Collin & Carter: 2 Months Old & Baptism

Collin & Carter turned two months this past Friday and then celebrated their own baptism two days later! It was a fun filled weekend to say the least :-)

Collin Donald

 

 

Carter Lowell

 

Two Month Update

Food - Breast Milk ONLY (still pumping). We are no longer adding rice-actually haven't since one month. They eat 4-5 ounces every 3 hours (mostly 4 ounces) - but are spitting up a bunch of it...

Sleep - They are sleeping a little bit longer, which is helpful! They usually go down around 9/9:30 PM, wake up around 1:30/2:00 AM and again around 5/6 AM. We can get them to go back to sleep after the last feeding, but they are usually up for the day quickly after...

Clothes - Our boys have quickly grown out of their newborn clothes :( They are in 0-3 months and 3 months. Carter is filling out much more quickly than Collin, so I have a feeling he will be moving out of 3 months soon...

Weight - We have their two month check up next week (our Dr. was gone so they are backed up). 1.5 weeks ago, Collin weighed 8.3 pounds and Carter weighed 8.10 pounds

On August 1, Collin weighed 10 lbs 3 oz. while carter came in weighing 10 lbs 13 oz.

Height - on August 1 Collin was 22.5" long and Carter was 22" long.

Diapers - They are both still in Newborns, but we are finishing the final pack of newborn diapers (and every newborn diaper in our house) and moving into Size 1.

Health - They are both still spitting up, but we are proud to say it is not AS MUCH! They are still taking prilosec, so we will see how this continues for them. We started giving them Gripe Water as well, and that seems to seriously have an immediate cure to their upset tummies & gas. We are still seeing a chiropractor, but she has been impressed with their improvements, so we only go once every two weeks! I had a moment where I stopped, pictured what we have been going through with one child...and I realized, it may not be THAT bad...we are just overly tired and dealing with all of this times two, so it makes it that much worse for us. I have been very thankful it's nothing worse...we have very happy and healthy babies who seriously don't cry all the time. Josh and I are just lacking sleep, so are more edgy~! Pretty soon they'll be sleeping longer :-)


Fun Facts - Both boys are wide eyed throughout a lot of the day. There are some days where I think they choose NOT to nap...
Carter likes to lay on his side a lot and smiles and laughs ALL the time! He does an awesome job of entertaining himself (in the bouncy seat he kicks and smiles like he is dancing & in the play gym grabbing for things). Collin wants to be snuggled in and held a lot. He has a thing for his mommy, so I get LOTS of snuggles! He smiles and laughs as well, and his cooing is SO SWEET!!! He doesn't like to be left alone - he will only sit in his bouncy seat if he is sleeping or about to fall asleep...and he'll only play in the play gym for so long... Both boys LOVE to be outside and look around :)

Callie absolutely LOVES her brothers! She has never said anything about sending them back or having someone take them. She actually gets feisty if you mention that you are going to take them. One day we dropped them off at Jessica's house and I kept Callie all to myself...she was getting mad that her brothers weren't with her! She kisses and hugs them often and always tells us she loves her brothers :) Don't get me wrong...she's no angel - she also steps on them, throws things at them, and sometimes kicks them...but those moments are very far and few between!

BAPTISM!!!
Collin & Carter were baptized at our church: Our Saviors Lutheran Church...today! It was such a wonderful, magical, emotional, perfect day! I can't help but cry when I watched Pastor Glenn baptize each of them. Just knowing that we are giving our boys the opportunity to be children of God and to have the seed of Jesus Christ in them at such a young age makes me so proud.

Jason & Lisa Denzer are Collin's Godparents. Blake & Brittany Pawlikowski are Carter's Godparents! Josh and I couldn't ask for better Godparents for our two precious baby boys! You are amazing friends (practically family) to us. You are amazing role models, hard workers, loving & caring individuals who want nothing but the best for not only your kids, but ours as well! We love you all so much and are beyond thankful to have you in our lives :-)

Our amazing and supportive family members and close friends came to celebrate! We had a GREAT time at the Holiday Inn last night swimming and eating pizza :-) The kids had a great time swimming :)

Then Brittany & Lynn helped me prepare all of the food for our "Omelet & Yogurt Bar" after the church service! We stayed up late talking and planning some vacations!

