Ally Ann--6 weeks old

Holy cow- our littlest baby is six weeks and our oldest babies are 2 1/2! 

We can't believe it. STOP time, stop.

Ally Ann- you are the sweetest little girl! Let me catch up on some details from the past 6 weeks.


You sleep- Thank the good Lord, you sleep! You go down about 8pm and we wake you for a 10pm dream feed. You then sleep soundly till 3/4am and then quickly eat again and off to bed till 6:30/7am. I was truly worried about sleep... running after twins and caring for a newborn with NO sleep. We are thankful for such a great sleeper. 

You eat- fabulous!! I was nervous (terrified) about how you would do nursing. It was hard (extremely hard) to nurse your big sisters. They were teeny tiny and we had to nurse and then feed them a bottle of pumped milk. It was tough, hard and a long process every 2-3 hours. You sweet girl, nurse like a champ and have been such a blessing to your Momma, as I was praying to be able to breastfeed you. Way to go, punkin'.

You play- Well.... more like you watch your sisters play! They keep you entertained. 

You are- laid back!! You cry when you are hungry and that's about it. At times you have a hard time putting yourself to sleep, so I swaddle you up nice and snuggly and place you in the swing. Off to sleep you go and then into your bed!  You take a pacifier every once and a while. Last night you didn't use it at all.  I cherish each of your sweet snuggles with you!!! {You are currently laying in my lap as I type this post and your sisters are taking their nap. It's just me and you, little girl!}

Your hair is still a light brown and your eyes are a beautiful blue! You have been gaining weight and growing/measuring on track.

Your sisters LOVE you! They have done wonderful with your transition into our family. I have be honest and say that I was a little nervous about how your sisters would interact with you and one another when the attention wasn't all about them. But, they have done great! They love you! They ask for you every morning and throughout the day. When we are in the car and you get upset Layton always says, "It's okay Ally (Ah-wee) Ann!" & Hadley always pats you and tries to give you a pacifier. It's adorable. They also ask if you need Mommy's milk. It took them some time to understand where and why you get your milk from Mommy. When we first brought you home, Hadley pointed to the refrigerator and said, "Mommy, milk is in there! " Sweet girl.

All in all- the last 6 weeks have been pure bliss! You have made your Mommy and Daddy so happy. I have loved watching you grow for the past few weeks and can't wait to watch you grow up with your sisters. 

We are blessed to have been in trusted with your care. We thank God for you daily. 

We love you, Ally Ann!!!   

Gobble, Gobble @ 15months

The twins are great little eaters! They share, too! It's so cute to watch them hand each other food. Hadley takes Layton's grapes... she doesn't share those! 

Food at 15 months:

Chop, chop, chop! I probably over chop food items- just being careful. With all their teeth (they have had LOADS come in this past month) They can eat just about anything! 
Hadley has 11 teeth and Layton has 9.

 I have always given the girls their veggies and fruit before I give them their "main" coarse! I don't really know why.... I just figured, I'd rather them get in a few healthy choices first! They pretty much eat anything and everything we give them. When we cook a meal, we chop it up for them. Many nights we eat after the girls have eaten, so I am preparing their food before we cook. 

Dinner prep and lunch prep are SO important to me! I try and make everything as easy as possible. 

I use containers to split up their veggies and fruit for each day of the week! I have them separated by meal into plastic containers or baggies. It takes just a few minutes on Sunday afternoon/ or nap time during the week, and we are set. This allows me to just GRAB and FEED! :) 

{food favorites at 15 Months} 

Breakfast options: fruit, cheerios, yogurt, applesauce, mini pancakes, mini waffles, jelly toast, blue berry muffins (with milk) 

Lunch/dinner: fruits (all kinds) and veggies (little bit of everything!) along with one of the following- fish, chicken and hotdogs! They also LOVE pizza and pasta! Any type of pasta, they love! We do pasta about once a week. (messy!) 

(drink choices: water- lunch and milk with dinner)

{snacks}

cherrios, bananas, grapes, puffs, crackers, peas 

(I know..crazy, but they LOVE green peas!) 

