A Surprised Gracie!

Here is a video from back in December. Auntie Amy was over and we were playing with the girls in their Bumbos. Grace got surprised when I said, "Get the froggy!" - referencing the rattle Amy is holding. It's a bit grainy because I wanted to add the slow-mo effect, and had to do it in Windows Movie Maker. Anywho, I think you still can see well enough.

Enjoy!

Our Tootsie Roll - Gracie

I forgot to post that Gracie is a roller! They both have been rolling from stomach to back for awhile now. But now Gracie loves going from her back to her stomach. She first did it when my parents were visiting. My dad said "Gracie rolled over!" And we didn't believe him - she had always come close - but just not close enough. Then she was crying in her crib and my mom went to check on her and voila she was face down screaming into the mattress. Yikes! So yea, now we are (overly) concerned every time we hear her cries get muffled (but at least she's still crying right?!).

It's just a challenge putting on lotion or clothes. Oh and you can imagine what fun rolling is when you are trying to change a poopy diaper - yea, not so much. You turn your back and Grace is gone, rolling away. Yesterday we were changing both girls on the floor, and Grace rolled on her belly, and promptly returned to her back - thudding her head on the hardwood floor in the process. Doh!

We are already worried about Frances getting as agile. We know it will happen soon because she gets real close to rolling herself over to her stomach. With this added mobility it is a bit harder being home alone with the girls. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when they are both crawling....... and walking! Omigosh! I'll admit I'm very afraid.

Hopefully we'll survive ;-) Thank God for the person who invented baby gates (aka baby jail hehe).

January Tummy Check-up

The girls had their check-up for their tummy troubles today. They are both doing great. The Similac Alimentum is working like a champ. And the girls are still gaining weight, although not as much this past month as they gained the month before.

We could have sworn Grace looked taller and thinner than Frances but they both measured out equals. They both are 25 inches long and 17.1 pounds. They are between the 75th and 90th percentiles for weight, and around the 50th percentile for height.

I told the doc that I cut out the rice cereal in their formula the last week of December. They were getting one tablespoon for every two ounces of formula. So three tablespoons at each feeding, for each girl. The girls were having such a hard time drinking it through the bottle - and still aren't eating from a spoon yet. They were gulping a lot of air that would get trapped in the bottle. And we had to widen even the cereal nipples for it to flow through - and that would cause gulping of air as well. She said we shouldn't cut out the rice cereal completely. So now we're doing one teaspoon for every 1-2 ounces. But I think cutting out the cereal may have slowed down their growth some. We told the GI we've been trying the spoon feeding every weekend, just to see if they are ready. We had been trying just the rice cereal and oatmeal - but she said we could try other stage one foods - since maybe the babies are just being picky. Who knows...

Frances is suffering from really BAD eczema. Even the GI doctor felt so horrible for her. We went to the doctor and she said to apply 1% hydrocortisone cream, she said no lotion will heal parts that are already cracked and oozing. And I bought some Aquaphor to maintain flare-ups behind her knees after the hydrocortisone treatment. So we just have to be stingy so as to not overdose her on the hydrocortisone. Poor baby. She's all scabby and raw - it really does look painful  - and she definitely let's us know when it's bother her. :-(

Anywho we have another follow up with the GI in March. And we have their 6 month check up at the end of this month. Crazy how time flies!

First Christmas and New Year!

"Team Santa" - Frances and Grace, Christmas morning 

The girls survived their first Christmas! My parents and brother came down to visit. The girls had their initial "stranger danger" episode. Although, I think the over stimulation of various activities just added to their crankiness. Christmas morning they lasted long enough for us to get a couple shots of them with a couple gifts (see above) and then they passed out again. Therefore, I opened all the presents - they were able to marvel at them after their nap.

In the evening we had Christmas Dinner. Richard's dad came over and Uncle Edgar, and Rhonnie, as well. And two cute little girls, Katie and Abby. Like I said above, the girls and their "stranger danger" came to the forefront. They cried A LOT. I tried to explain to the two little girls that came over, that the babies weren't crying because they didn't like them, it's just something babies go through. Richard and I ended up having to escape upstairs to get the girls quieted down.

