March 31:
All visitors left.
I started back to work after being out for 5 months.
Brad started his new job.
The boys started daycare.
And apparently I stopped uploading pictures and updating my blog!
Welcome to the real world.
Whew! We are really in go-mode! I'll share some fun things first, then give you a day in the life breakdown. First, here's the link to our photo website.
The boys had their 2 month appointment nearly 2 weeks ago. Carter weighed 12 lbs. (I bet he is 12.5 now!) Nolan weighed 9.5 lbs (hopefully he is over 10 now!) They are growing so fast it is incredible. It is literally right before our eyes! Each morning they look a little bigger to me! Carter is in the 50th percentile and Nolan is in the 20th. They've come a long weigh (get it? hahahahaha!). Carter was in the 10th and Nolan in the 2nd!
Nolan is having some issues eating. Sometimes, he'll take a 4 oz bottle like a champ. Then other times, he'll have 1.5-2 oz and start freaking out. He'll cry like his tummy hurts but like he is still hungry. We'll try to get him to drink but each gulp seems to cause him discomfort. It isn't every feeding though. Their Dr. is having us give him something for acid reflux. After one week, using it, I can't really tell if it is helping yet.
Personalities:
Carter is pretty mellow. He loves to be held. He loves to be spoken to. He has a short attention span. He is not happy in one place for very long, unless it is in your arms! He hates bedtime; he really fights falling asleep at bedtime, though he will just pass out suddenly during the day! But he really loves listening to me read books. He loves staring up into Brad's eyes when being held. He loves following us across the room, with his eyes. He does not like tummy time on the floor mat, but loves it on the boppy!
Nolan has a very long attention span. He will lie on the tummy mat for over 30 minutes, just cooing like crazy! He loves to play! Often, he'll sit anywhere we put him and just stare at something of interest. He used to not like to be held on your chest, and always wanted to face outwards to look around, but now he loves it. He is also the bounce master. When in doubt, just bounce and this boy is happy!
Both babies LOVE stroller rides and car rides especially with the windows down and music up. They generally love being outside.
Two nights ago, I was responsible for Carter. Well, when I heard Nolan stirring, I got confused and thought I had him so I got up (probably too soon before he was really hungry) and fed him. This was around 2:00 am, which was REALLY good that he slept that long. As I was feeding him, I remembered I was supposed to have Carter and was kinda jealous because Carter was still passed out and Brad was getting to sleep longer! Anyway, when I got back in bed, I told Brad my mistake and went to sleep. I woke up, hearing Nolan again at 5:00 am. This was typical. Then I looked at Brad and said, "Oh my gosh! Carter hasn't woken up at all to eat! It is a miracle!" Brad said, "No, I fed him at 3:30." Well, that was still quite incredible....the longest span of time either baby has gone. So the next day, Brad and I are discussing how great last night was and he tells me that he actually woke Carter up to feed him! WHAT!!! WHY??? He said he woke up, realizing how late it was and was worried. So he asked me what I thought and I guess I told him to feed him. I have NO recollection of this! I really don't think I would tell Brad to wake the baby! We totally got such a kick out of this because for so long, all we've wanted was for the babies to sleep, sleep, sleep and when they do, we decide to wake them! WHAT?!?! ha ha!
So the next night, we are both all excited to let the babies sleep for a really long time. WHATEVER! They both woke every 3 hours again! This is crazy!
Tonight, we fed them at 7:30 and will wake them at 11:30 for a "dream feed" then hopefully they'll sleep until 6:00. That is what books and many other mothers of twins say has worked for them. Wish us luck!
So in the past few weeks, we've taken lots of pictures! Here are some good ones!
I'm obsessed with these outfits. Thanks Sarah K!
Easter! The church we tried was not so great but Carter and Nolan sure looked adorable!
And Brad and I totally coordinated with them. (Yes, I forced it.)
Okay, the truth: We left church and were starving and didn't have brunch plans. We just wanted a sandwich so went to Jersey Mikes. Well it was closed. The babies started screaming for food, so instead of heading to another restaurant, we just parked the car and held them and fed them their bottles we brought. We were in this vacant parking lot. The weather was so nice and the boys were so happy after their feeding so we just had a little photo session right there! Whatever and whenever!
Good Times: Tonight, Friday, we both came home from work and were just exhausted. We decided to take the boys for a car ride to pick up some dinner. After aimlessly driving for a few minutes, we finally decided on Jason's Deli. We got our take out and headed home. Suddenly, I think we went over the edge. We both laughed about absolutely nothing the entire way home. We were completely delirious!
