David is 3 months old!

David and Claire are growing and changing each day! We love how alert, playful, smiley and engaged they are now they they are moving out of he sleepy newborn stage! Though, sleep still does take up a huge part of their days. We moved the babies to their own cribs just shy of 3 months. Generally, they sleep from 8:00-4/5ish (with a 6-6:45am thrown in there once in a while as a reminder to mom that they CAN sleep longer stretches). Back to sleep after nursing until 8:30ish. They take several naps a day...a short one around 9:30am for about an hour, a nice long 2.5-3 hour nap around 12:30pm, and usually a little catnap in the evening. I love those days that they nap at the same time, but it isn't uncommon for them to stagger their naps. Several days a week, all three kids will be asleep at the same time for the entire 2.5 hours (hallelujah for those days! though, I will take even 20 min of quiet if that's all they will give!). It's also nice when the twins nap and I can give Lucas some undivided attention - that usually happens in the morning before David and Claire are awake or during their morning nap.

David and Claire are still exclusively on a breastmilk diet. We still tandem nurse during that early morning feeding or if they both get hungry at the exact same time. Otherwise, it's one at a time. They have, on average, one bottle of pumped milk per day. Daytime bottles consist of 4oz. If it's their last bottle of the day before bed, Claire will take 4 to 4.5 oz, but David will have anywhere between 5 and 6 oz!

The babies are becoming quite aware of each other now. This month they both cooed and smiled at the other. Two separate occasions - David to Claire first, then Claire to David a couple days later. It was very sweet each time and very deliberate and obvious that they were recognizing each other.

 David. His eyes are changing color - they are losing the blue and are currently a grayish hue. Will he be our dark haired, dark eyed child? Time will tell. He rolled from belly to back 3 times in a 5 minute span (at 10 weeks 6 days) but hasn't done it since. He is still very serious, but he gets quite smiley and talkative once he locks eyes with you. His smile is so sweet - crescent shaped with some tongue action that is oh so adorable. David prefers to be held and spends more nights a week than not in someone's arms at the dinner table. When he becomes fussy, usually a little stroll around the house to see the sights will calm him down. He's a huge fan of sucking on his hands. He's a thumb sucker at heart, so we pop that paci in anytime we catch him in the act! David noticed his feet this month. He will grab at the hanging toys on his bouncy chair now, and can also hold on to a rattle and bring it to his mouth to suck on!

 

This month, the kids and I started to become more comfortable with heading out of the house on our own! Now that we have our new double stroller, outings to Target and Kohls (and maybe one day soon, Wegman's) have become more frequent. We are quite a sight, but the kids love to be out and about, and I love the challenge heading out brings! We have also managed to bring Darby on walks in our neighborhood! When you have 2 in the stroller and one in the Ergo on your chest, adding a leashed dog isn't much more work.

Month 3 also brought:
- A drive to and from Rochester over Christmas. Both babies were excellent travelers! We only had to stop once each way for diaper changes/feedings. David and Claire slept the entire 5/5.5 hour car ride both ways! Maybe a couple of wake-ups to tell us they were there, but no major or unbearable freak-outs. All in all, Amazing!
- our first dinner out to Wegman's Market Cafe as a family of five (without grandparents present for moral support).
- our first time to church as a family of five (again, we've gone several times with all of the kids, but always with extra adults in tow).
- David and Claire's first Christmas and New Year's.
- David and Claire's first visit with Santa.

We are definitely getting better managing 3 kids. Bedtime is a bit hairy, but as long as one of us minds Lucas, and the other gets the twins ready for bed, we can usually have everyone in their cribs by 8pm (though, sometimes 8:30 is a bit more realistic!). Our lives are just so much more rich and full with all 3 of our blessings! Eric and I have agreed that we wouldn't want it any other way - crazy days/nights and all!