Fun Times at the ER

Yesterday, I noticed that little Charlie-Bug looked a bit flushed. I tried to ignore it since a) I am trying to limit my first-time-mom freak-outs, and b) we happened to have a pediatrician appointment (the twins' four month well child check) the next day anyways. But by the time Brian got home from work she was fussy and feeling a bit warm so we took her temperature and found that she was running a low-grade fever. The on-call nurse at the pediatrician's office listened to the symptoms and wanted us to go ahead and take Charlotte to the ER to rule out something called cellulitis. So we packed up, called Grandma to come over and watch Jensen, and piled in the car for Charlotte's first trip to the emergency room! To be honest, we weren't terribly concerned...I know that sounds bad, but sometimes you have gut feelings that things are wrong, and sometimes you have gut feelings that things are okay. And we both felt like she was not terribly ill. but if a nurse suggests I take my child to the ER, I am definitely not going to argue.

Ahhh...the many joys of the ER. As we sat there and debated googling "cellulitis" on our cell phones (decision: no. What's the point in freaking ourselves out?), we looked around at our fellow ER visitors. There are some, uh, let's just say interesting people at the ER. You know that awkward moment when you're in your car, stopped at a stoplight, and a suspicious-looking pedestrian is walking nearby? You want to lock your car doors but you don't want them to hear you lock your doors and know that you think they're suspicious. The ER was kind of like that. Any time someone who looked sick/suspicious/suspiciously sick walked near us, we would try to subtly pull Charlotte's hood thing down farther over her car seat as she slept obliviously. But the bright side is, we think we have figured out how to pay for Charlotte and Jensen's college educations: you know that website, People of Walmart? We are going to launch our own website called 'People of the ER.' Genius, right?

So to make a long story short, we saw a doctor at the ER, then we followed up with her pediatrician this afternoon. The verdict? They think she just has sensitive skin! (And maybe a random little virus, but they aren't sure.) We already use the fragrance-free laundry detergent, but we are now going to switch to fragrance-free soap and lotion as well. Brian has sensitive skin, so this diagnosis didn't come as much of a surprise.

Anyways, here's a pic of her before we went to the hospital. Her face is still red today, but not this bad.

And here's a pic of Charlotte and Daddy in our room at the hospital. I love how the look on Brian's face clearly says, "Why on Earth are you taking her picture right now? We're in the hospital."

And finally, a pic of her little ankle with the hospital bracelet attached. Just because it's cute.

Two other events from yesterday and today:

1) Jensen rolled over from back to front yesterday! And fittingly enough, he was being a naked baby on the blanket when he did it...I took a picture of him right after he did it, but have decided not to post it because it shows his bare bum. This is a public blog, and who knows what kinds of creepers are lurking about??

2) Charlotte and Jensen had their four-month well child checkup today. They both looked great...but small! Jensen is only in the 25th percentile for both height and weight and Charlotte is in the 25th percentile for weight and 50th for height. Maybe they are just going to be little, or maybe they still have some catching up to do since they were born early, who knows? As long as they're healthy, we don't care if they're shorties. :)

That's How I Roll...

Little Charlie-Bug has been rolling from her back to her tummy for a couple of days now. And I was all kinds of pleased with myself because I captured it on the camera on my phone, uploaded it onto my computer, and figured out how to upload it onto blogger. It turns out I should not have gotten so cocky because now I can't get it to upload. It says it's uploading but then it just keeps taking forever and eventually I give up...but maybe it's for the best because I have shown the video to everyone I've seen in the past few days, so chances are if you're reading this you've been forced to sit through it at least once already!

Since she's figured out that she can roll, hanging out on her back is just no longer cool. Tummy is the way to go for playtime, naps and sleeping at night!

Naptime!

 

 

I have a new obsession with going up to check and make sure she's lying with her head in a position that allows her to breathe! I'm a little bit crazy.

"Um, it's kind of hard to nap with you taking extreme close-up pictures of me."

Playing with her beloved Bug and drooling a bit from all the excitement.

