Brooke & Brecklyn are Three Months Old!

It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to sit down and write. We've had quite a busy month, and I'm hoping to catch up on all of that soon. However, today our sweet little twinbies turned three months old so I want to concentrate on them!

Brooke at three months old . . . getting so big!

Brecklyn at three months old . . . not sure if she wants to smile about it or not :-):

Big sister Brooke is still the bigger sister. She has outgrown almost all of her 0-3 month sized clothing and is wearing 3-6 and 6 month sizes. While we're still squeezing her into a few 0-3 month pieces, she has certainly outgrown all 0-3 month sleepers. She wears a size 1 diaper and size 2 shoe (although they are a bit big). We have about a month's supply of size 1 diapers left, and after they are gone we will start putting Brooke in a size 2. As a side note: We have yet to purchase any diapers for these girls. We are still using the stash that we {mostly} received as gifts (we did buy a few boxes). That's pretty incredible considering the girls are three months old! We are certainly blessed!

Brecklyn seems quite a bit smaller than Brooke, but she really is only about 1 pound lighter and 1/2 inch shorter. She's just not as broad shouldered as her older sister. She still fits in more of her 0-3 month clothing than Brooke does, but can also wear her 3-6 month and 6 month pieces. She is also in a size 1 diaper and size 2 shoe (also still a bit too big). When we move Brooke to a size 2 diaper, Brecklyn will likely stay in size 1s for a while.

The girls are doing great with their schedule! They are good night sleepers which is wonderful! Just last week, they slept from 8:30pm to 5:30am without waking on two different nights! Whoo-hoo! Most nights, they go down around 8:30pm, wake around 3:30am to eat, then sleep until about 7:00am. I'm happy with that! They still sleep swaddled in a pack-n-play in our bedroom, but we will be moving them to their beds soon. *tear*

We recently switched from using Aden & Anais blankets to using Summer Infant swaddles (pictured above). The reason for this is because Brecklyn would work and work to get her arms out of the swaddle and sometimes get it over her face in the process. One night, I heard her fussing around and saw this:

The blanket was pulled pretty tight over her face, so it scared me! This is why we use breathable blankets ONLY! However, they can't get the Summer Infant swaddles over their faces, so that's why we switched.

The girls love sleeping together and sleep best that way. This night, they were snuggled so close to each other that their noses were touching!

During the daytime, Brooke and Brecklyn still nurse about every 3 hours. I've noticed that if they nurse less frequently during the day, then they will want to eat more at night. I have to work hard to keep my supply up, but I am able to exclusively breastfeed them. They are so sweet when they nurse . . . Brecklyn always folds her little arms in front of her. 

And Brooke will often clasp her little hands. I had been tandem nursing them most of the time, but I had surgery about two weeks ago (more on that in another post) and was unable to tandem nurse after surgery. We will start again soon though, as it's much less time consuming and the girls like it.

The girls are SO sweet after they eat. I get lots of smiles when their tummies are full! These photos were taken first thing in the morning after they nursed. Brooke is in the cars sleeper, and Brecklyn is in the pink sleeper.

They take good naps during the day, and I am so thankful for that! They will often nap in the swing or the rock-n-play during the day, but once in a while I will hold them. It's funny to me that I never let Brianna and Brenson nap in the swing or much in my arms, but I don't mind when the girls do. Things are just different when there are TWO babies, and sometimes I'm in survival mode. Napping in the swing or while being held has not affected their nighttime sleep or it wouldn't be happening. This photo was taken on the day they got their two month immunizations. They were both very grumpy that day and just wanted to be held. It made me sad that they were out of sorts, but I loved the snuggles.

We enjoyed some Easter festivities with the girls this month . . . love my little baby bunnies!

Brecklyn tends to cry more than Brooke, but Brooke is louder when she cries. In the photo below, Brecklyn was trying to nap and Brooke was screaming, so Brecklyn put her hand over her face. It was so cute! This has happened several times since and it makes us laugh every time! 

Brecklyn is still our serious girl, so we see this face a lot. She just studies things and takes it all in.

Brooke seems to be more active and squirmy. For the most part, she gives smiles easier than Brecklyn and is a bit more snuggly.

On April 8th, we noticed that Brooke's belly button was very red and inflamed looking. We also noticed that it was seeping a bit and had an odor. We called Dr. F's office the next day, and they wanted us to bring her in. I had to take the appointment time they had open which was at 3:30pm . . . right in the middle of naptime. AND, Chris couldn't get off work in that short of notice, so I had to be a big girl and take ALL of the kids by myself. I was super nervous, but it worked out just fine. The big kids were on their very best behavior, and the babies did okay (there was some crying, but overall it was okay). It turned out that Brooke's belly button had not healed properly down inside, so Dr. F had to put a chemical in it to basically cauterize it. Brooke didn't love the procedure, but she was soon back to her happy little self and her belly button looks great now. I don't have any photos from the actual appointment (I had my hands full!), but this little one was a trooper!

