Two Months

The twins are two months old today!  

I'm hoping that last night was the first of many wherein we get six hours of continuous sleep.  (Not counting  Bridget's demands for "a drink with ice" twice a night, since that seems to be a permanent situation.)  Brian and I tried having me sleep from 8:00pm - 2:00am while he took care of the 10:00pm feeding, then he would go to bed from 11:30pm to 6:00am.  It worked nicely for a few weeks.  Then Bridget got sick and there was no sleeping for Brian or me.  She was coughing and crying and feverish.  And a puke-asaurus.  In one twelve hour period we had to change her bedding five times.  I put a bucket right by her bed and it remained undisturbed as I cleaned a trail of puke from her bed to the bathroom.

I only mention it because Emil got sick a few days later.  His breathing was labored and he was coughing almost every time he exhaled.  I took him to see the doctor (leaving Bridget and Colin with Grandma) and they didn't like what they heard and saw.  I had to take Emil next door to the hospital to have him tested for a bunch of stuff.

The next morning a nurse called and told me he had RSV.  The very thing I was trying to avoid.  From that moment until this morning (when the first picture of this post was taken, a few weeks) I have not had Colin and Emil right next to each other.  No sharing blankets or binkies.  Since Bridget was still sick and Emil was sounding terrible, I took both of them to the doctor the day after the nurse called.

Bridget had ear infections in both ears and RSV and they had me give Emil an Albuterol treatment with a nebulizer (which they sent home with me).  Then I had the pleasure of taking Emil over to the hospital again to get suctioned out and a chest X-ray, this time corralling Bridget at the same time.  That night when we discovered the doctor had given us an inhaler for a grown up instead of the liquid for the nebulizer, Brian had to take Emil to the hospital for another deep suctioning at 11:00pm.  I had to take him again at 4:30 the next morning. 

I'm happy to report that Emil is back to his strong, healthy self now.  He weighs 9 lbs 6 oz and he is 23 inches long.  He sleeps for six hour stretches and he smiles all the time.  I think he's trying to tell us something, too.  Lots of coo-ing and searching glances.  Emil doesn't enjoy tummy time much, but he does like to be held.  He doesn't put his head on my shoulder, but he leans back so that he can look at me.  We still can't tell which way his eyes are going to go - brown or blue (it's driving Grandma crazy) and he still has most of his light brown hair.

Somehow Colin managed to avoid getting RSV even though his twin brother had it.  He is a strong little dude.  He got a cold, but it never got as bad as Emil's.  While we were off at the doctor's and the hospital, Colin got to visit with Grandma a lot and he stayed with my friend Andrea (along with the other two while I registered Bridget for kindergarten).  When I came back to get my kids at Andrea's, Josie said, "We want to keep the bald one."  She was quite serious - I have two babies, after all. 

Colin loves loves LOVES to be held.  He burrows into my shoulder and lays his head down every time.  He's growing like crazy, 8 lbs 6 oz and 22.5 inches long.  He eats less and more often than Emil, which mixes me up no end.  ("Who did I feed and what time did I feed him?")  And Colin has eyelashes now!  

Colin talks a lot and he smiles big.  Not for the camera, naturally.  He also cries indignantly - he can never accept it if he isn't being held or fed or sleeping.

Brian refers to Colin's hair as a "skullet."  Nothing in front, party in the back.  It looks more red than brown and I'm going to go ahead and call it - his eyes are going to stay blue.

It's been an exciting and exhausting month.  Taking care of two babies is hard.  No, really.