Grandma Lynn is super Grandma - she took on both boys last night so Josh and I could sleep in and have some energy for our boy's big day! What a wonderful thing to do - you are so giving and caring Lynn...we love you! And thank you for giving us some sleep!

Pastor Glenn did a great job with the service and I will forever remember this day - the day my beautiful boys were baptized! Enjoy the pictures :-)

The group eating Steve's Pizza Pool Side!

 

 

 

 

Collin being baptized

 

Carter being baptized

 

Pastor Glenn with both of the McRae boys!

 

Omelet Bar!!!

 

Yogurt Bar!!

 

Blake & Brittany Pawlikowski with their Godson, Carter

 

Jason & Lisa Denzer with their Godson Collin

 

Gramma & Grampa Shellum with the boys

 

Great Grandma & Great Grandpa Schwartz with the boys

 

Bredlow Family with the boys - they'd look good with 5 boys :)

 

 

Crew's Family with the boys!

 

 

Grandpa Don & Sharon with the boys!

 

Sundberg's with the boys!

 

Grandma Lynn with the boys :)

 

My absolutely amazing and perfect family of 5 :-)

 

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MOM's and a Fun Family Day Out!

On Saturday, July 14th, Josh and I packed up our family, swim gear and a picnic lunch and headed to Stewartville to join the other MOM's (Mothers of Multiples) and their families at the Stewartville Public Pool.

It was quite the deal actually! We paid $10.00 for our family, and we were able to go swimming from 10-12 with so many other amazing families :) The pool opened up for our club only! There were so many multiples running around - twins, triplets, quads...you name it, they were there...with their parents too :) It was really an amazing sight to see! And the greatest part - although I don't know EVERYONE in the club, I do know a few friendly faces...for those faces that I didn't know, I didn't feel awkward talking to anyone, because for the first time, Josh and I were in a situation where we were in the EXACT SAME BOAT as everyone else. For most, they have "been there, done that"...so many wonderful families had so many wonderful pieces of advice to offer! Josh and I (mostly myself) was able to openly talk to these individuals about what we are going through...and they get it!

The boys relaxing Pool Side :-)

My kids at the pool!

 

Don't get me wrong, I welcome advice from others, especially when it comes to trying new and different things...but like these families - we are going through this with two babies. Thank you to those of you who offered new advice for us, and for helping reassure that we are doing things right...and that it's okay to feel the way we do sometimes!

 

Callie absolutely LOVED the pool. This was our first time in Stewartville, but I can tell you that it will NOT be our last! Why Austin does not have a pool like Stewartville's pool is far beyond me. Josh and I were even able to go down the water slides :-) I felt like a kid again! Callie loved watching her daddy go down the slide!

The boys enjoyed their day out too! They sat in the shade - pool side! Everyone was coming up to them and reminiscing over the time their babies were that small :-)

Haha - Get him Callie :)

 

Callie swam for the full two hours and loved every minute of it - I'm pretty sure she would have stayed longer had we let her! After our time was up, the whole MOM's Group and all of our families headed over to this beautiful park in Stewartville. Seriously - I had no idea Stewartville was this great! The park alone was kid approved and there was a little pond for fishing (if you fish)...

The boys chillin on mom! Collin was comfy until Carter decided to lay on him!

 

Now that all of the MOM's were dry (not in swim suits), the boys received a lot of loving :-) Melanie was claimed by Collin as he spit up...ALL OVER HER...I'm sorry Mel, but I prewarned you :-) Melanie has quads, so to hold 1.5 month old babies at the size they are is a HUGE change from what her kids weighed!

This was a wonderful day and I couldn't have had a better time! Angela, thank you for sharing your daughters with our kids...Callie had an amazing time playing with all 3 of your kids and I know the boys were hitting on them :-)

Callie with her new friends! The two in front are twins! New babysitters :) :)

 

Anne, Thank you for organizing this wonderful afternoon! It was much needed and we feel so blessed to have so many new and wonderful friends!

 

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Our Medical Run Around

So as you know, our boys have been having a rough time keeping any food down. Since they were first brought home, we noticed the spitting up (aside from the typical newborn spit up). We immediately started doing things that we did with Callie and her reflux...

