Due Date!!

Good Morning...
We never really talked about it or mentioned it unless people asked, but yesterday, February 22nd was the boys official due date.  It doesn't have any real signifigant meaning at this point because they will be considered Preemies until at least 18 months.  By then they should be "caught up" with most developmental issues...Lord willing.

It has been a crazy few days...

After spending three weeks here, my parents went home to McKinney for a couple of weeks.  It was awesome having them here, and they really made things go a lot better.  My dad is a machine about day to day things...doing several loads of laundary a day...keeping bottles washed...taking the 8am feeding daily...I'm not sure how he does it.  My mom has continued her project helping to get us organized (she's been helping us since her first visit back in August when we realized we needed more oranization to keep ourselves / our house "sane.").  In between projects she enjoyed her favorite new past time...no...not Farmville (a close second!)...holding grand kids and helping with care time.  Their presence was missed within hours of leaving!!

Taking care of three babies is hard for four people.  I don't think any of us felt like we were getting the sleep / rest we wanted...but misery loves company.  If nothing else, there is a psychological advantage knowing we had them out numbered and if you really needed a break someone could take over.  Additionally...from my perspective...it was a lot easier pulling myself away to do (or try to do) research/writing while they were here because I knew Autumn had help.

Then came Saturday afternoon....

Two people taking care of the boys is not easy...but not terribly difficult.  The beauty of that extra person is having someone to respond to the babies not being fed at that moment.  Additionally, you can over lap feedings a little bit to get the care time under 2 hours...always the goal.  FYI...we never feed all of them at once...and we try to stagger feeding start times at least 15 min apart so when it is just one person doing the feedings they aren't all getting hungry/fussy at the exact same time (that's the goal at least).

I've made a committment to Autumn that Sat AM / early afternoon will be hers.  What she does is up to her...but the goal is to give her at least a few hours every week where she can get out of the house and just unwind for awhile.  I'd love for it to be more frequent, but for now...this is a good start.  Unfortunately, with my parents just having left...and the level of "fussiness" with the boys...she had to settle for a relaxing shower & time upstairs.

Feeding all three boys by yourself is a challenge to say the least.  It doesn't mean it can't be done...but as they mature they seem more willing to express dissatisfaction / discomfort.  That has its benefits..but when you are trying to feed one baby...the other two screaming every time they drop their binky (life savers) is tough.  Plus...we are both still working on holding just two babies at a time...but when feeding that isn't an option.  The hardest part about feeding the boys yourself is knowing you can't give each of them the attention they need / deserve.  The goal is simply to get each one done as quickly as possible...while maximizing milk/formula consumption and minimizing reflux/spitting up.  They each get 30 minutes...nothing more.  But like most babies...the best thing is to try and hold them for awhile when they are done.  When you are by yourself..that just isn't an option because there are two more hungry mouths to feed...and they make it clear they are only growing more and more hungry.

Fortunately, we do have some solutions we've developed the last couple of days.  It isn't that we haven't been doing single feedings...Autumn has been doing them since the boys got home...and the rest of us have had our share.  But over this weekend...to even get minimal sleep meant more frequent single care times...and it was like the boys knew they had us!!

The biggest thing we've learned is the benefit of close proximity.  Before starting a feeding...if any of them are semi-awake / fussy, we put those babies within an arms reach.  This is where the multiple bouncers / Boppy Pillows helps out.  When in the nursery, one of them sits on a boppy on a glider and the other one is in a bouncer on the floor.  The third gets fed.  From there...everyone rotates in/out of their respective spot until fed.  On the main level, during the day...I like to line the boys up in the boppies so all three are on the couch.  In either case, the ability to still hold one while addressing the "baby crisis" (aka dropping a binky) is a huge help.  Nothing frazzles the nerves more than a bunch of screaming infants!!

Anyways...that's about it for now.  By the time I am done writing this it will be a mere 45 minutes until the next care time.  This is the only thing I've done since the last care time.  That is just the way it works...

Have a great day!!

J