{bottles?/sippy cups}

The girls were getting a bottle with a few ounces of milk before bedtime. WELL....We have dropped the girls night time bottle! WAHOO! We held onto that longer than I wanted... it's JUST fine, Right? But, they're gone and put away. No more nighttime bottles. 

We are bottle free!  (until our next baby, that is) 

{milk & H2O}

I haven't given the girls juice. My doctor recommended waiting as long as possible. Her goal is 2 years! (and longer if you can!) So, that's what we are doing! Michael and I have never bought the girls juice... so, they don't know what they are missing. :) I started adding a sippy cup to their cribs when they were sick with runny noses. I wanted to make sure they were getting enough liquids. Each morning, their water was almost gone. These little ones LOVE to drink water throughout the night. My Dr. gave me the okay the leave a sippy cup of water in their cribs. Speaking of cups! We added a few little cups to your bath water for you to play with. Instead, you pick them up and take sips. (soapy water tastes good? -yuck-) Yet, you are learning how to drink out of big girl cups! 

{utensils?}

You love to play with spoons! You both try your very best to scoop up food. {try!}

I love cooking for you two! 

Chapter 91: 11 months

Hadley McKee

9/10/13

Weight: 17lbs

Feeding: You are eating 3 meals a day!
You are a picky little eater. I'm not sure I like this very much. #littlestinker. You love pureed foods, so we will stick to that along with finger foods (that you don't pick up and drop on the floor.) 

Bottles: 4 a day (7am, 10am, 1pm, (dropped the 4pm-dinner at 5), 7pm) 

Clothing: 12 months  

Sleeping: 7:00pm-7:00am 

Napping: 2 times a day 
Morning nap 8:30-9:30/10:00am and then an afternoon nap from 1:00-3:00pm or 2:00-4:00pm depending on our schedule.

Size 3 diapers (still!)

Teeth: 8 

You are ALMOST a walker! If you are holding onto anything... off you go! 
You and your sister GO everywhere! You love being so independent. Although, this is hard for your Momma! 
You also LOVE to feed Hondo your meals. He loves you for it...

  

Layton Aaron

9/10/13

Weight: 18lbs

Feeding: You are eating 3 meals a day! You my love are NOT a picky eater. You try everything. 

  Bottles: 4 a day (7am, 10am, 1pm, (dropped the 4-dinner at 5), 7pm) 

Clothing: 12 months 

Sleeping: 7:00pm-7:00am

Napping: 2 times a day 

Size 3 diapers (You'll be moving to 4's soon!)  

Teeth: 3 

You have the cutest little crawl! Don't worry.. I have it recorded for you to watch one day. You still have yet to meet a stranger. No 'stranger danger' yet for you or your sister. You give out smiles all day. You also love to clap your hands and wave good bye.  

This, my sweet girl,  is you to a "T". I love your laid back since of being. 

Not a care in the world... Unless Hadley takes your toy! 

I'm sorry this picture is so blurry... I had a short period of time to snap pictures, and this was as good as I could get with two babies crawling e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e! Not the best shot!

We love you so much. 
Mommy & Daddy

{Letters to Layton & Hadley will be posted tomorrow!}

Chapter 80 : On the Move 8 1/2 months

On the move...
(pictures are getting blurry! 8 1/2 months) 

Hadley crawls across the room and Layton rolls. They both get to point B, just in different ways. Play time has become very interesting. 
Good bye "sit and play" babies! Hello "on the go" babies. 

The girls are all over these days! It has been such a joy watching them grow over the last month.  

Layton TALKS up a storm.
(to her hand, toy, Sophie, me, the wall) It's hilarious. Her head bobble is worthy of its own blog post.  

 Did I mention that Hadley has 2 teeth and has 3 more coming in? When she smiles, it's the cutest thing in the world. 
(poor little teething baby) 
 Layton is getting her first tooth!

Welcome Summer. Babies in bathing suits have to be the cutest thing ever. period. Let the pool time begin!

Baby gates will be going up soon. 

Chapter 73: Big Girl Food

{Our New Family Adventure: Big Girl Food} 

We had so much fun with this new adventure. We started baby food around 5 months with the girls. We did rice cereal first and slowly added a veggie in every other night. We haven't done many fruits, as I know once we introduce those we may be in trouble. I took on the task of putting on my chef hat and making the girls food. Puree peas, carrots & sweet potatoes have been super easy! I mix in breast milk to add a little familiar sweetness. 