We've elevated the matresses in the crib to have it inclined. We now have them sleeping in their bouncy seats because those are more inclined...and they vibrate. They have been on two different medications: Zantac and Prilosec - neither of them have worked. We've added rice cereal to their milk to thicken it. We've tried burping them 100 different ways. They've had warm milk and cold milk. I've changed my diet (haven't done this to the extreme but have cut back on dairy-no change). We've also been taking them to the chiropractor for adjustments. We've changed their bottles from Avent to Tommee Tippee.

Results: Nothing has worked. Our boys are still fussy, still gassy and still spitting up every meal. They are visibly uncomfortable after eating and it takes them up to an hour sometimes to calm down after a feeding.

On Tuesday, July 3rd our Dr. called in a referral to have what we thought was an ultra sound done. They told us we wouldn't hear back from anyone until Thursday or Friday (because of the holiday). Thursday rolled around and I decided to call on the progress. It was 9:00 AM when I called...

Austin-Mayo informed me that the referral was actually sent to Rochester Mayo...so I called there. The first woman I talked to informed me that they did NOT have a referral on our boys, but was going to transfer me to a different department. I spoke with someone from who knows where and she told me she couldn't help me but would transfer me to the "referal department" - gee thanks...wasted step! This lady informed me that there was no referal sent from Austin. She suggested I call Austin clinic. Great!

I called back to Austin and the lady wanted to connect me to the on-call Dr. I had a mini fit on the phone and told her that I needed to hear back from them this morning. Literally 15 minutes later she called back. It turns out the referal was MADE, but somebody didn't send it in (and to think we were going to wait around to hear back from someone-possibly waiting until Monday). She was going to now varify with the Dr. something about our boys and put the order in. She later called me to inform me that the referal was indeed put in.

I waited until about 1:00 pm and called Rochester clinic. Guess what...the referal - DID NOT go in...ARG! I very patiently asked what she recommends I do....they connected me to Rochester Pedicatrics - the woman there was so friendly and helpful. She took down some information, called the Pediatric surgeon and informed me that our boys needed to have an ultra sound done BEFORE coming to Rochester (pretty sure this is what Josh and I figured all along...)

She contacted the Dr./nurse in Austin (oh, mind you - our Dr. is on vacation until July 18 - this wouldn't have been a problem otherwise...) a wonderful nurse (all going unnamed) was very helpful in having the other Pediatric Dr. here in Austin help us in anyway. She put in a call to have an ultra sound done on both boys and to see her shortly after. This was all happening at 8:00 AM Friday morning...

So here we sit, in the Dr. office, waiting for some news. Our boys both had their ultra sounds taken this morning. From the sounds of it - Collin's stomach fills up with food, but doesn't empty as well as it should. Carter had no problem emptying his stomach - this was a surprise to us...as Carter is more fussy. The Radiologist has read the report, looked over the pictures and analyzed their measurements. Now we wait...

Are we going to be trying new medication?? Are we going to be driving to Rochester?? Will we be having more testing done?? I guess only time will tell...

..........

Still waiting.....

Collin is waiting...and clearly needing a diaper change (our keyboard in the back...my proof of blogging.).

Carter snoozing while he waits. They had to be down to a diaper for their appointment...I love how his little feet were sticking out!!!

And the results are in...the boys DO NOT have Pyloric Stenosis (spelling?). Although Collin had a more difficult time emptying his stomach (the milk flowing from his stomach to his small intestine) it was indeed flowing through. Carter - surprisingly - was just fine. They want us to allow ONLY 2-3 ounces of milk per feeding every 2-3 hours & to hold them upright for about 20 minutes after each feeding (we do this already, and they still spit up...). She also wants us to try Prilosec again...so we are going to try this one more time.

They also have Thrush. We treated them for this already for 2 weeks, but they still have it - and guess who else does...here's your clue: sometimes, I nurse the boys still...and if thrush is in their mouths...guess who has it on their chest...that's right - THIS GIRL :( So I am going to be treated for is as well (this is super common apparently...which makes sense!). We are going to treat them differently than last time, so hopefully this helps. The nurse did say that some of the fussiness COULD be from Thrush, because Thrush to a baby is like an adult having a mouth full of Canker Sores. YOWZERS - poor guys, I'd be fussy too!

