Swimming, getting bigger, and the 4th of July!

Just some new pictures of all the kiddos!

Look how big the babies are getting! Sitting up! "Army crawling" (McCall's new trick)! Babbling (Hadden has started babbling "dada" and "yaya")!


Jackson, his popsicle, and his army man swimming!


Hadden thinks Jackson is SO funny!


McCall loves splashing in the water!

Happy Birthday, America!!!!

I'll have more great pictures of July 4th soon! My wonderful friend, Jennifer, is a professional photographer (www.jennifergraysonphotography.com) and she took some great pictures of the kids at the 4th of July BBQ at her parents' house! Cant wait to see them all and post them here!

6 month stats

I took the babies for their 6 month appointment today (they're actually 6 1/2 months old today so we're a couple of weeks late getting in for the appointment!). Here are their stats:

Hadden:

20lbs 12oz (90th+ %)
27 inches (50th %)

McCall:

15lbs (just above 25th %)
26 3/4 inches (about 75th %)

I couldnt believe that they were basically the same length! McCall is going to be a skinny, tall girl! And Hadden is medium height and chunky right now!

Dr. Shelley asked me how much/often they're eating (formula) and he said that they're actually drinking more formula than most kids their age. I feed them formula first and then baby food, but I think I might try a little less formula and a little more baby food. They also love munching on their baby mum-mum crackers and like the puffs (but they cant pick the puffs up yet, so I have to put them in their mouths!). I've been guilty of breaking off small pieces of bread or whatever I'm eating and giving them some, but both of them have the chewing motion down pat, so I figure it's just practice for them!

They'll go back to the doctor in September for their 9 month appointment--no vaccines at that one, so no shots!

Jackson continues to be a great big brother! He loves his little brother and sister so much!

We've finally made some headway with Jackson being potty-trained. He's by no means there yet, because he still has tee-tee accidents in his pullups (the only reason he's using pullups at all is because I dont have enough regular underwear to last but a couple of days before being washed!), but he always poops in the potty. I havent changed a poopy diaper (of his, anyway) in days and days! It's so wonderful! We're just going to keep practicing with tee-teeing and hopefully the accidents he has in his pullups will wear off! The other night he actually woke Brian up around 3am because he had to go to the potty, so that's definitely a good start!

My kids are all growing up so fast! I just cant believe it!!!

Wedding bells

This past weekend we traveled to Columbia, SC for my friend, Freddy, and his fiance, Morgan's. wedding! I've known Freddy since high school! It was the babies' first trip out of town, and they did really well! They slept in Pack-n-plays that the hotel provided. We all went--all 5 of us, my parents, and my brother (who was the best man).

Unfortunately, the first day we were there, Jackson got sick. And he stayed sick the entire time we were in Columbia. In fact, we had to take him to the ER last night for a super-high fever (105 degrees). Turns out he has a double ear infection, so we have antibiotics and hopefully he;ll start feeling better soon!

Here are some pictures from our weekend in Columbia:


Jackson in the fire truck at the EdVenture Museum


Hadden


A rare picture of me, holding the twins! Of course, neither of them are looking at the camera!

Jackson at the museum

Hadden and Grandma at the wedding reception

McCall and Grandma at the reception

McCall with Daddy at the hotel (eating one of Jackson's Star Wars toys!)

Me with the bride and groom!!!

The fam at the reception (poor Jackson was sick)

I dont know how all of the pictures always get so out of order from the way I want them posted! But, there they are anyway!

Just an update...

I took McCall to the doctor yesterday because she had gotten a little congested and had a weird redness on her right cheek. I didnt really think it was anything big, but wanted to get her checked out because we were heading into a holiday weekend and the doc wouldnt be there Monday.

So, everything is fine. The congestion is very slight and she's not on any medication for it--just some saline nose drops if we want to, but I havent done it. The redness on her cheek is just some sort of skin irritation--possibly caused by the way she sleeps (and slobbers!) on it or even possibly from teething. All-in-all, a good report!