I would say by Sunday they became accostomed to the added company. It was just a lot of "new" people all at once. My brother headed back Upstate early Sunday morning - to avoid the predicted snowpocalypse - which actually didn't hit anywhere relevant - but ya never know with those things.

My folks stayed the rest of the week! Since Richard and I both had to work, and the nanny was still on vacation - my parents took on the baby duty (doodie hehe). They did such an awesome job! It's A LOT of work. It was nice to have 4 adults around at night, man were we able to get A LOT more done.

Grace and Frances in their New Year's outfits

Richard and I both had New Year's Eve off from work. In the morning we had a New Year's photoshoot with the girls. I had bought these flower headbands that were adorably hilarious (see above). Afterwards, Richard and my dad loaded up a bunch of furniture and etcetera to donate to Goodwill and Salvation Army. Seriously we are crunched for space with two babies! So that was a nice weight lifted off our shoulders (again, my parents are awesome!). And Richard cleaned the girls room and I cleaned our room.

Aunt Sig and Uncle Freddy fought off the jet-lag from their recent trip to visit Glenn in Paris -- and came to visit us. They brought over some gifts for the girls, which promptly entered their mouths - as everything does hehe. After they left we did what we always do, take care of babies haha. We had our New Year's cheer around 9:30 p.m.-ish, since we were all dog-tired from a long day (and week, and month -- let's make that 5 and 1/2 months......).

New Year's Day my folks left to head back Upstate. I'll admit I cried after they left. Richard and I both were depressed. Seriously we felt the weight back on. It'd had been a long few weeks. With the nanny being gone and trying to juggle work, and the holidays, it had been nice to have a couple extra hands around to help out. We can't wait for them to visit again, but they might enjoy the "freedom" for a bit longer hahahaha.

So a BIG THANK YOU to Auntie Amy, and Grandma and Grandpa for helping out with everything in December! We couldn't have done it without you guys.

Happy(?) 5 Month Birthday!

The girls with their ears pierced.

If they appear "off center" it's because I haven't tightened the earrings yet.

(Grace on left, Frances on right)

Okay, so I'm posting a day early... tomorrow will be the girls' 5 month birthday, woohoo!

Today Auntie Amy and I took the girls to the Piercing Pagoda at the mall. The lady said most babies cry for a few seconds and then forget all about it (like with shots). Well, Grace went first. Auntie Amy held her since I was nervous. We figured she could pass her off to me for consoling while they did Frances. They had both ears pierced at the same time (thank GOD!). Well Grace is screaming of course, so I take her and walk her around and she doesn't stop. I'm starting to get nervous. It "seems" like everyone is looking at me like - why did you torture your child!

In the meantime Frances is completely unphased. And gets her ears pierced as well. She cried for all of about 10 seconds and then was back to laughing and giggling. Grace on the otherhand - screamed the whole rest of the way out of the mall. And she continued to cry off and on in the car. And when we got to the house she commenced the screaming again. Even after giving her a bottle, she still cried. But fortunately all that crying tuckered her out and she fell asleep pretty quickly.

Man I felt sooo bad for Gracie. If I hadn't seen how Frances had a fairly easy reaction - I would have completely thought I was torturing her! I'm so glad we decided to take them at the same time. If I had taken Grace alone, and first, I never would have gone back with Frances. Frances was still all smiles afterwards - she must feel really pretty :-) She was looking at Grace like, "what's your problem chick?" hahaha. Anywho, I gave them some baby tylenol. By tomorrow, a lot of the warmness, soreness, and throbbing should be going away. Now, cross fingers they don't get infected!

A thank you to Auntie Whitney whose Christmas gift for the girls paid for the earrings! We got a sweet "buy one get one free" deal on the earrings and free piercing with the earring purchase. I went with 14k gold (yellow gold for Frances, and white gold for Grace). I read gold was less likely to result in an allergic reaction. So with the BOGO deal, we really lucked out on price! Woohoo!