As the girls turned 7 months old, I thought we could try big girl food! 

This was our first experience with... 

cheese puffs!

Man... it sure was messy, but the girls LOVED them. They chewed all over these yummy little things. Layton is still warming up to the idea. We have tried banana flavored puffs too. 

yum-yum!

The girls have taken to food great.  I am making it, which is fun (at times)! I know it is what is best for their little bellys! Nice and fresh... but, I'm not gonna lie, we do have a few containers of baby food in the pantry as sometimes it's just easier! 

Here are few pictures of Layton and Hadley enjoying a baby cheese puff for the first time.  Please don't judge their messiness! 
We have fun at dinner time.
 Girls: This is cute for now... when you are older, we will learn table manners. 

{enjoy} 
please excuse the peas...

Check out these precious wrist rolls...

Chapter 72: Growing Girls

H & L, 

This 6 month of having you two in our little family has been OH SO much fun! You have grown so much and I love every bit of it. 

You both have: 

-learned to sit up

-learned to spit your food (I laugh.. it's messy, but FUN!)

-learned to sleep 12 hours

-learned how to play independently

-grown two teeth (Hadley) 
-enjoy reaching out to touch (grab-their-fur) Hondo and Sophie
-started to grab one another (I can't wait to watch you grow up together!) 
-continued to laugh, giggle, and coo
-loved the schedule we have you on 

Mom and Dad have:

-put away your baby swings (yay)

-let you cry it out at night to help you learn to self soothe
-enjoyed watching you grow

-constantly thank God for the two of you!

Chapter 71: Play Time/Sleep Time

Playtime with our girls is so much fun! I remember wondering, "When will they learn to play? Like REALLY play?" Well, that time is here! 6 months must be the magic play age. I love watching them roll around exploring new toys. 

H & L enjoy looking a books, holding rattles, moving balls, rolling around- which leads to kicking one another *it's kinda funny!*, and grabbing pretty much anything in sight! They are doing great with their fine motor skills.  They are able to transfer objects from one hand to the other. They are also both picking up larger items.They play so well now, which makes them extra tired, which leads to a great nap. 

Speaking of sleep. We have gone into full on sleep training mode. 
 The girls are doing great now that we tried the CIO method! {cry it out method} (Mastering the skill of falling back asleep on their own) 
Note: I was not on board with this method, but after many hours of research we decided to give it a try! It worked! I am now a CIO method advocate for parents who have tried it all!

 Yes, it was sad. Yes, I hated it. Yes, they did fall back asleep. And.... yes, I LOVE the 7pm-7am NO interrupted sleep for Mommy and Daddy! 
I do have to be honest in saying that it was hard on this Mommy. With the girls being so little and born a month early, I wanted to be 100% confident that they weren't waking up hungry. The girls don't suck their thumbs or even their fingers. So, it makes it hard for them to soothe themselves back to sleep.  Pacifiers? Well, they only use a pacifier to go down at 7pm (which falls out in about 10 minutes!) Therefore, it was tricky for them to learn how to soothe themselves back to sleep without a pacifier. They refuse to grab them themselves. It's like they don't realize they are in their cribs. Crazy girls. 

{Thank you for sleeping little ones}

We love it. They say this is one of the first Mommy/Daddy disciplines... It was hard, but the girls are learning! It's been successful. We have tried everything (I've spent HOURS researching EVERYTHING when it comes to sleep habits!) and CIO seems to be the only thing that has worked. Praise God! 

I always have the girls best interest at hand and while the 3 nights were hard, I am so thankful this worked.  
We have great little sleepers. 
The girls love to play!  

hi hadley

When you play too much... it leads to this: 

Layton

Chapter 69: Pardon the Mess...

My Mom got us this... how did she know?

