4 Months Old

Wow...the babies are FOUR months old, as of Christmas Day. They've been home with us for almost 2 months. Soon the NICU is going to feel like a distant memory. To be honest, it has already started happening.

Just the other day I did a drawer switch out and removed the newborn clothes and put in the 0-3 month clothes. These bigger clothes fit them great! They've also recently moved from newborn diapers to a size 1. They just keep growing!

Here is an update about each baby.

Stokes
Stokes is such a sweet baby. He was labeled as the troublemaker and fiestiest baby while in the NICU but seems to have really settled down. It is fairly rare for him to fuss or cry but when he does he is very easily soothed. His cry sounds kind of funny actually. He lets out these high pitched little squeals that sound like a pterodactyl. He also has a raspy sounding cry and sometimes even sounds like a cat. But like I said, he is easily soothed so he normally doesn't cry very long. I can just go and pick him up and shortly after he will just quiet right down. Nothing feels better to a mom than when you can soothe your upset baby. It's a little victory each and every time. It feels to me like he was just waiting for me to pick him up and snuggle him. Speaking of snuggling, this little guy is so squeezeable! He has gotten some rolls on his arms and legs. Sweet baby rolls are the best! He also has the most amazing cheeks. I can't help but to kiss them each time I pick him up. Actually...who am I kidding...I have to kiss those cheeks whenever I am even near him! One of my very favorite things about Stokes are his facial expressions. He uses his eyes and eyebrows a lot and makes the funniest faces. He keeps his dad and me laughing! Stokes came home from the NICU on a monitor that checks his heart rate and breathing. I will write a separate post about his monitor but for now the update is that he's not quite ready to ditch it yet. I took Stokes to the doctor on Christmas Eve after a call to the nurse to ask about a diaper rash that won't go away and a mention that I had heard him wheezing. When I heard the wheezing, I casually told Thomas that he may end up with asthma (common for preemies), but the more I thought about it, I got worried that my sweet Stokie may have RSV, which is a 4 letter word in our household. As soon as the nurse heard the word "wheezing", she recommended that Stokes and I get an appointment set. I have been paranoid about RSV and have read and heard about many preemies that have gotten it this season and had to go back to the hospital. It can be very serious. I actually have a friend with two kids (not preemies) who are both getting over RSV right now. The thought of my boys getting it really scares me. So we went in for an appointment to be on the safe side and he checked out just fine! No RSV, his breathing was good with no wheezing and we have got a new course of action for that stubborn diaper rash. Actually his doctor said he looked big and sounded great! He weighed 9 lbs, 9 oz. I am so proud!
Nicknames: Stokie, pterodactyl (or Terry for short), and the Emperor (there is a story behind that one and credit goes to Aunt Suzy)

Ryan

Ryan has the most laid back personality of the three. He is just so sweet and will calmly lay in his boppy and patiently look around when his brothers are upset or when he's waiting to eat because I am feeding someone else. When he does cry it is a funny howl-like sound. His eyes look so blue to me still and I think there is a decent chance that they will stay blue. Ryan loves to stare up at whomever is holding him. He will look up with these little blue eyes and looks like he wants to start a deep conversation. He looks very intelligent. He uses that time while being held to get an arm and neck workout. He will push his head away from you so he can look at you and make eye contact. I am glad he is "working out" because he does not care for tummy time. He has started to roll over from tummy to back so if he's not napping during tummy time, he just rolls right over! Ryan goes to sleep at night really easily and requires less rocking and patting than his brothers. He does take a pacifier every now and then and does such a good job keeping it in his mouth. He totally fits the "middle child", low maintenance stereotype. I still worry so much about his brain development since the neurologist noted some continued immaturity. I wish I knew what that really meant and what the outcome will be. I need to practice patience and just continue to pray. He just seems so smart to me that I can't figure how his brain is immature.

Nickname: Wyan (pronounced why-an) - our niece Anna doesn't pronounce R sounds yet and we love to hear her say Wyan so we started saying it and it kinda stuck! We also call him Ry Ry sometimes.

William

William is definitely our baby. He craves a lot of attention and wants to be held a lot. When he's not being held he's typically either sleeping or crying. That's a slight exaggeration (emphasis on the slight)! His cry can get pretty loud and we feel confident that he has a healthy set of lungs. William's cry is heart wrenching and he will even go so far as to throw in the lip quiver. No one can resist that! This smart cookie knows what he's doing and definitely gets held the most. He absolutely loves to snuggle and will burrow into your neck while you're holding him. One of William's best features is his eyes. They are absolutely beautiful. I think there is a hint of brown creeping in and they are so sincere and actually sparkle! The sparkle may just be leftover tears from his last cry. I kid! :) He has these long eyelashes that compliment his eyes just perfectly. And he has the cutest button nose. William is the biggest pacifier fan by far. He absolutely LOVES it! At times that he seems so upset and inconsolable, you can put that paci in his mouth and he's instantly silent. I need him to work on keeping the paci in his mouth though. He will suck on it so vigorously that it pops out. This translates to me putting it back in his mouth numerous times per day. William is our best eater and consistently finishes his bottle without us having to work with him much to do it. He's actually getting 10 ml more per bottle than his brothers and is probably not the smallest baby anymore. We will find out at their next pediatrician appointment in a few weeks. While on tummy time William can scoot himself partially off the blanket somehow and I have a feeling he might be the first baby to crawl. I love that he embraces the role of being the baby of the family and also when he hears me across the room and turns his eyes over to try to find me.

Nickname: Winky (not sure why because he doesn't actually wink!) and sweet pea