Brothers . May 2011

I've decided to make it a goal to take a picture of the 3 boys together at least once a month.  I'm sure there are some months it will happen more often, but I left it at just once to make it manageable for at least the next year.

For May, the day they all wore their "Big Brother" T-shirt/"Little Brother" onesies, we'd thought we would try to capture them all together.  Turns out that a 22 month old and 2 2-week olds do not all like to cooperate at the same time . . . if at all.

First . . . the Nap Nannys together, with Ryder reclining on the joined middle . . .

Grumpy (Jarrett), Confused (Ryder), and Sleepy (Harvick)

Squished (Jarrett), Annoyed (Ryder), and Mad (Harvick)

Next . . . maybe Ryder would like to sit/kneel/stand behind the twins . . .

Take the picture quick!

Too slow!

 SERIOUSLY . . . this next one is the BEST one.  And, you can be assured that I took a lot to get just this one.

Alone, Ryder was willing to cooperate.

Over the past weekend, we pulled out the matching jammies I bought for the boys when I found out I was pregnant with twins.  Seriously - all the boys in the SAME jammies.  So cute!

At first, we tried laying them down on the floor . . .

(Harvick, Ryder, and Jarret)

But, Ryder's patience only lasted 2 seconds . . .

FINALLY . . . I thought to put them all in the rocking chair.  It worked out okay . . .

(Harvick, Ryder, Jarrett)

THEN . . . we had the GENIOUS idea to have Ryder put his arms around his little brothers . . . and by some miracle, IT WORKED!!!



BROTHERS . May 2011
(Harvick, Ryder, and Jarrett)

Wow.  I would love to think that it will only get easier to do this, but somehow I think 2 boys who can crawl away, and an older brother, still a toddler, will be just as difficult . . . in a different way.

Wish me luck!

Harvick & Jarrett . 3 Weeks

3 Weeks; 10 pounds, 3 ounces (Harvick) and 9 pounds, 8 ounces (Jarrett)

Both boys are doing well.  They were weighed again this morning at their doctor's office, just to ensure that they are gaining weight (although, with twins, we are told it is common for them to take longer to gain back their birth weight).  Turns out both boys have hit that mark, with Jarrett increasing quite a bit!

Sleeping in their "Nap Nanny" - (Thanks Jim & Martha)
(Jarrett on the left, Harvick on the right)

Ryder also loves the Nap Nanny . . . peeking in on his brothers before bedtime.
(Jarrett on the left, Harvick on the right)



"Stacking" twins is actually a common way for them to be held together (at least, according to many articles/books on raising multiples).  Patrick carries the twins this way, and they both seem to like it . . . neither one minds being the one on the bottom.
(Harvick on top, Jarrett on bottom)



Patrick tried to "stack" Ryder with them - Ryder just thought it was funny!

Taking a bath with big brother.
(Harvick)

(Jarrett)

(Harvick)

(Jarrett)

Both boys are continuing to spend more time awake (and content).  Jarrett is still more frequent in his awake time, but Harvick is catching up.

As you can see from the pictures, both boys also enjoyed their first real bath this week . . . shared with Ryder.  Ryder didn't mind at all, and as long as Harvick and Jarrett had the warm water running over them, they were content as well.

Walking

Patrick and I started walking together nearly daily in November 2008 (when I was pregnant with Ryder).  Since that time we have continued walking most nights . . . but, now with 3 children, we knew it would be a bit more tricky.

We ventured out for the first time together last night (05/24).  I "wore" Harvick in a Moby Wrap, while Patrick "wore" Jarrett in the Eddie Bauer Sling we had bought when Ryder was born.  Ryder rode along in his stroller.

Eventually, we will take the plunge and buy the Foundations Triple Stroller, but for now, our current method is working out okay!

Kayleen, Ryder, and Harvick

Patrick and Jarrett

Harvick & Jarrett . Newborn Pictures

Heather Mickey posted the Hospital Pictures to her blog!!!

Heather Mickey Photography Blog - Newborn Pictures
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Make sure to leave her a comment, telling her how great the pictures turned out!

Harvick & Jarrett . 2 Weeks

2 weeks old; almost back to their birth weight; 21.5" (Harvick) and 21.75" (Jarrett)

The twins had their 2 week "Well-Baby" appointment a day late (their doctor wasn't in the office on Wednesday).  Both boys have gained back some of the weight they initially lost, but aren't quite up to their birth weights - they are within a few ounces each.  Just to be "safe", we will take them in again next week to ensure they are continuing to gain the weight back.  There really isn't a concern, given that they are both still "large" for their age (as compared to a singleton), and very large compared to twins.

We have established a routine that is working for us now - we will just be working on extending their nighttime sleeping hours.