A HUGE thank you to Aunt Amy for helping me out. Seriously I can not say THANK YOU big enough!!! Not only did she do the "dirty task" of holding them for the piercings,  she also helped keep me sane (and from passing out from nerves).

So I was thinking about how Carrie felt bad for scheduling Ben's shots for his birthday... I can completely empathize now! Although, honestly, shots are a necessity... earrings are purely cosmetic. They look completely adorable though!

And on a side note - the lady that pierced their ears has a 5 month old son (born 3 days before the girls). She had a c-section at Howard County Hospital too - so we gather we were probably in the maternity ward at the same time. Fun!

Soooo happy birthday girls, I hope you will not have PTSD and will forgive me when you're older :-) Love you lots!

Gracie Rolled Over!

Wearing the sweaters Auntie Amy knitted

(Grace on left, Frances on right)

Frances has been rolling from her stomach to her back for awhile now. We were worried because Grace hadn't even attempted to do it. The doc said that Frances was actually ahead of schedule and that we shouldn't worry about Grace - she was right on target for her milestones. Well sure enough, the other day she was really trying to launch herself from her back to her stomach, so we were assisting her, and she was having fun. Well one of the times, we just left her on her belly, and voila! She rolled onto her back. Yay! We all cheered and she was happy as a clam.

Auntie Amy has been coming to help with childcare this week. WE LOVE AUNTIE AMY! Our nanny is on vacation for 3 weeks. I have to work from home since I don't have any paid time off left (maternity leave ate it up) so it's nice having the help between and during feedings. :-) Anywho, after work on Monday, we were playing with the babies on the gym - giving them play time on their tummies. Frances demonstrated her rolling skills. AND she even did it on command! We thought it was hilarious.

They will both be moving in no time... yikes!

On a side note, my previous post about the babies "sleeping through the night..." yeah - not so much. I guess it was just a fluke. It's frustrating. I know eventually they will, but it seems like it will be just in time for teething. Blah. Actually Frances had progressed to sleeping from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. But Gracie was waking up every hour to half hour starting at 1 a.m. It sucked. Then the past two nights, all of a sudden Gracie is sleeping but now Frances is waking up! You can't win for trying. I wish they would have identical patterns - since they are identical twins! Come on, give mommy and daddy a break. hahaha. Ah well.

Also, we had to call the pediatric GI to ask about upping their Pepcid dosage - since they had gained quite a bit of weight from the beginning of November to the end, at the 4 month checkup. So now they are ate .8 mL. Seems to help them at feedings. We'll see though....

Grandma and Grandpa are coming back at the end of next week, with Uncle Tommy - so the girls will have more entertainment. Should be fun :-)

New Jersey Family Visit AND 1st Turkey Day

Okay so I forgot to update on a couple things that have happened in the past month (aside from their 4-month checkup).

First, our relatives from New Jersey came to see the girls for the first time. Grace was chatting away with Great! and Auntie Judy. While Frances hung out with Uncle Howard and Auntie Ingrid. We had fun. And then we left Richard with the gals so that we could get some Indian food. Delicious!

 Uncle Howard and Auntie Ingrid entertain Frances

Then for Thanksgiving we headed to Great! and Uncle Freddy's house. Grandma and Grandpa Parry were there too. Aunties Barbara and Marina joined the festivities, as well as Uncle Raw-knee.

Uncle Raw-knee feeds Gracie and daddy feeds Francie Pants

Yum - formula and rice cereal!

Here are a bunch of pictures of activities and visitors from the past month - click here.

4-Month Check-up

Our chubettes - Grace and Frances

Wow it's been a looooonnnnnnngggggg day. We're whipped!

The girls had their 4-month check-up today. They are both doing great.

Frances:

• 15 lbs. 10 oz. - the 90th percentile!
• 24.5 inches long - the 50th percentile
• I can't remember her head circumference but it's in the 75th percentile

Grace:

• 15 lbs. 7.5 oz. - just a teensy weensy bit below the 90th percentile!
• 23 inches long - the 10th percentile
• And same as Frances, with head circumference in the 75th percentile.

