Worth Their Weight in Gold

I still cannot believe we have two precious baby boys! Time seems to escape me on a daily basis, and I find myself wanting to post all that is happening but having no time to do so.

It may be easier for me to post in bullet points for a while and just upload a few pictures rather than trying to upload lengthy posts like this one. Of course, that's hard to do when it has been five weeks since I posted. Oops!

The boys are terrific. Both Mason and Brody have nearly doubled their weight since birth. At our doctor's visit last week, Mason weighed 10 pounds and 12 ounces; Brody weighed 9 pounds and 5 ounces. They have outgrown newborn clothes, and Mason has almost outgrown 0-3 month clothes. Mason is really a chunk, and it is hilarious. They are currently in Pam.pers size 1-2 diapers but will be outgrowing those soon as well. Both of the boys are enamored with the lights on our Christmas tree. I told Allen we may need to leave it up for several months for their entertainment. He didn't find that comment amusing.

After losing most of his hair in the front, Brody has started to grow some of his dark hair back. He has a small hemangioma on his left side that the doctor has told us not to worry about at this point. It is about the size of half of a pencil eraser and will get much larger in the next few years due to rapid growth, but the pediatrician said 98% of them go away on their own by a child's fifth or sixth birthday. Brody is still smaller than Mason, and although there is only about a pound a half difference between them, it feels more like five. Brody eats about three and a half to four ounces at every feeding. He has become more verbal than Mason and his smiles are less frequent. His stares at you with an intensity that makes you wonder what he is thinking. He even tracks you with his eyes as you walk past him often making me feel guilty when I leave him wide awake in his crib after the 2 AM meal. Brody has his Daddy's hair- a bit curly and very dark. He is constantly in motion. He loves to move his arms and legs, holds his head up for several seconds pretty well on his own, and is actually stronger than Mason despite being the smaller baby. Brody is more independent than Mason and tends to be cold often. We have to keep him bundled up or he is not a happy camper.

Mason has more hair than Brody, and it is much lighter in color with no curl at all. This guy usually wakes up with a smile on his face, and his grin always makes me chuckle. The child loves to be naked! During diaper changes and bath time, he is all smiles! Ingrained in the male species, he loves to lift his leg when he toots. It cracks Allen and me up every time he does it. Mason is a hefty dude, eating about five ounces at every feeding. Mason coos more than Brody right now, and his eyes are much more blue. I think Brody's eyes will turn brown, but we may actually get a blue-eyed baby with Mason. Mason has to be wrapped tightly or he wakes himself with his flailing arms and legs. He is a much lighter sleeper than Brody as well. Mason tends to spit up often, and Allen thinks he may have acid reflux, which I need to ask the doctor about when we go in January. He is a snuggler and loves to bury his head in your neck. He loves to be rocked and held, something we have had to really work on because he got to where he wouldn't go to sleep without being rocked first.

We have finally conquered a schedule that works for us. Yippee! The babies eat every three to three and a half hours during the day and about every four hours at night. We feed them at 10 PM, and then they typically wake up about 2 AM and then around 6 AM. They are staying awake much longer now too, so getting things done is difficult. "Multi-tasker" will soon be my legal middle name. HA! I'm also feeling more competent as a parent. The first two months were rough, and there were many times I felt like a failure, including the time Mason fell off the rocker while I was putting Brody back in his crib (he was fine). Things are settling in and along with managing babies, I am learning to be a mother while also juggling the role of a wife. Of course, now that I've got it all figured out, my maternity leave is over and I start back to work. Just like life- as soon as you get things figured out, it changes.

Allen and I haven't ventured out to dinner or on errands with the babies yet. My mom and I have taken them shopping a few times, and we even went to visit Santa at the mall. I keep pressuring Allen to take us all out to dinner, but he's scared to death the babies will start screaming and we'll have to pack up and leave. I'm sure it wouldn't be the first or last time.... I'm not brave enough to go to the movies with infants like many of you are, but dinner seems like something we could conquer. Anyone have any stories about your first outing with your baby or babies?

We have honestly struck gold with these boys; I feel like we won the lottery! They have brought me more joy than words can describe; even typing this simple statement this brings tears to my eyes. I am so grateful and utterly blessed that they chose us to be their parents. The holidays are a time for cheer, fun, and good will, all of which we have. I am more than thankful this holiday season....