Finally starting to get there

I think the hardest part (physically, at least, because as soon as I write that I can think of a bunch of other things that contend for the "hardest" position) about preemies is how long they are little and everything that goes along with that - how often they need to eat, how long each feeding takes, how irregular their sleep patterns are, how little they interact with you, how fragile/unsupported they are, etc

It's been a very long 14 weeks but it feels like we're finally starting to get out of the "preemie" stage and into the "baby" stage.

(Kellen in gray, Toben in blue)

They're still not smiling or cooing, but they're eyes have cleared up and they're starting to meet your gaze. They still don't seem to notice each other at all.

Unfortunately with more awareness also comes more opinions. Both boys HATE their car seats these days and will scream most of the time they are in them whether the car is moving or not.

(my first attempts at pictures today were not appreciated)

They're starting to get a little more core strength so holding them is less precarious. They both flip from their bellies to backs at will (but not the other way).

They can finish a bottle in 10-15 mins and with one good burp at the end are spitting up much less. They are staying awake and alert for longer stretches and sometimes find their fingers to soothe themselves.

(thanks to their shock at the flash they look even more wide-eyed than usual)

And best of all we've had a couple nights now where we've stretched from 10:30/11pm to 7am! Unfortunately that doesn't mean solid sleep in between. Typically at least one (if not both) of them will wake up at least once and cry, fuss, or scream for awhile but usually they calm down quickly and sometimes without any help from us. (Now I've jinxed myself for tonight!)

Strangely now that my body has had a couple nights with more sleep I feel even more tired than I was before but I know it's just the process of catching up from the sleep deprivation.

We're getting there. I even went on my first run this morning since I got pregnant with the twins (almost 1 year without running) It was wonderful and horrible all at the same time. Looking forward to getting through the start-up pain. And they've been in the church nursery the last 2 weeks so we were able to pay attention without fear of baby noises or feedings to worry about.