Four Months!

All the music of life seems to be 

Like a bell that is ringing for me

...It's almost like being in love!

--Frank Sinatra

 And where was I before the day that I first saw your lovely face?

Now I see it every day.

And I know that I am the luckiest.

--Ben Folds

When all is said and done, I'd never count the cost

It's worth all that's lost

Just to see you smile.

--Tim McGraw

I won't ever, ever let you down.

I won't fall

I won't fall

I won't fall as long as you're around me.

--NeedtoBreathe

I can't believe what God has done

Through us He's given life to one

Who's so very lovely, made of love.

--Stevie Wonder 

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back.

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.

These are some good times, so take a good look around

You may not know it now,

But you're gonna miss this.

--Trace Adkins

 Everything in twos

You never knew

You'd make me whole again.

--Better Than Ezra

The resolution of all my fruitless searches...

--Peter Gabriel

 
Living for the only thing you ever made complete

And the one thing that you both did perfectly.

--Better Than Ezra

Everything I have to give,

I'll give to you.

--Ray LaMontagne

You are the best thing that's ever been mine.

--Taylor Swift

I can tell you where we're gonna be

When the whole world falls to the sea

We'll be living ever after happily.

--Bob Schneider

As I was thinking of how to sum up this past month, the first song lyrics seemed to say it all: It's almost like being in love. I feel like our family is in that place that's like when you're newly in love and everything you see and do reminds you of that person...even every song you hear seems to be written especially for your relationship (hence the song lyrics sprinkled around this post). 


When Charlotte and Jensen were born, people kept telling us that if we could just make it to six weeks, things would start getting easier, more fun, more manageable. Six weeks came and went with pretty much no change, and I felt like I might lose my mind...until I remembered the words of my friend and fellow twin mom Whitney, who just shook her head when I told her the "six weeks" thing. "Three months," she said. And she was right. Once the three month mark came, we started easing out of survival mode and into "Wow-these-babies-are-pretty-fun-and-actually-do-more-than-eat-sleep-and-poop" mode. I'm not going to lie, I still have many moments of feeling overwhelmed, and I still need lots of help, but all in all it has gotten easier. And please, just let me enjoy it for now...I already know that once they are crawling/walking/running, it will be a whole new ballgame. We're in the honeymoon phase right now where if you put them down somewhere, they are stuck right where you want them! Awesome!


Although, as you are about to see, one thing has gotten more difficult: taking their pictures! They are moving all around and are in that phase where everything they can reach needs to go directly into their mouths. But here are their four-month pics and a little bit about what Charlotte and Jensen have been up to this month.

Charlotte Anne at 4 Months:

The only smile we could capture!

I love this look.

Our little Charlie-Bug. She has really calmed down into a very content baby...although she still brings the drama when she isn't happy! She loves to roll onto her side and I think she'll be going all the way over soon. She has only laughed a couple of times but she loves to talk and she uses so many facial expressions and different inflections in her voice--it's like she is telling a story that she really wants you to understand. Brian always feeds Charlotte her dinnertime bottle and she takes forever to eat because she just looks up at him smiling and chatting. She likes to go to bed early (like her mom) and is very happy in her crib. She has really only laughed out loud one time...she is going to be a bit more difficult to amuse than her brother. The main object of her affection is her musical bug. She LOVES her bug and usually when she is close to rolling over it's because she's trying to get closer to her bug.

You can also see her unfortunate side bald spot in this pic. What the heck is up with my babies' hair?!?

Already hogging the phone!

Jensen Todd at 4 Months:

I love my happy little man!

Our chunky little man! Jensen is happy, sweet and patient. But he can be a wild man sometimes! Lately he has been spending his afternoons in his diaper and nothing else (because by afternoon we have usually gone through about four outfits due to spit-up problems). He likes to lay on his soft blanket in the living room, kick his legs around in the air, and SCREAM! 

Being loud and crazy is so much fun!

Jensen has also started really concentrating on things. When he's really focused, he will put his feet together, toes pointed. I love it.