So we'll try this...maybe a bottle of wine would help! Oh wait, that would probably only help mommy's sanity...and then I'd end up dumping that round (or two) of milk!!!

Even though we had a major run around...I am so thankful that the nurses and Dr.'s in Pediatrics are has patient and helpful as they are. We always feel so welcome and taken care of when we go there! We are very lucky to have such wonderful nurses and Dr.'s in Pediatrics!

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4th of July Celebrations

We celebrated the Fourth of July in the extreme heat, but we did it well! On July 3rd, Josh and I dropped the boys off at Jessica's house for some cuddle time, while we took Callie to Band Shell Park for some Freedom Fest fun! Callie's friend Ella was there with her mommy and daddy, so we hung out together while our girls enjoyed their 2 year old freedom :)

First off - meeting the clown who made Callie the balloon animal of choice: a monkey! His eye popped before we ended up leaving, but she still loved him! He "fell" into our garbage can that night while Callie was sleeping...poor monkey!

They had jump houses - 1 ticket per ride and lucky for us - they let the girls go as long as they wanted :) Callie LOVES jump houses and would stay in it all day if we let her!

This is hilarious - They had a giant slide, and Callie and Ella went to the top together, held hands...ON THEIR OWN...and proceeded to go down the slide together! This is one reason why I love our camera and its ability to take continuous pictures:

And BAM! Both girls were okay and got up laughing :-)

This was a bug house - it was so cute, because the girls would poke their heads through this every time, then come down the slide!

The National Guard obstacle course! Callie was able to climb this on her own - not going to lie, I wasn't sure if she would have :) She totally did it!

Here she is climbing over the top!

And coming down! Thankfully daddy was there to catch her as she would have flown over the edge!

While we were eating, there were some jugglers on the stage! When they were done, I asked the girls if they wanted to go dance on the stage (they were dancing in the grass by us). We walked up to the band shell stage and asked if they could dance on the corner of the stage to the music...and they could! I loved watching them dance! Both of them remembered some of their moves from dance class! Video included for your viewing pleasure :)

 

Callie was having so much fun! She is a BORN performer :) She also calls herself a "DIVA" - yes, I may have said it once...but she remembered and boy is it funny!

Shake it girl!

When it was time to head back to the rides, the girls took each other's hands and headed off without us...what happened to our baby girls who needed us?!

Callie and Ella found another friend - Scott Walski :-) They had fun jumping together!

Their giggles were priceless!

They even had a mini go-cart track for kids...man did Callie like this! Daddy got sore. She was really good about putting her foot down, but steering was a different story! I've never laughed so hard!

Look at me dad!

On the Fourth of July, Daddy stayed home with the boys while Mommy and Calliie headed downtown Austin for the parade! Lucky for us we found our friend's The Langemo's! Callie was so excited to have more Ella time, and mommy was excited to have more adult time :)

Again, holding hands and looking at the parade - which started...down that way :)

SMILE!

Here's my parade partner! I love my Callie!

Placing her hand over her heart as the guard walked by with the American Flag to start our parade!

Watching and of course...waiting for candy!

Lynsey was in the parade!!!!!

Jocelynn was Mary Poppins!

Callie having her picture "taken" with the A&W bear...makes mommy want a root beer float :)

The clowns though Callie & Ella were super cute - and gave them plenty of candy to prove it!

Best item tossed out during the parade...freezie pops :) They were perfect on this hot day!

If you were wondering, YES Callie did come home with TONS of candy! Too much actually! I was taking handfuls of it and giving it to the kids next to us, but that still didn't matter...turns out, Callie LOVES parades!

 

We ended the evening with the Denzer's (the pictures have not been downloaded yet...I apologize). Callie had a blast playing and swimming with Ava & Casey, but mommy enjoyed sitting on the deck with Lisa enjoying some adult slushies :) Thank you for such a fun evening! As tradition has been created - we enjoyed the fireworks from the comfort of their deck...PERFECTION!

Josh and I were able to enjoy our Fourth of July festivities with some of our favorite people! Thank you everyone for making it so much fun and so special! Thank you to those of you who have fought for our freedom and have given us the ability to enjoy this day with our wonderful friends!

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