So basically, they are short and fat with big ol' heads. hahaha. The doctor is not concerned about their length yet, so that's good. But wow, coming from not being even on the charts when they were born, to almost being off the charts on the other side. My big girls!

Developmentally they are doing great. We were nervous that Grace seemed "behind" Frances on a lot of milestones. But it turns out that Grace is right on target for her age - and Frances is ahead of schedule. Whew! Good to know. So "yay" for the girls!

The only unfortunate revelation from the appointment is that both girls have eczema. The doc said it's common with allergies. They'll most likely have asthma issues as well. All three tend to come as a package. Probably inherited that crap from me. Ah well. Anywho, there is no "cure" for eczema so all I can do is keep the vaseline on hand. Poor little gals.

They got their vaccines again, albeit with lots of consolling. They were fussing for awhile. I'm sure their legs are sore. Have to keep an eye out for possible fever. Hopefully they will be fine in a couple days. The next check-up is at 6 months.

Sleeping Through the Night... Could it Be?

Okay the girls have changed their eating, sleep and wake time routine just in the past few days. As a result, last night we put them to bed at 8:45 p.m. and they slept until 6 a.m. They didn't completely "sleep through" the night. Grace woke up around 11 and fussed for a bit. I gave her some saline drops and she eventually fell back asleep. Then they seemed to alternate waking up every hour after that. But it was only for about 5-10 minutes at a time, maybe 15 max. So I'm looking forward to the complete sleep.

4 months, 5 days old

Tummy Time

I'm trying to give the girls more "tummy time." Of course, they don't like it. Ah well. Anywho, yesterday after their morning feeding we were playing on the gym. And it was Frances' turn for some tummy time. I put her on her belly and not 5 seconds later she rolled over on her back. I was so surprised. She did it once before, when she was REALLY angry, but this time she was perfectly happy. So I put her back on her belly and she rolled over again! I couldn't believe it. And she was giggling. Definitely having fun :-) I think Frances is a bit stronger than Grace right now. Sometimes Frances even pushes all the way up on her hands. Grace is still only raising her head about 45 degrees. But I'm not worried. I think Frances is just a bit ahead and Grace is right on schedule. I just keep encouraging both of them. As long as we're having fun, we're good :-)

Last weekend we had some more visitors. Auntie Amy came over with Uncle Joe's mom. They helped by feeding the girls and joining in play time! Later on, Howard and Ingrid came over with Judy. Their first time meeting the girlies. Aunt Signe joined us as well. And Grace practiced her talking! We all had fun. And then left Richard with the girls so we could go and get some eats - yay for some delicious Indian food :-)

This will be the girls first Turkey Day coming up. Can't wait :-)

4 months, 3 days old

4 Months Old!

Wow! The girls are 4 months old today. I keep thinking, only 8 months until they are 1 year old. I'm happy and sad at the same time. They are just growing and changing so fast.

They have made so many developmental milestones (as mentioned in the previous post). And now we feel they are getting more on-track to sleeping through the night. Cross fingers! We put them down between 10 and 11 p.m. And they wake up between 4 and 6 a.m. Two mornings this week we actually had to wake them up. I'm just hoping it gets more consistent. It turns out that getting the humidifier back in working order was the trick. Isn't it funny how one little thing you'd been avoiding (i.e. cleaning the humidifier) could have avoided you all those sleepless nights for the past two weeks! Darn hindsight! Wouldn't it be just our luck that they'd figure out this whole sleeping thing just in time to start teething. hahaha. I laugh in irony.

Their 4 month check-up will be more like 4 1/2 months. It's so hard to get back-to-back appointments, a necessity with twins. They didn't have any until Turkey week - which wouldn't work with my co-workers taking off, so we had to push it to the Monday following Turkey Day. Yay for more shots! hahaha.

Happy Birthday Girlies!

