We are inching nearer and nearer to term with these two! For now, the schedule is diaper change, eat/pump, sleep, diaper change, eat/pump, sleep...In the last couple of days, both James and Julia have started waking up for their feedings, and are eagerly rooting around. They have both consistently been taking 2 ounces of milk each feeding, and I am pleased to say that, with the help of copious amounts of dessert, each time I pump twice that. I attempted to drastically limit my dessert intake a couple of days ago, because my stomach was all sorts of upset, and I realized that my milk supply was noticeably less! So, now I make dessert a priority. Coconut milk chocolate ice cream is God's gift to lactating dairy-sensitive mamas. Just this evening, I attempted to nurse these peanuts and it all went well. My hope is to have tandem nursing down by the time my mom leaves me. Something about being able to soothe them both at once without needing another pair of hands is a great incentive.
We had their two-week check-up yesterday and they are both gaining weight! Jules is now 5 pounds 7 ounces and James is 6 pounds 4 ounces! Dr. Seawell likes to see babies return to their birth weight by 2 weeks of age, and was pleased to see that we've surpassed that! That made two of us! They look fantastic, no concerns what-so-ever!
Mom and I decided on an outing to the recycling center and Sam's Club yesterday for a change of scenery. We started preparing hours in advance (so that we both could shower, of course.) After getting all the kiddos changed and dressed, babies fed, and snacks and sippies gathered, we focused our energy on the methodical loading of the van. After all was said and done, we climbed into the front seat, winded and sweaty, marveling over the fact that the only thing we (by that I mean I) forgot to do was brush my teeth, put make-up on and pump. We left just shy of an hour after we'd hoped to. Not terrible! The recycling center was easy because the kids stayed in the car while mom and I dumped our recyclables into their designated dumpsters. Our real test came when we arrived at Sam's Club. We opted for two carts, each one carrying a "little" and a "big." We caravaned through the store as I made up our grocery list as we went (not my best plan ever.) The babies slept the majority of the excursion, Sissy was on a shrieking spree and Emmy (who was coming down with a 24 hour fever bug) was whiny and irritable after be awoken from her brief nap in the car. At one point, Mom went to find some coffee and I was left to push and pull all of my children. I'm not going to lie, it was a little intimidating being so grossly outnumbered.
As a treat to ourselves for a job well done (and to compensate for an overdue meal,) we stopped off at the food court on our way out for a hot dog lunch. The kids were excited for a picnic in the car, and to fill their hungry bellies. Once we got to the car, the fun began re-loading everyone into their carseats (which is a tedious task because the bigs need to be secured before the babies' carriers are snapped into place.) After handing out the hot dogs and climbing into our own seats, Mom and I let out a collective sigh...We did it! Not a minute later when we got to our own hot dogs, did we realize that Sissy got the one hot dog that Mom had dressed for herself-complete with mustard and relish. Simultaneously, Sissy alerted us to her fallen hotdog, "dog! dog!" Between Sissy's condiments and Emmy's leaking Icee, we determined that we spent more time cleaning up from our outing than we did actually on it. I am sure we will be laughing about our first time leaving the house with all four children for quite some time to come. Hopefully my first truly solo experience is also humorous and not PTSD-inducing.
