his activity center and he literally attacks all of the toys - slamming his face into them, eating them, yelling at them.  It's hilarious to watch.  (I was initially concerned when he kept slamming his head into the toys but he just laughs, so I've stopped worrying about it.)  Deuce is much more cautious - he plays, but he is much more purposeful about what he grabs when he plays.  And he gets uber, uber frustrated when he can't fit a toy in his mouth.  Screams his head off.

In sleeping news, things are looking up.  Tait, who had been sleeping through the night since about week 8, started waking up twice a night over the last few weeks. (Deuce has always woken up every three hours or so.).  When Tait started waking up - always in between the times Deuce was waking up - they almost broke me.  I was desperate and needed some sleep (there were a few nights when I literally slept an hour total).  I almost started putting rice cereal in a bottle to get Tait through the night.  That's something I REALLY didn't want to do - something about feeding a kid empty carbs simply to fill them up really rubs me the wrong way.  When it came time to fill that bottle, I was never able to do it though.  And, fortunately, we're back on track with Tait - he's sleeping until almost 4am (which is close enough to all night to count) before waking up to eat.  Must have been a growth spurt or something.  And, in much bigger news, Deuce is down to just one nighttime feeding, usually around 2/3am.  I can't believe how much better I feel!  Unbelievable.  I missed sleep!

I think that's about it.  Here are some recent pictures. 

(Deuce on a recent cold night - headed out to walk the dogs with dad.)

 

(Tait in attack mode, about to play like a mad man.)

 

(Ponyboy, er Deuce; tummy time)

 

(Tait; tummy time)

 

(Goofy Deuce; chilling on daddy's lap)

 

(Tait; dodo time)

 

(Poor Matty.  Things aren't going to get better for you anytime soon.)

 

(Happy boys.)

 

(Typical #1)

 

(Typical #2)

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, hands down.  I love being with my family without any gift giving/receiving pressure - just enjoying each other's company.  And I love the food.  LOVE. THE. FOOD.  My mom is an incredible cook and has always put together a great Thanksgiving spread - fried turkey (well, my dad does the turkey), cornbread dressing, mac&cheese, spinach gratin, seven-layer salad, chicken&dumplings, sweet potato casserole, cold corn salad, and on and on and on.  She also always goes all out for dessert - pumpkin pie, pecan pie, carrot cake, apple pie.  I am a pretty healthy eater all year long EXCEPT for Thanksgiving (and Christmas).  I give myself a break on those holidays and will literally eat myself into a coma.

But not this year.  Deuce's diet restrictions (and, therefore, my diet restrictions) kept me from eating a single thing that my parents put together for Thanksgiving.  And that was ok - Scott was working this year for Thanksgiving, so I stayed in Mobile w/ the boys instead of going to my parents' house.  That way, my mom didn't have to change her menu and I didn't have to feel miserable looking at all that good food but not being able to eat any of it.  Fortunately, Scott didn't have a single ship all day on Thanksgiving and we ate really well despite the dietary restrictions.  We had sweet potato hash with turkey sausage for breakfast then roast chicken with winter veggies for dinner.  We got the recipe for the roast chicken here and I would recommend it to anyone - super easy and super, super delicious:  http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2010/01/thomas_kellers.html  We will definitely be making this one again. 

Here are some pics from our first Thanksgiving with the boys - we have so much for which to be thankful this year!!

(Scott & Deuce)

 

(Me & Tait)

 

(Deuce)

 

(Tait)

 

(Twinks)

 

(Roast chicken)

Four Months!

The boys were four months old on November 12.  I continue to be amazed at how quickly time is moving!  They are going to be in college in no time.  Scary! 

The boys' four-month doctor appointment was last week.  At their appointment, Deuce weighed in at 13lbs, 1oz and was 24 inches long.  Tait was 14lbs, 8 oz and 25.25 inches long.  Those measurements put Deuce in the 10th percentile for height and the 15th percentile for weight.  Tait was in the 75th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight.  Our pediatrician said Deuce looked great and was back on track growth-wise - she said she wasn't concerned about his size at all.  That means this insane diet of mine (still dairy, soy, wheat, and nut free) is working!  Seeing Deuce so happy and healthy b/c of the diet makes it a little easier to forget about all the delicious food I won't be eating over Thanksgiving and Christmas! 

The only other notable news from the doc appointment is that Deuce has to start seeing a physical therapist to treat his torticollis (his head is tilted to one side b/c the muscle that connects his breastbone and collarbone to his skull is too tight due to the way he was positioned (wedged under my ribs!) in utero).  I've been trying to stretch his neck out at home but I haven't been very successful at fixing the problem because he screams bloody murder when you do the stretches.  I'm glad someone other than me will have to do those stretches from now on - listening to him scream (because of something I'm doing to him, no less) is heartbreaking!!

