3 Month's and growing like crazy!

Well hello Friends!

Hudson and Harper are going to be 4 months old tomorrow...so I figured I'd capture some highlights from their 3rd month (along with some cute pictures ).

Highlights from month #3~
H & H really started to interact with us and each other this month. They seem to look around and at each other observing and absorbing new sights and sounds. They've started to stare at each other quite a bit which has been really fun to watch. They sort of smile and "talk" to each other and I have even noticed that if one baby is crying- seeing the face of their brother or sister sort of calms them down.

Along with this new awareness, they both really love to look at Koko and Kingston too! It's hilarious but they sort of look and reach out to them. Totally adorable! They are going to have so much fun climbing all over those two silly dogs as they get bigger!

They have both learned to love those bumbo chairs....they have such strong necks, back and stomach muscles that they literally would probably sit in them all day if we let them!

We started "wagon walks" (pic below) with them and they LOVE it! They can see a full view of the sky, tree's and they seem to really love to take it all in.

We revised the nanny situation a bit so we have a new nanny, Stephanie 3 days a week and aunt Katie 2 days a week. Both are doing AMAZING with the babies.....it's been so much fun!

Blake and I each had out of state trips this month where we had to leave the babies for 2 or more nights. We blogged about this already- we all survived but are excited we don't have any trips coming up in the near future.

Notes about the big guy, Hudson McGee

Wears size 3 diapers

Takes 5-6+ oz at each feeding except for his bedtime bottle where he takes up to 9oz!

Still eats bmilk during the day and formula at night.

He's BIG! He feels so solid and big....he's wearing mostly 6 month but some 6-9month clothing already!!!

Started having rice cereal by spoon a few times a week and seems to really like it. He opens his mouth for the spoon and before sort of pushed the cereal all around and most of it ended up rolling down his chin...now most of it ends up in that big tummy of his!

He is LOUD and jolly! He loves to laugh, sqeek, squeel, jabber all the time! Sometimes it's when we're tickling, playing around with him and sometime's when he's just hanging out in the Jumperoo talking to himself.

He loves his chubby little hands. He's always clasping them together and shoving them in his mouth.

He isn't swaddled anymore for bedtime or naps. He started breaking out of the swaddle so we decided to quit swaddling him and he did great with the transition.

He loves to sleep with his hands straight up on either side of his head.

Speaking of sleep, he sleeps for 11 hours straight at night!

He loves the Jumperoo and his legs are so strong that he's a little jumping bean in it.

He rolled over from his back to his tummy (another reason we stopped swaddling)! Of course the first time he did it...mama missed it :-(

Those big, brown eye's and long lashes.......enough said!

He is just a happy go lucky boy. He's rediculously happy, smiley and giggly. He is truly such a joy....I look at him each day and am amazed at what a gift he is to us. We are SO blessed!

Notes about the little Miss Harper Rae

Wears size 2 diapers

Takes about 4oz at each feeding except for her bedtime bottle where she pounds anywhere from 7-9oz!

Still has bmilk during the day and formula at night.

She is very petite! Her little tiny fingers and toes remind us that she's still a baby....even though she is not a newborn anymore.

She wears mostly 3 month clothing- though some 6month clothes fit her!

She wanted nothing to do with rice cereal so we tried rice oatmeal and she seemed to like it much better. It was a total mess...ending up in her eyes, hair, nose.....but what went in the mouth stayed there so that's a plus!

She doesn't talk as much as Hudson....but when she does, it sounds like a lower, raspy voice and laugh! It's so cute!

She LOVES those little hands of hers. They are almost always clasped together and in her mouth. When they aren't however, they are up in the air, grabbing at things (mostly clothing and hair....such a girly girl) or just always moving.

This girl loves her swaddle.....we'll probably be swaddling her until she's 5! Haha!

She is a tough cookie with naps. Hudson goes down for naps pretty easily and while Harper is clearly tired....she puts up a good fight when it's naptime.

