Saturday, April 29, 2017

Lucy and Ellory- Two months.

Lucy and Ellory are two months! They are such sweet babies. We are so thankful they are healthy, generally happy babies. We are also grateful for the amazing help from our families, especially both grandmas- it has been so valuable! Lucy and Ellory, you are very loved by many people! We have been on “house arrest” this whole month still, as the doctors wanted them to avoid being exposed to RSV/influenza and to keep them as healthy as possible, so there are many people still waiting to meet them!

Stats/Doctor visits: Ellory ended up at the doctor two extra times this month. She went at 5 weeks because her nose was so congested, but it turned out to be viral. She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz. Lucy ended up being congested too, but not as bad as Ellory. We just ran the humidifier in their room each night and did lots of bulb syringes and some saline nose drops. Ellory went again at 7 weeks because she was pooping so often, almost every hour, and her poor bottom was completely raw. The doctor said the pooping was normal, but gave a prescription diaper cream, which helped a lot. She weighed 9 lbs 3 oz.

The girls were doing well at their two month wellness check! Ellory weighed 9 lbs 14 oz (14%), 21” (3%), and head circumference 14.75” (25%). Lucy weighed 9 lbs 1 oz (4%), 22” (27%), and head circumference 14.75” (25%). It was surprising that Lucy was taller and that their heads are the same size, because Ellory seems bigger all around.

Feeding: The girls eat every 3 hours (7:30, 10:30, 1:30, and 4:30). Since they were NICU babies, the doctors wanted to be sure they ate every three hours, so even waking them in the night if they were sleeping (which in most cases they weren't anyways!). For two of the feedings, they have fortified bottles (my milk mixed with a special preemie formula). It's 1/3 formula and 2/3 breast milk. We started doing a tiny bit more formula so I would have enough milk, because I wasn't pumping quite enough for the bottles, but it's worked out fine. There were a few times they were so congested it was hard for them to eat, but most of the time they are great eaters, which we are very thankful for! Ellory has 3.5 oz in her bottles and she chugs it, and Lucy has 3 oz (just because she doesn't want as much) and is a slower drinker and sometimes doesn't finish. Ellory is getting pretty good at projectile spitting up!

Diapers/clothes: Both wore newborn diapers and clothes all month. Very different from Norah, who only did that for two weeks! Ellory poops smaller amounts more often, and Lucy poops less but they are big when she does. Ellory often pees/toots while being changed!

Sleeping: Sleeping is still not great. Can't wait for that to improve! They got slightly better this month, but both were still up pretty often. It's a good stretch if I got a full hour uninterrupted in bed. They had one night where they both only woke up for feedings, and a couple other fairly good nights, which was glorious, but most nights they were still up often.

Developments: Many people commented this month how strong the girls are getting! Around 6 weeks, they got much better at holding their head up and kicking with their legs. Both can roll onto their side. They do pretty well in their car seats, though we haven't gone many places. They usually enjoy going for walks in the stroller. We've seen some reflexive smiles, like when they are sleeping, and a couple random smiles in response to us, but nothing consistent. About 7 weeks they started grabbing onto things more, like my hair and shirt. They are starting to have more defined awake periods, especially in the morning, and the evening is their most fussy time. Their alertness and eye contact really grew also. They take lots of tiny cat naps during the day and don't have a nap schedule at all yet.

Favorites: Being held is a big favorite of both (which is a big part of the sleeping issue- they want to be held to sleep!). Ellory's favorite spot is laying in the nook of your arm between your elbow and armpit, and Lucy's favorite spot is laying on your chest. They love to relax in the tub and be covered with water, but hate getting out. Ellory loves her pacifier. A couple times Lucy has sucked her thumb or fist, so maybe she will be a thumb sucker like Norah?

We love you, Lucy and Ellory! So thankful you are a part of our family.













Big sister Norah was also 2 1/2 the same day!


2 comments:

  1. LOVED this update!! I think Norah and Lucy DEFINITELY favor! I feel like it's a baby picture of Norah! I can't wait to get to know these little girls !!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I think they really favor too. Most say that Lucy looks like me and Ellory like Kley. So fun to watch them grow!

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