Of course, the nurse at the pediatrician's office weighed her before the doctor saw her, and I had Hadden with me and wanted him weighed, as well.

The babies are 5 months and 5 days old and their weights are:

McCall: 14lbs 4oz

Hadden: 20lbs

Hard to believe that Hadden is already at 20 pounds! I looked in Jackson's baby book to compare weights, and at 5 months old Hadden weighs more than Jackson did at 6 months old. I think we have a football player on our hands!!! He has almost outgrown the infant car seat that we have for the babies--the weight limit on it is 22 pounds, so we'll have to start looking for a convertible car seat soon! He is definitely very heavy to carry around in the infant seat already. And McCall isnt much lighter!

I started the babies on baby food and they love it! So far they've had sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash. They've also had some applesauce and some rice cereal with apples and cinnamon. I'm going to start the green veggies next, then on to more fruit!

They have also started sleeping much better (I hope I'm not jinxing myself!). They still wake up and fuss a couple of times a night, but I feed them and put them to bed around 9:45 pm and they dont eat again until around 5 or 5:30am. And this morning they slept until 6:30am! We'll see if it becomes a trend and if I need to readjust the schedule I have them on right now.

We'll be taking our first out-of-town trip next month. We're going to Columbia, SC to my friend, Freddy's wedding. I'm hoping that everything goes well and that the babies adjust well to not being at home!

Jackson is just the sweetest big brother I have ever seen! Surprisingly, he gravitates to McCall more than he does Hadden! I call Jackson and McCall the "dynamic duo" and I know we're going to have to watch out for those two in the years to come! Of course, he just loves Hadden to death, but he always wants McCall to sit next to him in the car, and he goes to her crib first in the morning, and he plays with her first. He loves his little sister (and his little brother, too!).

I've been trying and trying to potty-train Jackson, but to no avail. He just literally refuses to go to the potty! I know that pushing him to do it will just make it harder, so I'm just going to keep trying to encourage him to do it! I need to get some more bribery tools!

4 month well check-up stats...

The babies had their 4 month check-up today and the great mystery of how much weight that had gained was solved!

Of course, I knew they had gained weight and grown a ton over the past 2 months, but Hadden was the biggest mystery to me. McCall is just a petite little princess--always has been and always will be. But Hadden has bulked up to unbelievable proportions since his meager 5 lbs 5 oz at birth.

Because they were premature, their pediatrician follows them on 2 different growth charts--one growth chart for their age by when they were born (so, for a 4 month old) and one growth chart by their due date (which was January 17th, so for a 3 month old). Up to now, they were barely on the growth chart for their actual age--they were so small that they were only on the charts for babies a month younger than they are. But today that all changed! They caught up with babies their same age and are now on the "regular baby" chart!

So, here it goes...the stats:

McCall (birthweight of 3lbs 13oz): 12 lbs 8 oz (25th percentile)
24 1/4 inches

Hadden (birthweight of 5lbs 5oz): 17lbs 2 oz (90th percentile!!!!)
25 inches

You can do the math--since their birth 4 months ago, McCall has gained almost 9 pounds and Hadden has gained almost 12 pounds! Both of them have grown just about 7 inches in length! Hadden is actually bigger than Jackson was at this same age--amazing!

We have a busy month ahead...we have something to do every weekend in May, wrapping up the month with the babies' baptism on May 30th! We're looking forward to it all!

Birth Announcement and birthday party!!!

Yes, the twins are 4-months old now, but I have just finally gotten around to having their birth announcements printed up and put in the mail! Hey--I've been busy! :)

My wonderful friend, Jennifer Grayson (http://www.jennifergraysonphotography.com/) is a professional photographer and came to our house when the twins were about 6 weeks old and took some amazing pictures. And then she lovingly put together a beautiful birth announcement for me to print up and mail out. Thank you so much, Jennifer--you are awesome!!!

