3 Months Old

Today is the day the twins finally reach the 3-month mark. Now, they are out of the "fourth trimester" and should be learning lots of things really quickly. Here is a snapshot of their little lives after three months:

Sleep: Ah yes, the always-elusive zzz's. Well, not so elusive. I actually have to admit that I have been pretty lucky in most regards. The AMAZING nurses at the Special Care Nursery got our munchkins on a 4-hour feeding schedule before they left the hospital and we were able to maintain it once they got home. So for their first month with us, we could reliably get nice chunks of 3 hour sleep. For newborns, this was actually pretty good. Then, after the new year, they started to be a little more alert and more awake during the day which naturally led to more sleepy time at night. This transition was completely organic for us. I really did not do anything (that I know of...) to get the twins to understand the difference between day and night. So, I feel very fortunate that they figured it out on their own - good babies!!!

Naps have also developed - I am now a big Dr. Weissbluth fan. I highly recommend reading his book and so far, I agree with most of it - it's working really well for my duo. They take about three naps a day, first around 8am, second around 12pm and the third around 330pm. Then, as the Dr. prescribes, early bedtime! Sebastian and Collette hit the hay anywhere between 615pm and 7pm and then Mommy and Daddy have the house to themselves. :)

As for nighttime, we are still waking up once to feed both babies, usually between 1 and 2am. I am very much looking forward to the day when this becomes a distant memory. 3 months without an uninterrupted 6-8 hours of sleep is starting to wear on me...

Feeding: Both babies are very good, predictable eaters. They each take about 5 bottles a day for a total of 25 oz of expressed BM. Sebastian still has formula added to his BM for the calories (little peanut!!) but my guess is that our pediatrician will take him off it at our 4-month check up. Also, they are getting faster with the bottle. What used to take 25 minutes now only takes 15, so that is a welcome change.

Development: Other than the changes in sleep and eating, the twins have made lots of progress in their development to date. Sebastian is especially smiley and loves look at his mobile and the toys hanging from the play mat. He grabbed a ring the other day and while I'm sure it was somewhat accidental, it was still so exciting. (Yes, this is the kind of thing that gets me excited these days...such is the life of a new mommy!) He also rolled over while he was doing tummy time on the boppy! Of course, the pillow gives him a head start but I'll take what I can get.

Collette is doing lots of social smiling as well but not as much as her brother. She seems to still prefer sleep, God bless her! I see her rolling soon, though - hopefully by 4 months! Both she and her brother love to "stand" (assisted, of course) and this sometimes helps calm them down when they get fussy.

Both munchkins have started their goo-ing and gaa-ing and its adorable. They have started to look at me when they hear my voice and follow me with their eyes when someone else is holding them. Their head and back control has improved a lot, too. Collette especially has good head control, as evidenced by this great photo - what a cutie pie!

It seems as though they are pretty much on target, especially when you take their adjusted age (7 weeks adjusted vs. 13 weeks) into consideration. Not sure how much they weigh but if I get to ISIS, I'll try out their baby scale and see how much they've grown since two months - Collette was 11lbs 5 oz (chunker!) and Sebastian was 9lbs 13oz (peanut!).

Last but not least, here is their 3 month "chair picture" - this is on the rocking chair in their room.

Collette looking lovely as ever! I think purple is her color.

Sebastian is such a handsome boy in his overalls.