I know the memories of our home looking like Baby R Us will one day end. Before we know it the swings and bouncers will get moved to the attic and play kitchens and toys will cover the floor. (Well, I plan on attempting to have baskets for the girls to place their toys.) Until that day comes, I wanted to share a few pictures of how our home looks. The good, bad, and the (ugly) toy world that it has become. Get ready... PS- if you aren't wanting children any time soon... stop reading now! For those that know me, having my house torn apart has been hard. I have become a little OCD with our kitchen. I want it spotless with nothing on the counters at all times. I like to think that's because it's the only place the girls can't run over with toys. I know.. I know.. the kitchen will soon become a fun place to play! 

Warning: Picture overload! 

Our living room now has two babies, two bouncer chairs, a swing, and two bouncy seats! We have moved the play mats to the office. Yup... it's crazy to say the least! 

Wanna come play with us? Yeah.. you know you want too!!  

 You each have your own swing. But, we moved one into your nursery.

 Your car seats are parked in the foyer.

We moved the play mats to the office. That gave us more room in the living room. You should have seen it when we had TWO swings and both play mats in the living room. That would give ya a good laugh!! OR a good cry when you try to run through it in the dark to attend to a crying baby and you jam your toe. Ouch is an understatement. I screamed along with Laylay!

 Meal time, yum! You eat in the green and pink bumbo chairs on our island.  I'm excited for you to move up to your adorable high chairs. Aren't they cute? You also love to watch Mommy clean the kitchen and Daddy cook. I love theses fabulous little seats. 

 Bath time has moved from the sink sling to this.. He's pretty cute!

You love to roll and kick the ball on this fun little mat! We are borrowing it from your cousin Raylyn until she is big enough to use it! Thanks, Rayray!

Our cabinets have become this... 

and drawers...

Our living room...

I spy Hadley

Tada!

Our life as a family has changed... but, these two furry friends still love us none the less.

Sweet Sophie 

Hondo adores you both! He has yet to eat one of your toys. What a great big brother he is!

These memories will fade, this I know! But, I wanted them documented in pictures to watch them change as you both grow! 

Bring on the toys... 

Chapter 66: Sleep? Yes, Please!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ....pacifier.....ZZZZZZZZZZZ....pacifier.....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 

January- 3 months

The girls have done very well with their sleep patterns since they were born! We feel very blessed. Since they were born they both ate, played, slept! When they came home from the hospital they were on a 10am, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm, 2am, 6am schedule! It was fabulous as they never budged from this schedule. (Shhh.. I know, that was every four hrs, but HEY, it worked for them and for us! And the girls were gaining weight, so we were okay with it) This continued on and eventually they started to eat every three hours during the day and stretching our their night feedings. (Note: Feb. 12th)

February- 4months

Around four months they dropped to one night feeding and at five months old they started sleeping through the night and dropped the night time feeding altogether. MAN, that was great!!! Here is our little problem. Pacifiers! Now, I know, I know, it's better then them sucking their thumb! (I don't want to have to break that habit!) They only have their pacifiers when they are napping/sleeping in their cribs or when they ride in their car seats. We really try to keep them as a "put to sleep soother". And man,  SOOTH, they do. The girls just love their little "soothies".  

March- 5 months 

Now, like I said, since three months of age, the girls have been sleeping from 7pm-7am. At five months they started waking up around 4am/5am for their pacifiers. Some nights up to 3-5 times. Others only once. They do go back to sleep after a few pats and a diaper change. But, I sure would love for them to be able to find those suckers (literally) and place them back in their own mouths! When does this happen??  

April- 6 months 

Tip from a friend: Cry it Out! We tried the Cry it Out Method- and man, that was hard. I really don't know if it really has helped the girls all that much. I think I may have spoiled them by going back in to sooth them with their pacifiers. Any other tips out there?? I feel bad complaining about our pacifier issues, when I know some parents are dealing with worse little sleepers, (Some may be thinking.. come to my house and you won't sleep at all!) but, I'll take any tips I can get! Come on, girls. Help a Momma, out! :)  

.....zzzzzzz.....

Speaking of sleep??

 The girls are staying with their Grandparents this weekend and guess who is sleeping.. ALOT? ME!!  This will be their first weekend away from us. I know they will be perfect little angels. :) Tehehe! 

Good Luck LaLa & Poppa and Gram & Grumps!

Chapter 60: Formula Isn't a bad word.