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Grayson Photography

So, onto the big birthday celebration:

Jackson turned 3 on April 3rd and we had a Pirates of the Caribbean birthday party for him this year. He loves Pirates (among other things), so we decorated the house and had some fun things set up in the backyard for the kids. But, of course, it rained that day so we were forced to move everything into the house! Jackson got some wonderful toys and had a great time playing with all of his friends. In true "Nancy fashion," all of the pictures I took are still on my camera and havent made their way onto the computer yet, but maybe I'll eventually get around to posting some!

Jackson also had his 3 year well-checkup with the pediatrician. He didnt need any shots, but did have his finger pricked--you would have thought that they tried to amputate his finger with the way he acted! He had a bright orange bandaid on his finger and all day long he refused to use his hand because he had it on and was "injured!" So funny!

His 3-year stats are:

Height: 37 inches
Weight: 32 1/2 pounds

He's right around the 50th percentile in both areas, so he's plugging along nicely! I'm just hoping that he can get closer to 40 inches tall before we go to Disney World in September so that he can ride some new rides that have a height requirement (we just might have to buy some platform shoes!) :)

The babies are going in for their 4-month well-checkup this week, so I'll update again on their stats. Hadden is huge and McCall is still a petite little girl, so I cant wait to see how much they weigh now!

Because I've been bad with posting pictures, here are a TON from way back...

Brian, Jackson, and McCall


Christmas Day before we went to the hospital



Family picture on Christmas Day in the hospital

The babies' names on the baby board from the hospital on Christmas Day. They posted their first names--we've cursed the babies by calling them by their middle names!

The day after Christmas--finally going home!

The car ride home--December 26, 2008

Hadden

McCall

Sweet, tiny babies

All 3 of my angels (McCall was not so happy about having her picture taken). I cant remember the date that this was taken...sometime in mid-January 2009.

McCall with soapy hair in the tub. March 3, 2009

McCall sleeping in her crib--do you think she's comfy!? March 4, 2009

Soapy Hadden--March 3, 2009

2-month checkups

I'm a couple of weeks late with posting the info from the twins' 2-month checkups. They're 11 weeks old now and are growing like weeds!

At their 2 month check-up (which was 2 weeks ago), McCall weighed in at 8lbs 4oz and was 20 inches long. Hadden was a whopping 10lbs 12oz and was 21 inches long.

I'm still in total amazement of how much and how quickly they've grown in just 11 weeks. They are both so strong--you can just tell they're itching to just jump up and run around! They are very aware of everything going on around them and Hadden is very vocal. McCall is vocal, as well, but she definitely lets her big brother do most of the "talking" for them! She is a wiggle-worm, though--always squirming and wiggling her way out of her blankets and around the floor.

The other day I put her on the floor on her back to change her diaper. I turned away for just a second to grab the diaper and she had flipped all the way onto her stomach! She hasnt done it since then, and I'm thinking it might have just been a one-time deal for now, but that's just how much of a mover she is!

Even at this early age, we can already see personalities developing in the babies. Hadden is much more laid back--he'll just sit in his bouncy-chair or the swing or on the couch and look around, while McCall is a little more high-maintenence, wanting to be held all of the time and entertained.

When the babies first came home they both got horrible diaper rash and we realized that they were allergic to diaper wipes. So, since then, I've just been using paper towels and water to change them. About a week ago I gave wipes a try again, thinking they might have out-grown their allergy. Unfortunately, Hadden immediately developed a diaper rash that we're still battling, so I guess it's back to paper towels and water for us! The folks at the Bounty factory must be loving me right now!

Just some more pictures from when the babies were born...

This is me just before heading to the doctor's office on December 18, 2008. Little did I know that I'd be having my babies in just a few short hours!


Brian and his daughter--she's already got him wrapped around her finger!



