Long Time, No Blog!

I know, I know. Its been too long since I last blogged. I need to work on that.

Charlie and Louis are now 17 days old! At their 1 week appointment, which was really their 5 day old appointment, Charlie was 5 lbs 12 oz and Louis was 5 lbs 14 oz. On Thursday, June 12 they had their 2 week check-ups. Charlie was 6 lbs 15 oz, and Louis was 7 lbs 1 oz! By two weeks of age, the goal is have them back to their birth weights or more. They both gained nearly a pound over their birth weights! They are doing exceptionally well. Their lengths are both 19.5". For their age, their numbers put them in the 10th - 15th percentile for height and weight. I'm still getting used to these low numbers, because George was always in the 95th - 99th percentile. But, we just need to remember that they were competing for space and were born at 35.5 weeks.

Given that they have gained almost a pound each, it should come to no surprise that all they have been doing is eating, pooping, peeing, and sleeping. For their first two weeks, they have not been awake much at all. That is beginning to change though, which is exciting. On Friday they both were awake at the same time, so I put them next to each other and let them check each other out. They seemed to enjoy this bonding time by trying to suck on each other's hands. They haven't learned yet that its easier to suck on their own hand than to steal your brother's. We really enjoyed watching this bonding time. We know they have a special bond and always will, but to see it was very special. I will try to remember how special it is when their bonding time turns into punching each other in the face some day.

Charlie and Louis's physical features have not changed much yet. Louis still has chubbier cheeks and his head is larger in the latitudinal direction when looking at it from the side. Charlie has more of a round head looking at it from the side, and his cheeks are getting chubbier but not nearly as chubby as Louis's. Matt says Charlie has a crinkle on his left ear. Other than those differences, we tell them apart by looking at the toe nail polish on Louis's big toe of his left foot. Louis is still more calm than Charlie, through diaper changes especially.

The verdict is still out on if they are identical or fraternal. My doctor called the other day to tell me the results of the placenta examination. According to the report, Charlie and Louis shared one placenta but each had their own amniotic sac. This configuration is rare, and is indicative of identical twins. The catch, however, is that in every single ultrasound (I had more than 7), there were two placentas easily identifiable, and two amniotic sacs. What happened to the other placenta? My doctor said she will pull my file and take a look at everything again. There are only three possibilities. One, its still inside my uterus. Not likely. Two, the placentas fused together but when it was examined they could not determine this. And three, what they thought was two placentas in my ultrasounds was really one placenta and something else. I am curious what will be determined. In the meantime, it is kind of fun not knowing if they are in fact identical or fraternal. Its sort of like a little experiment, and time will tell if we don't find out definitively first.

George seems to enjoy Charlie and Louis so far. He likes to comb their hair, and "help" with diaper changes. When they cry, he will sometimes hold their hand and say "It's ok Charlie" or "Its ok Louis". We have a triple stroller for everybody and he especially likes that. We've had visitors so far everyday almost to occupy his attention. This next week however we will be on our own, so it will be a good opportunity for us to get into a routine and really see how George reacts to his new world with two new brothers.

Matt does have the wheat beer on tap now, so if you're in the area stop by and try it out. Its tasty, and it will knock your socks off!

I'm sure everyone has heard about the flooding in the southern half of Wisconsin. While Fond du Lac was affected by the flooding, our house was not affected. There were many areas in the city however that were flooded out. Here are a few pictures of our nearest intersection flooded. The intersection is 4 houses down from us. As you can see, George loved the "big puddle". We hope for dry weather for those that were affected by the flooding.

Charlie and Louis's next check-up is June 26. I hope to blog before that however. Enjoy the pictures and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.