The face of concentration...

And the feet to match the face!

We also have a new favorite activity...playing airplane with Dad! 

My boys.

Wheeee! 

Here are some pics of Charlotte and Jensen together--sadly, this is the best one we could get:

 

 

The rest all look like this...

Mmmm...tasty bow! Mmmm..tasty hands!

...or this:

Smack!

 

 

...or this:

Mom? Dad? This chair's a bit slippery.

Month four was the best one yet. Charlotte and Jensen have changed so much and have become even more of a joy. Lately, it seems like every day brings something new...a new noise, a new facial expression, a new milestone accomplished. It's exciting and it's scary. I can't wait to see what month five brings.

De-Swaddle De Babies

Brian and I became big believers in swaddling pretty much the minute Charlotte and Jensen were born. It was the best way to get them to calm down and sleep well. But recently we decided (mostly due to Jensen's rolling front to back and Charlotte being this close to rolling back to front) that it was time to begin the de-swaddling process.

We have decided that little Charlie has a future becoming something like a yoga instructor or possibly a contortionist. She is not happy unless her head is at an angle that looks extremely uncomfortable and she will wiggle her way up against the crib like so:

Thank goodness for breathable crib bumpers, and thank goodness we put them up when we did!

Sleeping like this often leads to a look we like to call "waffle-face":

If you look closely you can see that even her nose has indentations from the bumper.

So with all this moving around going on, we began the process of de-swaddling. Night time is actually going okay, but nap times are another story. Maybe because they are in a deeper sleep at night they aren't bothered by not being swaddled? I don't know--but they do great at night but end up screaming bloody murder during naps. So it is still a work in progress...here they are during a recent nap (pre-screaming bloody murder).

Wouldn't it be nice if we could all feel this relaxed right now?

Just FYI, I creep in there and remove the seahorse when she goes to sleep.

And here they are the morning after their first night in PJ's...is there anything cuter than a baby in footie pajamas?

Charlotte is looking a little hungry and Jensen is looking a little disgruntled. It takes him a bit to wake up in the morning.

And just for fun, here is a look at how far they have come. Yesterday was actually their four month birthday! Post to come later...you know how long it takes me to write those!

Sleeping attire at a few days old...

Sleeping attire at four months old!

It's kind of making me sad...they look like such big kids in their PJs!

From the Mouths of Dads*

*Since my kiddos can't talk yet, I have to resort to recording the funny things that Brian and my dad say

Many of you know how awesome my mom has been throughout my pregnancy, bed rest, and the birth of Charlotte and Jensen. She has taken such good care of me (and them!) and as we approach the babies' four-month birthday, I can count on one hand the number of days that she has not seen them. She has always allowed--make that encouraged--Brian and I to get out of the house, even if just for a quick dinner or errand, and she often brings my dad over to help her babysit. The thought of my dad babysitting tempts me to install a nanny-cam...not because I don't trust him, but because watching him with the babies is quite amusing. He refuses to participate in anything remotely resembling baby talk; in fact, he doesn't even lower his voice a few decibels. He talks to them like they are adults. During his most recent babysitting job, his antics included dangling Charlotte over Mr. Bear (their 90-lb golden retriever) and saying, "Come on, Jensen, let's go for a Bear ride! Let's go, Big Boy!" When my mom told him that a) he didn't have Jensen, he had Charlotte, and b) neither Charlotte nor Bear appeared to be enjoying the "Bear ride", he insisted that the baby he was holding was Jensen and that "he likes it!" Oh well, what can you do?

While Brian never confuses which baby is which, he did make me laugh this morning. While he was getting ready for work, I was reading Guess How Much I Love You to Charlotte and Jensen. The two rabbits in the book are referred to as 'Little Nutbrown Hare' and 'Big Nutbrown Hare.' I could see that Brian seemed to be listening to the story as he got his coffee ready, and finally he said, "Are you saying 'Little-Nut Brown Bear?'" He seemed relieved when I told him no, that I was really saying 'Little Nutbrown Hare.' But he kept listening and when I was finished he asked what the book was about. I told him that it was about rabbits saying how much they loved each other. He said, "Ohhhh...that makes more sense. I thought you were saying 'Little Nut Brown Hair' and the book was about two little hairs on someone's head." When I asked him who on Earth would write a story about that, he told me that it could happen, because children's books are weird. Considering the fact that I just got back from the library with a book called Walter, the Farting Dog, I guess he has a point.