The boys are really getting the hang of "tummy time." Carter can hold his head up for quite some time. I seriously think he started holding his head up in the hospital the day after he was born! This picture doesn't do it justice though. He seriously sits up with his head up high!
Nolan does a good job, too, but can only hold it up for so long! =)
We had to do a little photo shoot in our SMU gear! Carter's got the school spirit. Nolan is not too happy about this.
Okay, so the smiles are for real now! If I put Carter's lips on my cheeks (Carter Kisses), he smiles. If we say "aaaahhhhhh ooooohhhhhh" he smiles! It is absolutely adorable! We were starting to worry that his chubby cheeks were too chubby for him to use his smile muscles! I caught it on video but don't know how to load that on the blog. I think Nolan smiled first but has slowed down since then. We can't seem to figure out that perfect tool that makes him smile. However, Nolan is the coo master and always makes this "happy baby face." He will lay on the tummy mat or really anywhere, and just make the most adorable sounds. And he has quite a long attention span for a baby. He is so happy!
Here are the boys with their cool onesies on. Thanks Dara!
Here's Dad with a very sleepy Nolan:
And Mom with a wide awake Carter:
Here's a day in the life of the Kowalski Family:
5:00 am - someone is up. Is it Brad's baby or my baby? Please let it be Brad's baby! We feed them both anyway and put them back down, hoping for another hour or two before we have to get up and get ready.
7:00 am - babies are stirring. We get up, shower, make coffee, I pump, do hair and make up. Thank goodness I picked out my clothes before bed! Brad sets up the boppies and feeds both boys on his own since it takes me so much longer to get ready. I throw some type of breakfast together for us since I'm absolutely STARVING hungry these days! Brad showers and I get babies dressed.
8:25 am - out the door! Brad takes the boys to Miss Carla's house and I head to work. Carla is amazing and loves these boys to death! They love her, too! At work, I pump 3 times in the lovely nurse's office. It is awesome, let me tell you. Actually, it is quite relaxing. I totally check out for 10 minutes. Or sometimes I make a phone call or check some email and facebook on my phone. Ha ha! Brad is thrilled to have a 15 minute commute rather than 1 hr!
4:15 pm - I leave school most days at this time. Mondays I have to leave much later. Pick the boys up by 4:30, home by 4:45.
5:00 pm - I offer them some food even though they have usually just eaten an hour ago. They are usually in really good moods. They love to be lifted up by their bellies so they can hold their heads up and stretch their legs out!
5:30 pm - Brad's usually home. I try to head out for a long walk with the boys if I'm feeling rested enough! This gives Brad a minute to himself. But sometimes he walks with us.
6:00 pm - one of us makes dinner and the other entertains babies! Sometimes they'll nap a bit, but not at the same time and not often. =) I usually offer them some more food.
7:00 pm - one of us eats while the other entertains then vise-versa. They start getting a little fussy around this time.
7:30 pm - let the feeding begin. We beg the boys to take at least 5 oz. at this point! Everyone says you've got to "fill the tank" before bed to get them to sleep longer! But it can take an hour sometimes to get the 5 oz. down!
8:15 pm - bath time (every other night). We are trying a bedtime routine that effects all their senses. Smelly lotion, familiar classical music playing, very dark room. I started reading to them a few nights ago. I'm alternating nights to hold a baby and read while Brad holds the other baby. I'm not kidding you, they really do listen and I think they enjoy it! Last, we put them down and turn the sound machine on the "womb with the heartbeat" sound.
8:45 pm - hopefully we've left the room by this point. Sometimes we have to go back in and soothe Carter. Tonight was good though, we just went back in once! It is now time to finish the Biggest Loser episode that we've been watching for several days. Do the dishes, get the nighttime bottles ready, straighten up all the baby stuff everywhere, finish the laundry, and pick out my clothes for tomorrow! Notice I didn't say I had to work on any school work. I'm being so efficient at work these days, it makes me wonder what I was doing before!
10:00 pm - hopefully we are in bed by now. We pray that the babies sleep for a long time. We've gotten some good stretches and some not-so-good stretches. We alternate babies that we are each responsible for through the night. I think we are still getting 6-7 hrs of sleep all together, broken up. That's not too bad I guess! The nice thing is that the boys wake to eat, and always go back to sleep. They get it! Nighttime is for sleeping!
5:00 am arrives and we do it again. Always counting down to the weekend!
The boys have their first trip coming up. They will get to meet their new cousin, Ronan! Memorial weekend, we are flying to Nashville. I hope they are good on the plane! We can't wait!