Ladies Gaga... and Googoo

Frances and Grace have both been "talking" for awhile. Frances has been by far, more vocal. She'll talk non-stop. Grace was hit or miss. Some days she wouldn't say a peep. And then other days she'd have a couple really good vocal sessions.

Well, this past weekend came and Grace just sprung right out of her shell. She's been talking sooo much her sister barely has time to get a word in edge-wise. It's so crazy when they both are just talking non-stop at the same time. It will be fun when they start babbling to each other. Oh, when they squeal and giggle it makes all the work worth it.

Also, just since last week, they've been grabbing at things a lot. The nanny gave them a soft rattle and they grab and fling it around. They grab their little burp cloths (blankies) and fling them around too. And at times, conveniently wipe their own mouths. hahaha.

They are both getting very strong. I was craddling Grace in my arm yesterday and she pulled herself upright into a semi-seated position. It surprised me! We are waiting for their sitting and head holding to get a bit more steady and then we'll begin trying the other Stage 1 solid foods.

The nanny was just as amazed as I was at how much they've changed in just the past week. We were both so excited!

The girls turn 4 months on Thursday. Time is flying...

Girls and Self-Confidence

Living in today's society means lots of challenges for my girls growing up. Girls are notorious for having poor self-images. I want to be sure my girls remain level-headed. Not too down on themselves and not too full of themselves either. It's hard though, because many children are shaped by their peers. And even us girls/women with the most supportive of female counterparts - still have self-image issues. I read this article on MsNBC today: "Is Your Daughter A Self-Loathing 'Body Bully?" I definitely recommend it. The book it references sounds very interesting: Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Screwing Up Our Girls and What We Can Do to Help Them Thrive Despite It. I think the body image thing applies to girls who think they are too fat and those who think they are too skinny - someone hates their curly or straight hair - someone hates the color of their eyes - and everything else in between.

I'm hoping the fact that they are identical twins will be an asset, at least body image-wise. They have someone else in the world that looks exactly like them, and that hopefully they will be besties with. Viewing their sister in that positive light should reflect positively on their view of themselves. We can only hope though, and try and provide an encouraging, happy and healthy environment.

And the Baby Bump Lingers On...

I'm a bit peeved. I ordered the BioGaia pro-biotic drops for the babies and when it arrived, the box read, "may contain traces of milk protein." Say what?! The girls pedi GI was not aware of that - she only mentioned that she had heard the drops worked for some parents in alleviating colic symptoms. And I looked all over the BioGaia site and no where did it mention the milk protein thing. I have to call and complain. And definitely demand a refund - $35 for a teeny tiny little bottle. In the meantime I inquired on my Multiple Moms (CAMOM) food allergy subgroup forum about other pro-biotics. One of the moms recommended Culturelle - I checked out the website and it says "dairy and gluten free." So I'll have to order some and try it out.

I'm frustrated. I'm 1 pound BELOW my pre-pregnancy weight. I should be happy right? Well it's this stupid belly. It's stuck there like a ball. I have diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation) from the pregnancy. Basically, leaves your stomach bowed out like you are still pregnant. Since my belly is pronounced I've had people still asking when I'm due. It's helpful in some respects - people still offer to carry my groceries and such. But I'm sure the novelty will wear off the further I get post-delivery. Yesterday, I asked the other mothers of multiples in the CAMOM group what they recommend as a "fix it" or "cure." I had read varying accounts over the Internet. Some claiming you can "fix" it by doing abdominal workouts wearing a binder. Others saying DON'T do ab workouts, because they make the diastasis worse. And others saying do Yoga, or don't do Yoga. So many different things. Well I received a plethora of responses and everyone said there is no way to "fix" it without surgery. Unfortunately, it's considered plastic surgery, so insurance won't cover it. Many of the moms who had insurance cover it, had suffered hernias through the diastasis -- hernia repairs are covered by most insurances, and the docs just fixed their diastasis during the hernia operations. So looks like I'm going to be stuck looking preggers forever or until I get a hernia - and who the heck wants a hernia? On top of the diastasis, my belly button is herniated, which just adds to my appearing preggers.

I'm trying to keep it all in perspective though. I have two relatively healthy and occasionally happy babies (hahaha) - so a lingering baby bump is really not the end of the world.

This weekend we are hanging out with family. Should be fun. And hopefully Frances and Grace will be in a jovial mood.

Tummy Check-up

The girls had their check-up with the pediatric GI today. She said they are doing really well. Gaining weight like champs! They both weighed in at 13 pounds 8 ounces -- and that's before eating! Gracie was about 22 inches and Frances was 23 inches long.

She upped their Pepcid dosage since they weigh more now. And she also recommended BioGaia probiotic drops - so I just ordered some online. We'll see if it helps with their painful gas issues. Cross fingers.

We're also increasing the rice cereal in their formula. She said at 4 months we can start other stage 1 solids, one at a time. Yay!

Otherwise, all is well. We follow up with her again in 2 months. Their next allergy test is at 11 months old.

Happy Halloween!

Gracie and Francie Pants

Okay, so I took that picture last weekend (thanks Auntie Amy for the "I Love My Mummy" Halloween t-shirts!). We did not take the girls out trick-or-treating. We didn't even dress them up on the "official" day. Chalk it up to being lazy, we don't mind. It was an adventure in multi-tasking last night. Our evenings are usually pretty busy juggling baby feedings and baby chores (making formula, prepping bottles, doing laundry), and trying to get a second to feed ourselves as well -- all while the babies take turns screaming their heads off -- then throw trick-or-treaters knocking on the door every couple minutes, and you have a pretty crazy evening.

We survived though. And it was worth all the hassle to see the cute little kids all dressed up. I can't wait for the girls to be old enough for trick-or-treating. How cute!

Back to Work

Francie Pants sporting "the lip" and an equally unhappy Gracie (too cute!)

I followed up with the GI doc over the phone this past week (we have an in-person follow-up the beginning of November). The Similac Alimentum is working great! So we save a bunch of money going with that versus the Neocate - WHEW! I just started the girls on 5 ounces a feeding - still including rice cereal. We also just started to try and cut out the 2 a.m. feeding. The doc said most babies sleep through the night by 4 months. The girls will be three months on the 18th... very soon! So we're crossing fingers that in a month from now they will give us at least 6 hours straight sleep.

I started back to work last Wednesday. It was hard - Not because I was worried about the girls - But because I was sad to leave them :-( Our nanny, Ms. Esther, is awesome. Thanks to Carolyn for referring her to us! We would have gone B.R.O.K.E. going the daycare route here in Columbia, especially with TWO infants. And it's a plus having the nanny come to our house, so we don't have to pack the kids up and take them anywhere :-)

Due to my schedule, Richard has to do the 6 a.m. feeding by himself. But he's an expert at it now. He's here in the morning when the nanny gets here. It's funny because she only speaks spanish, and Richard doesn't know any spanish - but they manage to communicate. Lots of sign language haha. I've had to brush up on my dusty spanish skills... let's just say, they remain pretty dusty.

My folks were going to visit this weekend (my mom had a 3-day weekend) - but my mom came down with a cold. Ahh the consequences of working with germy little kids. We were sad they couldn't make it down, but there are lots more weekends to visit in the future :-)

In the meantime I've posted some more pictures of the gals. Here are links to the albums:

Trip to my work place (taken by my co-worker, Maureen) HERE.

A visit from Aunt Amy and cousin Aissa, and some miscellaneous HERE.

And a bit early, but 3 month photos HERE.

Including the picture at the top of this blog post, here are a few more of my favs...

Frances showing off her big brown eyes and Gracie avoiding eye contact:

Gracie sporting her "I Love Grandma and Grandpa(s) shirt" and a HUGE smile!My cousin, Joe, feeding Frances at work:

Me feeding Gracie:

Delivery Story

I posted two versions of my delivery story. One is a long (too much information) version - mainly for ladies who like reading that stuff. The other is a MUCH shorter and less detailed version for everyone else. See them listed to the Right under "Pages."

Frances Laughed Today!