What a great and proud big brother! December 19, 2008


This is Hadden in the special care nursery with his feeding tube--December 19, 2008

McCall in the special care nursery with her feeding tube--December 19, 2008

Babies' birthday

I know I have been very slack with updating my blog, but as you can imagine, things are hectic around the Dart household now that the twins are here!


I never got around to posting my "birth story"--what actually happened the day my babies were born, so here it goes:


I had been on anti-contraction medication for months and was taking it regularly every 4 hours. The night of December 17th I overslept and missed my 5am dose of medication. When I woke up I could tell I was having some slight contractions, but I took my medicine at 7 am on December 18th and started my day.


As the morning went on, though, I could tell that the medicine wasnt working to stop the contractions and I was getting more and more uncomfortable. I was scheduled for a regular checkup with my doctor the next day, but I called anyway to see if I should come in and get checked out. My doctor decided to just bring me in that day, just to see what was going on.


So, off I went to the doctor at about 11 am December 18th. I went in for my growth scan
ultrasound (I had been having these every 2 weeks to make sure that the babies were growing nicely) and we found that in 2 1/2 weeks McCall had not gained any weight at all. In fact, one measurement the ultrasound tech did showed that she had actually lost a few ounces. So, before even seeing my doctor I knew things werent right.


I finally got into see my doctor and the first words out of her mouth were "What have you had to eat today?" Because I knew I was going to have a csection I pretty much figured out where she was going with her line of questioning. She said that because McCall's growth was obviously being restricted that we needed to go ahead and have the babies that day. She did check me for dilation and I was 3 cm dilated and in early labor anyway, so birth day had come at 35 weeks and 5 days of pregnancy!

They took me right over to the hospital (my doctor's office is at the hospital where I delivered) and got me in the triage area to start my IV and monitor my contractions. The nurse there told me that I was 4th in line for a c-section, but that they put my on a monitor to assess whether my contractions were regular enough and my labor was strong enough to push me to the front of the line. Apparently my labor was progressing enough (I was contracting about every 3-5 minutes at this point) that I was moved up to be next in line.


My parents and brother had come to the hospital with Jackson and were waiting in the waiting room for updates. Typically at Candler, when you have a c-section, they will wheel the baby down the hall to the nursery and stop by the waiting room to show the family, so they were waiting for the big moment!


I got into the operating room and got set up and the surgery actually started before Brian even came in the room! They brought Brian in and my doctor started my surgery at 3:42 pm. Eight minutes later, at 3:50 pm, Brian Hadden was born. Olivia McCall was born 1 minute later at 3:51 pm.


As each baby was born my doctor held them up so I could see them (I really just saw them for a couple of seconds each) and they were given to the nursing staff from the Special Care nursery. I do remember asking how much they each weighed--Hadden was 5 pounds 5 ounces and McCall was 3 pounds 13 ounces. I dont remember much of the rest of the surgery because I was given some medication for the pain that sort of knocked me out a little bit, but Brian left with the babies and headed to the special care nursery. Unfortunately, the nurses werent able to stop at the waiting room to show the family the babies because they had to get upstairs to be evaluated more closely.


After the recovery room I was taken to my hospital room and finally got to see my parents and Jackson. They had all been to the special care nursery to see the babies--something I wouldnt get to do for another 12 hours! But, Brian took pictures and video of the babies so that I could see them.


I was having some blood pressure issues, so my nurse wouldnt let me go to the nursery to see the babies until it was stable enough that I would be OK to go over there. Finally, at 4 am the next morning, I got to see my babies for the first time! It was so amazing and overwhelming--of course I cried!


I stayed in the hospital for 4 days, having to go back and forth to the Special Care Nursery to see and feed the babies. They were in the hospital for 8 days and came home on December 26th--the day after Christmas.


Brian all dressed and ready to go to the operating room with me






Brian Hadden Dart





Olivia McCall Dart



Me seeing the babies for the first time

Jackson meeting his brother and sister for the first time