In other news, the boys have found their feet and Tait has gotten his into his mouth.  The boys have also rolled over a few times, but totally on accident - they haven't figured out how to do it purposefully yet.  Oh, and Deuce has started sucking his thumb (argh!!! how do I get him to stop?!?!).  Also, I've moved the boys from sleepers on the side of my bed to the cribs in their nursery.  It was a hard transition for me - I really liked being able to check on them all night long by just sticking my head over the side of my bed.  But they had to make the transition at some point, and I figured four months was as good a time as any.  So far, they are doing great in their cribs.

Here are some recent pictures:

My beautiful (sorry, handsome!) sons:

(Tait)

 

(Tait)

(Deuce)

 

(Deuce)

 

The first (and really only) cold day of the year:

(Tait)

(Deuce)

(Me and Deuce)

Sitting in their big boy chairs:

(Tait)

(Deuce)

The Connecticut Crew.

Scott's family (his dad, brother, and nephew) came to visit last weekend and we had a great time.  They came in from Connecticut and we were worried that they might not be able to make it due to Superstorm Sandy.  Fortunately, they made it intact (aside from two of Bill's ribs, which were broken - and he still made the trip - what a rockstar!).  We ate dinner at the house, hung out at the pool at their hotel, and watched a lot of football.  My boys didn't totally cooperate but they didn't totally not cooperate either (we had some fussy moments but only at the usual times - evenings!).  I know my boys will have a lot of fun playing with their cousin in the future (for now, my guys were a little too small to be much fun to their cousin).  Here's a picture from the weekend with all of the Driscoll boys:

In other news, we took Deuce to see a GI specialist last week.  We got some good news and some bad news.  First, the good news: there is nothing wrong with Deuce other than his sensitivities to dairy, soy, and eggs.  The bad news: he had blood in his stool again, which means I have to cut out the nuts I added back to my diet last week.  I also have to stop eating anything made in facilities that even so much as process dairy or soy (even if there is no dairy or soy in whatever I am eating).  Frustrating, but oh well.  Hopefully Deuce'll be able to tolerate dairy/soy/eggs/nuts soon.  I've got my fingers (and toes and legs and arms . . . ) crossed.  For now, it's back to chicken, sweet potatoes, and avocado . . .

Happy Halloween!

The boys' first Halloween was pretty uneventful.  They were too little to carry around trick-or-treating and we never get any trick-or-treaters at our house, so we didn't even hand out any candy this year.  But we dressed them up anyway - mainly because I wanted some cute pictures.  They were a (red hot) chili pepper and Elvis.  When we bought the costumes, I intended for Tait to be Elvis.  But, when the costumes came in the mail, Tait's head was too big to fit into the Elvis costume.  So Deuce was Elvis instead.  Neither boy was particularly pleased to be dressed up (especially because their mama foolishly waited until about 5pm to try and do it . . . ), but here are a couple of pictures:

In other news, Deuce had an appointment with an allergist last week and we found out that he's not actually allergic to anything.  Yay!  She advised me to stay off dairy/red meat, soy, and eggs, so I'm still not eating those things.  And I'm staying off wheat too, just to be safe.  But I'm so thankful I was able to add fish, corn, and nuts back to my diet.  We've got a GI appointment this week, but I think we've pretty much cured Deuce's tummy troubles.  He weighed in at 12 lbs, 3.5oz last week (very close to double his birth weight!).  That was a 9.5oz weight gain in one week.  Yay!!

The Hunger Games

We seem to be playing our own version of The Hunger Games down here.  But, you know, with hunger, not child warfare . . .

But before I explain our version of the Games, let me make a couple of things explicitly clear: There is absolutely nothing - NOTHING - wrong with giving your child formula.  Society puts too much pressure on women to do and be everything.  It's not enough to be a mother anymore.  You have to be a working mother.  And one who works out and keeps her body perfectly toned (at least down South).  And you have to give birth naturally.  And you have to nurse your baby (even though you are working full time - somehow, you need to figure out how to nurse your baby too).  It's not fair.  And "it's not fair" is one of my very least favorite statements ever (second only to "I'm bored").  But this really is unfair to women.  It's impossible to be and have it all.  We all have to make choices in life, mothers in particular.  And if you want to feed your child formula and/or think that's best for your child, that's your own damn business and people ought to leave you alone.  On the flipside, if you want to nurse your children, people ought to leave you alone about that also (e.g., when you do it in public, as is often necessary unless you want to become a hermit). 

Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to take a break from work and nurse my boys.  I wanted to nurse for two main reasons.  First, I trust nature more than I trust multinational corporations.  For the most part, I like eating "real" food - real butter/cream/sugar - not chemical substitutes.  I don't trust packaged foods because I often can't discern whether the contents are made with genetically-modified seeds/grains (if you can decipher those labels, you are a better man/woman than me).  Needless to say, I trust the milk my body makes more than I trust a powdered substitute that Nestle makes (especially when Nestle does evil, evil things like giving free formula samples to mothers in Africa only to turn around and force them to pay for formula once their own milk supply has dried up and they can't feed their babies (or, as you probably guessed, afford to buy formula), but I digress . . . ).  I don't believe that anyone can improve upon the milk that my body already produces and I happen to think it's the best thing for my boys.  That isn't to say that formula isn't good also - it clearly is!!  And it offers women much more flexibility than nursing does.  I just don't buy that formula is "better" than breast milk.  Second, and much more selfishly, I wanted the baby weight off of me as quickly as possible after the boys were born and everyone told me breastfeeding was the quickest way to get it off (which I can now confirm is true).  Having made the decision to nurse my children, I personally was going to be quite upset if I had to resort to formula.  But we almost came to formula last week with Deuce. 

Poor Deuce, who seemed so much better once I stopped eating dairy and red meat, regressed a bit and I had to take him back to the doctor.  She told me I "had to" put him on formula because he clearly had a food allergy/sensitivity to something (other than dairy) that I was eating.  I proceeded to go home and cry when I nursed him for what I thought was the last time (and that's saying something - I've only cried one other time since the boys arrived - when I thought Tait was hurt (he wasn't)).  I tried to give Deuce formula for 12 hours before I decided an elimination diet and breast feeding was the better option (basically, he screamed bloody murder for 12 straight hours and refused to take more than an ounce of the formula - that boy is nothing if not 100% certain of what he likes . . . )

The elimination diet is awful.  No dairy, no soy, no wheat, no nuts, no fish, no eggs, and no corn for me.  For all practical purposes, that leaves me with veggies, fruits, and chicken/turkey.  My diet mainly consisted of those things before, but the occasional carb (cracker, granola bar, piece of bread, yogurt, etc.) was appreciated.  I am STARVING trying to keep up with the calorie expenditure of feeding twins while eating nothing but fruits and vegetables.  At this rate, I'll fit back in my wedding dress next week.  Gross.  Also difficult is that I basically can't exercise while I'm on this diet.  I miss running and definitely thought I'd be back at it right now.  But I can't risk burning any more calories than I already am - I'm too afraid my milk supply will decrease.  So, for now, I do sit ups, arm workouts, and two-mile walks with the dogs.  And I'm thinking about starting yoga also - I've always wanted to but never had time (or, frankly, the motivation - who cares about MORE working out when you are running 50 miles a week?).

On the other hand, having been on the diet for more than a week now, Deuce is doing so much better.  Though the days are still sometimes hit or miss (with some days being much better than others), Deuce is eating more than he's eaten since he was a month old, he isn't screaming all day long, he's gaining weight, and he isn't pooing CONSTANTLY.  Those are the only things keeping me on this heinous diet.  And I've made Scott (and Deuce!) promise to take me out for cheeseburgers and milkshakes once this is all over.  Deuce hit his weight goal (11 lbs, 8 ounces) this past Friday (we weigh-in every Friday to make sure he is going to have doubled his weight by his four-month birthday).  That despite basically not eating for a full day when I tried to force formula down his throat.  Keep your fingers crossed for this Friday - he needs to be at 11 lbs, 13 oz.  We've got appointments with a GI specialist and allergist coming up to try and lock down the precise problem.  I, for one, am hoping the allergist tells me I can start eating SOMETHING other than fruits/veggies.  Eggs and nuts would be nice (they are in EVERYTHING), but that's probably wishful thinking. 

In other news, the boys have now found their feet and grab them all the time.  And their favorite thing to do is to stare at each other and smile.  Too, too cute!!  I hope they will be great friends!

'Til next time . . .

Three Months!

The boys were three months old on October 12.  How has it already been three months???  They don't have a doctor appointment this month.  That means no shots (yay!) but no "official" weigh-in either.  Not to be deterred (we wouldn't want me to go a whole month without freaking out over the boys' growth . . .), I weighed the boys myself.  Tait weighed in at 12 lbs, 10.5 oz.  He's got to be the biggest three month old ever.  He's already more than doubled his birth weight.  Deuce weighed 11 lbs, 3.5 oz.  I am trying not to freak out about his small size.  According to the internet (which I should REALLY stop searching if I value my sanity at all), babies are supposed to double their birth weight by 4 months.  That means Deuce needs to hit 12 lbs, 6 oz by November 12.  He's on target, but just barely.  Keep your fingers crossed for my little guy - he just doesn't seem to care too much about eating (which makes me wonder if he's really mine . . . I eat CONSTANTLY).

In other three month news, both boys have really picked up their playing - they kick and reach when I put them down on their playmat.  Too cute!  And they are both smiling up a storm (even Deuce!).  Love it!

Here are some recent pictures:

Tait:

Deuce:

Milk comas (and a snoozing Matty in the background):

Comparison of them in nap nanny as newborns vs. three months:

"Cuddling:"

One of Tait frowning ('cause Lord knows I've posted enough of Deuce frowning . . .):

Recognition.

Big week around here - Tait noticed his brother for the very first time!  When he did, he smiled at him (and totally melted my heart in the process - when did I become such a sap??).  Hopefully Deuce will return Tait's stare soon.  Here are some recent pictures.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

The not-so-angy Irishman

In a previous post, I mentioned that poor Deuce had been sick, sick, sick.  Here's the full story:

At the boys' two-month appointment, Deuce was really fussy - screaming, fists clenched, the whole bit.  I informed his doctor that that was pretty much par for the course for Deuce.  She said it wasn't normal.  She also said it wasn't normal for him to have fallen from the 40th percentile height/weight to the 5/10th percentile height/weight.  And it wasn't normal that he had greenish poo (sorry - TMI).  So she did a test and found that the poor kid had microscopic amounts of blood in his stool (thereby explaining the green hue . . . ) and diagnosed him as having a dairy allergy.  To make a long story short, I was eating (a lot!) of dairy; Deuce is allergic to dairy; and my milk was therefore tearing his stomach up and flying through him so quickly that he wasn't gaining weight appropriately.  Fortunately, there was an easy fix - I just had to stop eating dairy (and all other cow protein - i.e., red meat).

Within three days of my quitting dairy, Deuce was a different kid.  He wasn't screaming anymore!  Turns out my angry little Irishman isn't so angry after all!  I thought Deuce was just an intense little guy; instead, he was screaming because he was in pain.  In addition to his new, mellow(ish) personality, he is eating like a crazy person and growing normally again.  He was 11 pounds as of yesterday - so he's officially putting on an ounce or so a day (which is what he was supposed to be doing all along).  Hurray!  Maybe he won't have to be a jockey after all?!?

The only downside is that I can't eat dairy anymore and I desperately miss cheese and yogurt.  And being able to go out to dinner w/o demanding that the chef not cook any part of my meal in butter (making me the most annoying customer in the entire restaurant . . .).  And, as it turns out, there is dairy in a lot more foods than you'd think (virtually all edible protein bars, etc.).  But it's worth it to have a happy Deucy!  And, for what it's worth, I'm now officially below my pre-pregnancy weight - so that's another perk I guess. 

Here are some pictures of our not-so-angry, dairy-free Irishman (and one to prove that he can still freak out when he wants to . . . ):

Two Months!

I've been an absent blogger again.  My fault entirely.  I seem to use up all my "alone" time (read: when the boys happen to take a nap at the same time, which doesn't happen often . . .) working out, cleaning, or doing the laundry.  The end result is that I haven't updated this blog in ages nor have I sent out the announcement cards that have been sitting on my kitchen table for more than a month.  But I digress . . .

The boys were two months old on September 12.  They change so much every day it's hard to keep up.  They still nap a lot but they are much more awake these days.  They've started smiling at us and I can't get enough - I make a complete fool of myself trying to ellicit smiles all day long.  Their smiles are the most rewarding things ever!  But I hate that things are moving so fast - my little guys are turning more and more into little boys - they aren't my tiny newborns anymore!

The boys' two-month doctor appointment was on September 18.  Tait weighed in at 11 pounds, 2 ounces.  He was 23 1/4 inches long.  Little man Deuce (wasn't the movie titled "Little Man Tate"??) weighed in at 10 pounds even.  And he was only 21 1/4 inches long.  These measurements put Tait in the 75th percentile for height and the 25th percentile for weight and Deuce in the 5-10th percentile for height and the 10-25th percentile for weight.  More on Deuce's height/weight to come in a later post - poor little guy has been sick, sick, sick but we seem to have him on the right track now.

Here are some pictures of the boys from the past couple of weeks.  How hilarious are their expressions (and how beautiful are those smiles)??  Love these hilarious little guys so much!

Tait:

Deuce: