Boxers & Babies: 11/9/08

So November 10 marked the girls' 4 month birthday, although since they are so early, everything they do is gauged by their adjusted age, which actually makes them just under 2 months old. Funny enough, we didn't even mention to each other that it was their 4 month birthday...

In baby news, things are improving on the eating front... slightly. Olivia had been extremely congested and we finally took her in to our peditrician to get checked out. Our doctor listened to her breathe and checked her out and decided it wasn't anything to be that concerned about. Since the wheezing was all in her nose and sinuses, it wasn't serious. She said that she believes its a version of "the croup". Although she hadn't been coughing like is usually associated with "the croup" she said the congestion in the nasal cavity was another symptom. Our pediatrician gave us some instructions and we've been following them on how to make this better.

Some of the instructions included using a cool mist humidifyer in their room, which we had been doing. Additionally, I started doing some breathing treatments with her using the vaporizor Jeni bought. Basically it was Olivia in her Baby Bjorn facing outward on my chest, facing their dresser which has the vaporizor on it (without the medicated inhalant) with a towel over our heads... Needless to say, my sinuses are quite moist and healthy. And it seems to have worked well for her. Despite her crying throughout the treatment, she is breathing much better and definitely not wheezing anymore.

Sleep-wize, we are very lucky. Following the girls' 10 & 11pm bottles, we are usually able to put them in their cribs and they will sleep from 5 to 6 hours without waking up. Our pediatrician said not to bother waking them up to eat if they aren't waking on their own. So, it is nice to get a solid 5 or 6 hours of sleep each night, with Jeni and I actually in the same bed at the same time... You might recall that for the first 3 weeks we did shifts instead and hadn't actually slept in the same room... Ugh.

On Veteran's Day, Cousin Megan came over and helped Jeni with the girls, which we thoroughly appreciated. Megan has a bit of baby fever and really enjoyed just sitting and holding the girls while Jeni caught up on some house work. Grandma Pat, Nana Sharon, & Papa Rick have all come by this week and added some helping hands as well.

The girls continue to progress despite these setbacks of getting sick, etc. They are growing right on schedule according to our doctor. We weigh them on occassion just to check and see where they are. Sydney has nearly caught up with Olivia in both her length and weight, although Olivia does still outweigh her... We guess the main weight difference is due to the size of Olivia's head. :) We tease her about it often.

Seems the hardest part is just taking time to soak all of this in. I remind Jeni frequently that even though its frustrating at times and frantic, we need to appreciate all of the things the girls do now and how they look... they will change so fast so we have to enjoy each little thing. And it is the smallest things that are the cutest ever. Jeni remarked to me the other day that her favorite moment of the day was waking up Olivia in the morning. Seems when Olivia gets awakened, she stretches her little arms up over her head in the cutest way ever. Jeni calls this "Baby Power!!" and says it when it happens... Funny. The best part of my day on the other hand is when I walk through the door after coming home from work and get to kiss my girls after being gone all day.

So, of course, as we try to "soak in" every day that includes taking lots of pictures...

And with that, here we go!

Sydney at Bathtime