Soaking up some Vitamin D
(Harvick)

(Jarrett)

Sleeping together (this is their nighttime arrangement right now - they like to be near eachother, but not necessarily touching).
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)

More sunbathing.
(Jarrett in the back, Harvick in the front)

Jarrett holding his pacifier in his mouth.

Patrick is creative how he holds them together - they are often stacked in some way.
(Jarrett on "top" (left); Harvick on "bottom" (right))

Both boys are big sleepers - Harvick only spends about 1-2 hours awake (other than nursing), and Jarrett is awake about 2-2.5 per day.

Finally - to celebrate their 2 week "birthday", both boys enjoyed a shower!  The main stump of each of their umbilical cords fell off at 1 week, but we waited a few extra days to make sure it was fully healed.  Both boys did well in the shower - the warm water put them to sleep, just like it had with Ryder.

Ryder . 22 Months

22 months; 29 pounds

Clearly, this past month has brought a huge change into Ryder's life.  He went from being an only child (and only grandchild, for the most part) to having 2 siblings.  Ryder has adjusted well.  He still is fairly disinterested in his brothers, but he has no issues with jealousy - which, Patrick and I are very grateful! 

Ryder is saying more and more words (you may have noticed a "Ryder's Words" section on the right - it will be updated as he consistently says new things).  His favorite is "ball", with "balloon" a close second.  He consistently will say "dad/da-da" in reference to Patrick, but won't say it to him directly.  Once he does, I'll add it to the list!

Ryder discovered a new game - putting the rocks into an empty container . . . one by one.  He finds it super fun!

Using his brothers' monitor as a phone.

Ryder has discovered how to "wrestle" with Patrick.  Unfortunately, this means that whenever Patrick sits on the ground, Ryder is running over to him, trying to push him over!

Playing with a new Easter present from Nana and Papa.

Dying Easter eggs (again) with the neighbors.

Rediscovering his love of watermelon!

Cute boy!

Ryder LOVED the plastic Easter eggs - he would sort them by color, and put them together/take them apart over and over.

Mother's Day 2011.

CRAZY bath hair - proof this child needed a haircut!

Ryder has discovered he loves to sit int the rocking chair to watch a movie.

Reading.  He can go directly to the correct page when asked to find a color!

In April, I bought a package of Peeps - Ryder was grossed out by the texture at first, but when I offered him one again, he loved it!

Patrick "swaddling" Ryder in a Family Room blanket - Ryder was watching his favorite Baby Einstein movie, and didn't seem to mind it at all.

The "after" picture of his haircut . . . for some unknown reason, the camera was having issues, so pardon the dark-colored image.

We put a bouncer on the counter for one of the twins, and after they were done, Patrick set Ryder in it (to be funny), while he was drinking his milk - Ryder thought it was the best seat in the house!

Reading with Dad and Harvick.

I took a picture to capture how he carries his juice cup, in the crook of his arm, everywhere he goes.

Just 2 more months until this boy turns 2.  Where has the time gone?!?

Harvick & Jarrett . 1 Week

With Ryder, I started sending out weekly updates at week 5.  This time around, I thought I would post updates from the very beginning.

The day we were released from the hospital (Friday), both boys' bilirubin levels were slightly elevated, so we were asked to bring them back in to the lab for testing every day until they were lowered.  By Saturday, Harvick's levels had raised enough, that the doctor ordered he be put on the "blue lights" 24/7 to prevent a continued increase.  Thankfully, by the following Monday both boys' levels had decreased, and we were given the okay to stop the use of the bilirubin lights as of Tuesday.

We are working on a routine, but really, so far it's just been a skeleton of a routine.  They are both nursing well, although, Jarrett seems to be more consistent in latching.  They are sleeping a lot, in general - they will sleep for about 5 hours at night before waking for more milk.  Their "awake time" is fairly short-lived, but occurs several times throughout the day (and night).



Harvick spending time on the light bed.



Jarrett spending time on the light bed.  Unlike Harvick, Jarrett wouldn't keep his arms in the "sleeping bag".



Mother's Day 2011
Unfortunately, we couldn't get a picture with all 3 boys together.
(Jarrett on the left, Harvick on the right)



First "bath"
(Harvick)

(Jarrett)



Snuggling together in the same swing.
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)



I often used a sling to carry Ryder when he was a baby.  For the twins, I knew that the sling wouldn't work to carry both, but had heard that a "Moby Wrap" would accomodate them together . . . it's a bit tricky to put on correctly, but it works!
(Harvick on the left, Jarrett on the right)

Our first week as a family of 5 went well.  Patrick is able to work the whole week just part-time, coming home by 1:00 each day.  Also, Ryder still attended the babysitters until 2:00 each day.

We are very fortunate to have great neighbors and friends who signed up to bring us dinner every night through May 16.  It's one less thing to worry about getting together each evening, and has been a major blessing!