Family Visit and Survival Week

Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan came to visit along with Aunt Kathy Stiles, Moira and Larry and my brother Kevin. My sister and father and mother were already here so we had lots of company which was nice. The girls enjoyed all the extra holding and cuddling. Also, the O'Loughlin crew came for a visit on Sunday (Sean, Becky, Will and Finn). It was a nice day so we all went for a walk to the park and then my parents offered to watch the girls while we had lunch. It was so nice to be outside and to sit down for a lunch outside.

The weather has been so nice down here the last month that we've been able to get out of the house for walks quite a bit. The pediatrician's office is just 3 blocks away so we just walk over with the stroller and then go for a walk afterwards since we already have them out. On Sunday evening we also brought the girls down to my sister's house which is just 7 blocks away and had a BBQ on her new deck. I am so glad I had spring babies so that we can get outside when it is nice out and Hoboken is perfect for walks. It is like strollerland around here with all the new parents that live here.

Dennis had to go to Chile for work Sunday evening until this morning (Fri). It was the one trip he has to take all year which they postponed from April on his behalf so he had to go. It was very sad seeing him say goodbye to the girls (including me). He said it was one of the saddest days of his life. It was tough timing to have him gone but both of my parents stayed with me and we survived. They were a huge help! The week actually went by fast and we managed to do two nights of baths (they handled one night all by themselves while I did some other things around the house). We had two good nights and two bad nights in terms of the girls sleeping well vs. being fussy. Dennis thinks they were just missing "Daddy" which could be the case because they have been sleeping all day since he got home. It was a tough week also because we had completely gone through our freezer supply of pumped breast milk last weekend so I was breastfeeding all three all week and that of course takes longer and then also pumping during the day to try and get a supply going again in order to do some bottles. There was one night where I changed and fed all three girls by myself for the 2am feeding for the first time. It just worked out where they weren't all fussing to be fed at the same time so I just did one at a time and was done within an hour and a half. I was proud to know that I could do it if I have to but it is much better to have the help so that I can be feeding while someone else is changing, etc. The twin feeding pillow arrived and it works well so I am able to do 2 at once if needed. I really prefer feeding them one at a time though if time allows (meaning they aren't all screaming at once to be fed).

After talking to a few people today, I am just a bit concerned that solely breastfeeding them might not be enough. The woman who came a few weeks ago offered to come over tonight to weigh them and it seems they haven't gained as much as they should be. So, she suggested I introduce formula if the breast milk bottles are not available so that one baby will not be breastfed at each feeding. So, that is what we will do just to be safe. I wanted to make it through the first month to 6 weeks with just breast milk and it will be a month tomorrow so I guess that would be okay. I may still be able to get to 6 weeks by pumping, but if not we'll start to use formula this week.

The girls were much more alert this week and really starting to focus in on things. It is amazing how quickly they change! I can't believe tomorrow will be 1 month. We might have to pop open that bottle of champagne that has been in our fridge forever and celebrate. Well, we are happy to have Dennis home safe and sound and hoping for a peaceful night with the girls. Here are some pictures from the past week: