15 Weeks Old

The boys are now 15 weeks or 3 and a half months. I guess they are old enough to just report their ages in months and not weeks. It has been a few weeks since we posted but things have been going really well here for Team Darnell. Let's see what we have achieved.... a solid day time routine, Mommy's return to work, attended Daddy's company picnic and we are all sleeping through the night!!!

We have had a solid bedtime routine that we have been following since the boys were about 5 weeks old. However, we have continually been searching for a schedule/routine for the days that worked for everyone. We finally have it!! We use the eat, activity, sleep routine and it is working like a charm! The boys start waking up at 7:30am and then follow this routine all day while eating every three hours. So yes, they are taking three naps of about 1.5-2 hours at a time.

After their 4:30 bottle, they stay up until their bedtime bottle at 7:30pm. These last three hours can get a little rocky because their little bodies get tired. However, once they are in their jammies and eat their last bottle, they slip into a very peaceful nighttime slumber that lasts a full 12 hours!!! Yes, that is right.... they are sleeping a full 12 hours and sometimes we even have to wake them the next morning to start the day on time. I should also point out that the three boys are really starting to differentiate themselves with their three very distinct personalities. As I have explained before, Wesley is our little daredevil. In addition, he is our baby that does need much sleep (so he thinks). He is usually the first to wake up in the morning and he also takes the shortest naps and is somewhat ok with shorter naps. When he wakes from his nap, I will bring him out to the family room and he will hang out in the swing for "quiet time" until it is time to eat again. While in the swing, he will usually fall asleep for a couple more minutes. He is in his swing right now while the others are sleeping. It's almost like he thinks he is too "old" for all of these naps but can't resist the all powerful swing. He seems to act like napping is for the babies...not Wesley! Oh my, I am going to have my hands full with this one!

During the activity time, the boys love to spend their time in the activity gym and now they are strong enough to use the jumperoo and excersaucer. The boys are starting to hold up their weight on their legs. Andrew absolutely loves to stand. He can get a little fussy at times and if you hold him and let him stand, he is quickly distracted from whatever was upsetting him and he turns into a standing machine! He gets a very serious look on his face with intense concentration on the task at hand. Andrew has such a serious personality. We are confident that he will solve the world's problems one day!

Two weeks ago, I returned to work full time. While I love these boys and every minute that I spend with them, I was happy to flex my professional muscles again. Mike is now working Friday-Monday and is home (yes, alone) with the boys Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday while I am in the office. I am working from home on Mondays until 4pm and all day Friday. We have a management meeting on Monday evenings that I attend in person so the boys are with Ms. Illona, their babysitter, from 4p-7pm on Monday evenings. Everyone is doing very well with this routine and I am so proud of Mike for doing such a great job with three 3 month olds. Not too many men would step up to stay one with one child needless three... AND do such a great job with them. I also need to point out that the we had agreed the parent with the boys the next day would be on nighttime duty to get up with the boys. The first night that Daddy was on duty with the boys was the first night they slept through the night and they have done it every night since. If I had not prepared their bottles the night before, I would have sworn he gave them a little "night night juice" to get them to sleep all the way but I guess they knew their Daddy was on duty and decided to give him a treat! The bond between a Daddy and his boys is truly special!

Yesterday, we had a rare outing. Mike's company picnic was at Silver Lake State Park and we loaded up the boys for the big trip. We were there for a little over two hours and the boys were absolutely wonderful!!! They were awake when we arrived and were alert for about 30 minutes. Then it started to run into their nap time. So, we put down their activity gym on a picnic table and Wesley and Jared took their nap right in the middle of all the fun. I held Andrew and he nodded off in my arms until Jared got up to eat and then he took his spot. Just don't stand in the way of these boys taking their naps and they are a true joy to be around.

Yesterday when the boys hit 15 weeks, we did our weight check at home and here is where we are at.... Andrew is 12lbs, Wesley is 12.5lbs and Jared...... drum roll please.....is 15lbs! Yes, that is right, Jared has now more than tripled his weight since birth. He is in a larger size diapers than his brothers at this point and will probably end up in a larger size of clothes one day. In the video below, you see that Andrews outfit is almost hanging off his shoulder. This is because I have moved them all into 3-6 month clothes so they can fit Baby J. We love our Jared and he is our jolly baby!! He smiles so often and when he smiles, he smiles with his entire body and is so close to an actual giggle. When you hold him, he completely melts into you. I thought I would include a picture that Mike's mom sent us of Mike as a baby.....

So, we might as well call Jared, Baby Mike from now on!!

The boys have also been "cooing" much more lately, blowing bubbles, starting to reach for things and starting to have more awareness each and every day. Andrew has also started to "talk." I was able to catch him telling a story on video. Yes, this is again one of those videos only a mother will enjoy but I have included it anyway since I am keeping our memories on this blog!! I love to see the serious thought he appears to have as he is making these sounds. It's like he is really trying to form his mouth into words. Then there is that tongue, how does that thing work! I can't wait to hear what is on these little minds. I hope you enjoy this even a portion of as much as I do....

We tried to get pictures taken of the boys at a portrait studio but things did not go well. The air was out at the studio and the timing was bad... ran into nap time. So, we did not get any pictures. We have another attempt with a more reputable photographer that is closer to the house. They are also going to have several helpers there that can feed and hold the boys while they are waiting their turn. They have also scheduled us for two hours so if we need to take a break to let the boys nap, that will be fine. The appointment is August 1st so I am hoping for some professional photos of our boys very soon.

I think this brings everyone up to speed! I hope everyone is having a great summer, I know we are!

Take care,

Kellie