A Big Day for Mr. J!

Our little Mr. Jensen had a big day today. It began as any ordinary Sunday does...with Mom dressing him in silly outfits:

Jensen started his day in this lovely terry cloth ensemble that features a hoodie and an embroidered fishing scene. I thought it was cute and that Uncle Todd, being a fisherman himself, would like it. It turns out I was wrong...he thought it was pretty much the nerdiest thing ever. That is, until...

I found this little pirate outfit among the hand-me-downs from Charlotte and Jensen's cousins! I had to change him into it to continue the day's nautical theme. And of course I had to text Uncle Todd pictures of his favorite lil' swashbuckling nephew. Jensen was not too thrilled with playing dress-up (or posing for pictures):

But Jensen's day was about to get more exciting. One thing to know about my little man is that he hates tummy time. Hates it. Tummy time turns him from a sweet, patient, easy-going baby into one that throws all-out, kicking-and-screaming temper tantrums. But today, Jensen figured out how to put an end to tummy time...roll over onto your back! That's right, today was Jensen's first time to roll over. Of course I wasn't lucky enough to be videotaping it, and although I grabbed the Flip camera and tried to make him do it again, he wouldn't. But I did snap a picture of him right after he rolled onto his back:

Brian and I were pretty excited, but Jensen did not quite understand what all the fuss was about. In fact, he looks downright suspicious...or maybe he was just afraid I was going to come at him with another silly outfit. But he got to spend the rest of his day in his favorite outfit--his diaper and nothing else (actually, he prefers wearing nothing at all. But I prefer not getting peed on.). Anyways, it was an exciting day here at our house and Jensen seemed worn out from all the excitement, because he drifted off to sleep even easier than normal...a perfect end to a big day for our little man!

G.N.O.

(Girls' Night Out!)

Cheers!

When four friends who haven't seen each other in months get together, what do you get? Hugs, stories, laughter, tears, drinks, more laughter, and more drinks. Oh, and sprinkle in a random stalker-type dude at Fireside Pies and you've got yourself a party!

Two weekends ago, Jill and Christina made the trip from Houston to come and visit Kim and I and meet Charlotte and Jensen. They had been planning the trip for a month or so and had ironed out all the details except for one minor thing...they forgot to tell me they were coming! Apparently, everyone thought someone else had filled me in...um, nope! Luckily for me, Kim filled me in on their plans...fortunately, I rarely have plans of my own these days, so I was free and soooo ready to see my pals! We had so much fun hanging out, talking, and catching up. And I'm so glad they finally got a chance to meet Charlotte and Jensen.

Jensen wore his special "Hello Ladies" onesie for the occasion. You'd think he'd look a little happier considering the company he's in...

Charlotte was unfortunately on Day 2 of her bladder infection so she was a bit grumpy. Christina bravely tried to feed her anyways.

Jill had a bit easier time with Jensen.

Noah tried desperately to get Jensen to play. Someday, Noah. Someday.

The gang! Jensen is hiding in his play yard and poor sick Charlie is looking a little worn out.

After dinner drinks at a fun place in Grapevine. Do we look like cougars or what, Levi??

Having babies definitely gives you a deeper appreciation for the times that you actually get to go out and get together with your friends. Not to get too sappy, but I am truly blessed to have friends like these girls. We can talk about anything and there's no bickering, no cattiness, no judgment, no fights, no drama. And the best part of our visit was that we were able to confer via text with Whitney (who unfortunately could not make it into town) and plan our 3rd Annual Girls' Trip for September in Austin! Look out, Austin...here we come!