*Warning- these are my thoughts and feelings. I don't mean or want to offend anyone by how I feel on the topic of breast feeding. Therefore, if you are hard core breast feeding advocate, stop reading or at least take what I say with a grain of salt.
 *PS- breast feeding a singleton is completely different then with twins!* 

Formula is not a bad word.

Breast feeding is hard... Not only can it be painful, but it requires a lot of work! A LOT! When you have two newborns.. double the work is an understatement.  I personally feel that when a women finds out she is pregnant, they just assume that they will breast feed their baby. It's only natural, right?  For me...wrong. It didn't come as natural as I expected. I have always been on both sides of the fence when it comes to breast feeding. It just seems a little weird to me! :) I ask God all of the time, "Why did you make me this way?" I know he has his reasons and I don't doubt them. Now, don't get me wrong. I KNOW that breast milk is best for the girls, giving them the right balance of nutrients that they need, and helps boost their little immune system, therefore, I will continue this journey of pumping for them to have it. Hey... they have gone 5 months without ONE runny nose! Pretty good, huh? 

Tips that were successful for me: 1. Look to your husband and other loved ones for support. 2. Don't be afraid to ask for help. 3. Lactation consultants are the bomb.com.

Why is it that new Mommies are made to feel bad if they are not able to/or cannot produce enough breast milk to continue breast feeding their baby/s?  Does anyone else feel this way? When having twins... you do what you can! Fortunately, I have been blessed with somewhat of a great supply of breast milk. With the girls now drinking 5/6 ounces a feeding they each get 3/4 bottles of breast milk a day and 2 bottles of formula at night. Quite frankly, I am shocked that I producing this much milk. If I had one baby, we would have a freezer full! Oh.. I wish this were the case!  

Breast feeding is hard! Yes, there is an amazing bond that you get to experience with your newborn, but for me it was difficult! Now, my experience is with twins, so with many of you reading, your story is different as you most likely only have one infant. When you have twins your experience may look similar to this. Nurse one, bottle feed (due to not getting both sides of Mommy), REPEAT- feed the other baby, bottle feed. Then.. PUMP!  Wait two hours.. repeat! Tandem nursing would be great (feeding both at the same time) and I do have a friend that is able to do this, but man, I tried... too hard! With nursing there are so many things to think about and figure out as a new mom. There is teaching the baby to latch properly, find the best position for him/her and you, and how to build your milk supply! It's just not as simple as you would think! Add in getting mastitis, constantly cleaning bottles and breast pump parts... oh man!  

I was on the verge of giving up at 3 weeks... the girls weren't latching correctly, I was in pain, I was exhausted! It was at that time that I committed and decided that I was going to keep going, week by week, month by month! My goal was 3 months... and then 4! Now, I am going for 6! My pediatrician has said that 6 months is the key number for breast fed babies. Pumping has been my go to. I hate that little machine, but it is what works for the twins and I.  

Mom's out there- you can do it! But, DO NOT be led to feel guilty for stopping.  If you don't have the supply needed or breast feeding doesn't work for you or your families needs. It is OKAY to stop. It doesn't mean that you are a bad Mom. In fact, it means that you know what is best for YOU and your life as a new little family. 

Formula is NOT a bad word... it isn't! There is nothing wrong with formula.

Enough about milk... PEA's PLEASE! 

The girls tried their very first veggie. PEA's!

Night two was the trick. They started to take in more and have finally figured out how to swallow from a spoon. That was tricky for them. 

Enjoy your veggies... 

Chapter 56: Rice Cereal Anyone?

Our pediatrician, Dr Dollins, gave us the go ahead for rice cereal. 

Oh how fun... so we thought. Hadley and Layton thought otherwise.  We are now on night 5 of rice cereal.  Layton has taken to it much more then Hadley. Poor Hadley, she wants NONE of it! Here are few pictures of our experiences thus far.  After one week of rice cereal we are allowed to start tying veggies.  The Dr recommended staying on one vegetable per week to check for food allergies. We will start fruits at six months of age!  We are hoping that veggies will be more exciting than the cereal.  

Have a great weekend! Enjoy a nice bowl of cereal...