So I was making my typical funny faces and various animal sounds - and Frances got one of her big grins on her face and then all of a sudden she laughed! I was so surprised, I cried! hahaha. I haven't been able to get her to do it again though, but I know eventually they both will be giggling and laughing like crazy.

In the mean time here are some more pictures (click on the picture below!!!):

What's Worse Than A Colicky Baby - How About TWO!

Sorrrryyyyyy soooo long in updating. Time has really been flying by! And a lot has happened since my last update.

On a family note - Richard became a US Citizen at the end of August! Auntie Amy babysat so I could go to the oath ceremony. Very cool :-)

It's been a LONG two months since the gals were born. We've been back and forth to doctors wayyy too much. But hopefully we've finally got the girls all figured out. We were dealing with some MAJOR colic issues. If you've had a colicky baby I'm sure you can sympathize with our dealing with TWO colicky babies. No sleep sucks! I felt like running away or just dying. It was so overwhelming with the constant screaming of two babies.

After experimenting with mylicon gas drops to no avail. Then switching formulas from EnfaCare to Gentlease. And then....... the bloody diarrhea. Oh that one was hard for Richard and I to deal with. I'm glad my mom was still here when that symptom developed - to keep us sane. That was when the doc suspected milk protein allergy. So we tried Enfamil hypoallergenic formula Nutramigen. Which did not set well with their intestinal track. They got yeast infections on top of diaper rash!! More to make them scream! Blah. So then we switched to Neocate - the "most" hypoallergenic formula out there. It worked! No more bloody poopies! But the Neocate can only be bought online and is SUPER expensive. $33 for a 14 oz. powder can - that only lasts a day with twins. Yikes! Richard's insurance won't cover it because his company is based in NY which doesn't require insurance companies to cover it. CRAP!

Anywho we had an appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist on Tuesday to confirm the milk allergy - which she did. She was nervous about us affording Neocate, so she told us to try Similac's hypoallergenic version for a week, just to see if that might work for us. That's still $26 dollars for a 16 oz. can, but every dollar we can save is better than none. We have to test their poopies again in a week to make sure the blood hasn't returned. She said we'll do an allergy test at 11 months to see if they still have a reaction. And if they do, then we'll have another allergy test at a certain time intervals after that. She said most kids out grow the milk allergy by 3-5 years of age. Let's hope sooner! I asked about soy formula. She said 60% of kids allergic to milk protein are allergic to soy protein. And on top of that, she said they don't recommend soy formula, especially for female infants, because the natural estrogen in soy causes puberty-like symptoms. Yikes. So that's a definite no go on the soy.

The pedi GI also diagnosed them with acid reflux. They already are taking rice cereal in their formula to help it set better in their tummies. But she also prescribed Pepcid and the first night we gave it to them (last night) was the first night the girls S.L.E.P.T!!!! It was amazing!! So I'm crossing fingers on that as well.

So we follow up with the GI by phone in 2 weeks, and in person in 6 weeks.

In addition to all that... we all survived our first family cold. I feel so bad for the babies since they can't take the meds we do to feel better. But they survived. Oh so many more colds to "look forward to" in the years ahead. hahaha.

Today they had their TWO MONTH checkup (wow). Richard wasn't able to take off from work. So I took them by myself. And I survived - even though they got 4 shots a piece. I was impressed with myself I must say hehe. As for their current stats:

Frances weighs 10 pounds 9 ounces and is 21 1/2 inches long. This means that by tomorrow she will have doubled her birth weight! Woohoo!

Grace weighs in at 10 pounds 6 ounces and is also 21 1/2 inches long. She still has 6 ounces to double her birth weight, but she'll probably be there by the weekend!

So the girls are on the curve now. And for their "corrected"age - since they were preemies - they are a bit above the 50th percentile - just a bit. So that's great! Even better is that developmentally they are right on target for 2 month olds - so there is no need to "correct" their age for those. Woohoo! I'm so happy :-)

So I'm happy all is looking brighter. Just keeping those fingers crossed!!