She loves to find the television when it's on. I mean LOVES it. It's horrible but if she's screaming and I walk into the living room and the TV is on.......instant silence. She must really just love seeing the colors/screen......but man it's funny how she responds to it.

She LOVES that bumbo chair....I think she likes to be independent so it makes her feel "grown up" to be able to sit upright and look at the world.

We think she's been teething. Her bottom gums are pretty white and she's a drool machine.

She sleeps from 8pm to usually 3 or 4am, is up for a quick bottle and back down until 7 or 7:30am. She has an internal alarm clock set to 7ish EVERY day!

She LOVES bathtime and LOVES to be naked or in just a diaper. She's a wiggle machine as soon as she looses the duds and is able to flail her arms around and kick. Too funny!

Those sky blue eye's and those cheeks............enough said!

She eats great (finally), is all around MUCH happier and is our blue-eyed beauty. She has the most beautiful smile and dimples and lights up our world. We are So incredibly blessed.

We have their 4 month well check-up's on Monday- looking forward to seeing how much they have grown. And we have a fun-filled next few weeks with all kinds of fun "fall" things planned. We're looking forward to seeing what month 4 has in store!

We ALL surivived!!

Yay! We made it through my first work trip! Daddy did GREAT!!!! He seriously did amazing with H & H, which I had no doubts he would! He only had 1 rough night with Harper as she did NOT want to sleep.....the rest of the time he did wonderfully!

My trip was good...I wish I could say it felt like it was a quick trip but it seemed the time slowly crept by. But I surivived!

Everyone I worked with has children and encouraged me the whole time and I was even able to catch an earlier flight home on Friday so I was home at 5pm vs 8:30pm!

I made my way home with a 63lb suitcase full of hair products, clothes, shoes, and 16 bags of frozen breastmilk! Hahaha- that was quite interesting!

A few things!!

Harper is eating like a normal baby! Something happended in the last few days and little Miss H has started taking a bottle without the "fit" 1/2 through! She's upped her "bedtime bottle" to 8oz as well! Hard to even wrap my head around this......but she pounds that bottle and she's down for the night!

Hudson rolled over!!!! Of course I missed it because I was out of town...but Blake was feeding Harper and saw Hudson roll from his back to his tummy! He thought maybe it was a fluke but he kept rockin' and rollin' so it was no fluke! This means we're done swaddling him for bedtime because we don't want him rolling from his back to his tummy all swaddled up. He's becoming SUCH a big boy!

Lastly, Harper is teething! Her little bottom gums are white and each morning I feel like I'm going to wake up to a little tooth poking thru! None yet.....but they are coming!

We have a 3 month recap coming this week! Can't believe the babies are almost 4 months old. Woweee......time is flying!!!

Ear, There, Everywhere

So, here is the last ear update for a while. WOOFTA!

We met with the ENT Dr. (Ear, Nose, and Throat) last Wednesday, the day after her ABR and the Dr's say there is NOTHING to be concerned about. No nerve damage, no funky curvature in her ear, no fluid, or debris.....just a healthy ear canal, drum and overall structure. They sent us over to the audiologist again to do another quick hearing test and she failed in that left ear......4 times in a row!

So....we don't have any idea what is going on but we're going to give it a few months and go back for another screening. Hopefully, all that leftie ear needs is a little time. We're thrilled there doesn't appear to be anything wrong, disconcerned about the repeated failed test, and hopeful that in a few months we'll bring her back in and that left ear will pass with flying colors!

Hmmm.....what else?

Oh- something that has had me in tears almost everyday for the last week (or more) is that I have to take my very first work trip which means I will be away from Hudson and Harper for the first time. It's a bit crazy to admit this, but I bet the longest stretch I have been away from them has been about 3 hours. (!!!)

And I leave tomorrow evening and don't return until Friday evening. GULP!

I KNOW they are going to be ok......daddy, aunt Karn, aunt Katie, close friends and our neighbors have all pitched in to help Blake. H & H are going to be just fine.