Neither one of the girls has rolled over yet, but Brecklyn has gotten onto her side multiple times. Brooke hasn't really tried, but she loves to scoot around on the floor. In the photo below, she was playing on the playmat (they both still love this) and scooted herself right off.

Brecklyn holds her head up really well and is great at tummy time. She loves to look around!

Brooke doesn't hold her head up quite as well as Brecklyn, and she doesn't even really try during tummy time. She does like the Bumbo, but not for long periods of time yet.

Brecklyn loves the Bumbo and will sit in it for 15 to 20 minutes. This photo was taken the very first time she tried it. I LOVE the look on her face!!!

They will both tolerate the bouncy seat (although Brooke generally does better in it), and they both LOVE the swing. 

Sweet Brecklyn in the bouncy seat

Like I said above, Brooke is our snuggly girl, so she really likes to be "worn". We use a baby K'Tan and really like it! Daddy wore Brooke all around Sam's to get groceries one day, and she did great!

Brooke will take a pacifier sometimes, although she doesn't love it. What she does love is sucking her thumb! However, I don't really want her to be a thumb sucker, so I try not to let her do it. I'm not sure I'm going to win this one, so it's a good thing that I think it's pretty cute :-)

Brecklyn doesn't suck her thumb or fingers (or take a paci), but what she does do is have major diaper blowouts, ha! She tends to only have a dirty diaper about every 3 to 4 days, so when she does it's a MESS. I was holding her on my hip (facing outward) one day when she blew out of her diaper. This was the result:

So, so gross!!! Here is what Brecklyn's leg looked like:

I've asked Dr. F about this (twice), and he says it's normal. Blech.

We think Brecklyn has her own little look, but Brooke definitely looks (and acts) like her big sister, Brianna. Sometimes - when Brooke is wearing Brianna's old clothes - it really takes me back to when Bri was a baby. Here is a side-by-side of Brianna (left) and Brooke:

Besides her facial features, Brooke's hair is a lot like Brianna's was at this age. It's not quite as thick, but it gets wild in a hurry :-). This is a terrible photo of Brooke, but just look at that hair!

I sent this photo to Chris at work one day just because the hair was cracking me up! She does have a small bald spot that's recently developed in the back, but it's nice and full on top.

Poor little Brecklyn is almost bald compared to her sister, so she gets lots of big headbands.

She has a large bald spot in the back and has lost most of the little hair she had on top. She doesn't seem to mind, though!

Along with all the hair, Brooke also has lots of congestion all the time. We have to suction out her nose several times a day, and she also always has lots of goop in her eyes. I'm not sure if this is allergies or something else, but I'm hoping she outgrows it. The congestion makes it hard for her to breathe sometimes, so some nights we have her sleep propped up a bit.

I'm not really a fan of nicknames, but sometimes they just happen. Brianna has given Brecklyn the nickname "Breckles" which I think is pretty cute. She also calls her "Breckleton" sometimes, ha! 

We often call Brooke "Brooke Ellie" and sometimes "Brookie Boo". I kind of hate nicknames like "Brookie Boo" (so cutsie), but it has slipped out a few times. 

A few more things about Brecklyn:

She has decided that smiling for the camera isn't so bad after all. She's easy to photograph because she tends to be still and study things. She likes to be home, in her routine, and doesn't care to be held by anyone other than Momma or Daddy.

She had a bad breakout of baby acne for several weeks, but it has cleared up nicely. Her skin is back to being soft and beautiful. Her eyes are a gray blue color, but getting lighter. She gets the hiccups about 3-4 times a day. She hates the car seat and will cry persistently in the car.

She can be quite the stubborn girl. She hates taking a bottle, but had to while I was having my surgery and for about 24 hours afterwards. She refuses any kind of formula, but will take my milk in a playtex bottle (we tried several kinds of bottles before we found one she would take). However, even then she'll only take about 2 ounces at a time. I've never had a baby that refused the bottle the way she does, and it can be very frustrating! She's been given a bottle about once a day since she was born (since we had to supplement at first), but she just decided one day that she was done with that mess. Sigh. I pray we can help her learn to use her tenacity for good things!

A few more things about Brooke:

Brooke will gulp down a breastmilk bottle in no time, and until about the last week or so didn't mind formula at all either. She is getting pickier about that, though. She seems to be more laid back than Brecklyn, although she has a very loud cry that she's not afraid to use. She spits-up constantly (or so it seems) and will sometimes spit-up through her nose.

Brooke is full of funny expressions, and will often smile with her eyes. She doesn't seem to be overly attached to Momma or Daddy and is pretty happy being held by whoever wants to hold her.She also hates the car seat and will cry persistently in the car. Her eyes are also a gray blue color and getting lighter. 

We love seeing these sweet smiles! This age is so fun!

Brecklyn

Brooke

Happy three months to our precious Brooke and Brecklyn! We love you so much!