But this mommy.....well that's another story!

I'm going crazy thinking about it....I just have to keep reminding myself of the following:

I will be SOOO busy during the day at meetings and evenings at work dinners.

Three days isn't that long.

I'm blessed to have the job I have so that I can be home (in my home office) working almost every day.

Three days isn't that long.

My job is important to me and they will appreciate the balance that I have being a mommy and a working woman.

Three days isn't that long.

Blake is a truly amazing father and he and the babies will bond during this time.

Three days isn't that long.

So.....wish us ALL luck! Blake is certainly in for an exciting few days and I know I will make it through. There will probably be nights where we all four cry ourselves to sleep, however!

I will update post-trip with details on how we all surivived! Here's a pic of the babies in thier bumbo chairs hanging out together! They LOVE those chairs.....and they have started to recognize and acknowledge each other. More on that in another post! ;-)

Can ya hear me now?

We had the ABR (auditory brainstem response) test today and Harper didn't pass. She is SOOO close to passing, but she's just not there.

She cooperated wonderfully at the test...just like a little angel! We went in, she went to sleep right away in my arms and then she got all hooked up to the machines so they could start the test.

She slept great for 40 minutes while they monitored her hearing and brain response. The right ear hears great.....and the left side is just not cooperating. The audiologist referred us to an ear, nose, throat Dr to go a step further in trying to figure out why that left ear isn't passing. I guess the equiptment they can use to look deep into the ear canal is quite high tech- so they are hoping to discover what is keeping her from passing.

I called and actually got in for an appt tomorrow at 10:30. So, we hope to know more tomorrow!

Thanks for your thoughts, prayers and good luck wishes! We're so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family.

Here's a picture of Miss Cheeks at her appointment today!

And here is a picture of Mr Hudson because he's been left out of the last two posts. This guy is FULL of love lately....chattering, laughing, smiling and coo'ing away! Such fun!

Test anxiety

Well.....Harper failed her hearing test (left ear only) for the 3rd time in a row. Poor thing.
They are looking for her to respond to low and high frequency sounds and she's passing the high frequency, but not the low. She is VERY close to passing, but because she's not meeting all of the criteria, they can't pass her.
What comes next? She's having a test done called a ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) test on Tuesday, September 7th at 1pm. Here is what that test entails:

An Auditory Brainstem Response Evaluation (ABR) is a type of test, usually performed for infants and young children, that evaluates how well sounds travel along the hearing nerve pathways from the ear to the brainstem. An ABR test, by evaluating the hearing nerve pathways, can identify cases of sensorineural hearing loss. It is a sleep EEG hearing test which shows the softest sounds your child's ears can detect at various pitches. The ABR compares changes in brain activity to the timing of repetitive sounds to determine whether the particular intensity of sound can be heard.
How is it performed?
There will be three or four small stickers/electroids on your child's head, connected to leads going into a computer. Sounds will be presented through an earphone to each ear separately while a computer analyzes the changes in the brain wave pattern in response to sounds.

The audiologist has every confidence that she'll pass this test....and so do we! I am nervous for it, obviously because any testing on my baby girl is nerve-wracking. But I'm also nervous because she needs to be sleeping for the test which is anywhere from 30-45 minutes. This little one has a mind of her own and so it's gonna take lots of prayer to make sure that she cooperates! ;-)

I titled this post "Test Anxiety" because it appears Miss Harper has this already! As stated, the audiologist has every confidence that she's not hearing impaired but that she's just having trouble passing this test in her left ear. If you remember me posting about the weekly tests I had done when I was pregnant to make sure the babies were growing/developing on track....little Miss Harper always kept us on our toes during these tests as well. Little stinker needed to show she could "practice breath" in utero for 30 seconds and she'd do it for 25 seconds and then quit. As I said way before she was born...this little one is a stubbor little cookie!

Thank you for your prayers....keep them coming! We'll know immediately what the results are and if there is any future steps to be taken!