Finally an update!

Ok, I'm the worst blogger ever since having these babies! So we have had a very fast paced month as both girls are now crawling! Ella started awhile back and Claire began last week. Also Ella frequently pulls to standing and we've seen Claire do it once as well. (correction, as of last night, Ella can make her way around the 6x6 playpen walking but holding on to the edges.) All three babies can sit on their own now but only Ella has figured out how to get in sitting position by herself. Slade is perfectly content playing with his toys and is in no hurry to crawl yet. However, twice last week, Claire had him in a wrestling hold and Ella sat on him, so he better catch up quick or he may end up hurt:) We are so impressed with or little ladies and their crawling being that while their actual age may have been 9 months, they were only approx. 6 months adjusted. A mom can brag right? In addition we are especially pleased at Ella's progress as she is the one that had that severe brain bleed that put her at an elevated risk for developmental delays or CP. But rather it seems she has super hero strength.

What else? Hmmm, they are eating a ton of different food now and we are trying to refine their fine motor skills but offering some table food as well like chopped banana and rice puffs. They grasp them just fine but usually end up feeding their eyes or ears. They all seem to really like the more savory dishes they are getting now like "Creamy Apple Chicken Compote." Fancy eh?

Our outings are getting more frequent and the babies seem to really enjoy them. They've now been to a concert, a soccer game, day camping and several stores and peoples houses all together (separate they've had a ton of journeys). They especially like getting home and playing, its like its a whole new living room after a day out.

Sleep. Oh sweet sleep. I still get pretty much nothing but its at the doctors orders. You see we went to their 9 month check up and since they are still not on the charts yet for weights (Ella is in the 6% but that's nothing) we have to continue feeding them every 4 hours at night. It makes sense as if you had a term baby that was in the 0% or 6% you would probably feed them alot more often as well. So that's fine, the problem is they wake up WAY more frequently than that and it drives me crazy! But we are trying a new method starting today to hopefully decline the amount of wakings. Cross your fingers for us!

Ok, well I better enjoy this naptime and do some cleaning. I'll post videos soon of the crawling, walking, etc!

9 Month Stats
Ella - 16lbs
Slade - 13lbs
Claire - 14lbs

Blog Bites

1. Babies are cuter than ever and are starting to be more fun

2. Ella is beginning to learn to crawl but prefers to do it face down
3. We made our first trip with all three babies to Sams club and then again the next day to the Wildflower center and survived.
4. All three still eat every 3-4 hours at night and not always the same hours but we are working on it. Sometimes I sleep 4 hours, sometimes 30min.
5. I would die without my moms daily help which allows me a two hour nap.
6. They all are liking baby food and prefer pears and greenbeans the most.
7. More to come when they are sleeping more:)

Our feeding set up..

Cousin Scotti taught Slade how to eat his own toes...

Ella, our little lamb...

Who said pool floats were just for the pool, not Claire!

6 Month Check-up

Well its hard to believe that the babies are now over 6 months old, especially since they look about 3. However, they are doing some things that are pretty advanced for 3 month olds and more in line with the actual age such as rolling over and having pretty decent conversations even though only they know what they are saying. Today Ella and Claire actually "talked" back and forth and laughed at each other which was pretty amusing. They still are only sleeping usually around 4 hours at a time although everybody has had a 6-8 hour stretch within the last two weeks. We are still lucky to get 3 hours per night when we are watching them and I am dreading when our night nanny goes away in two weeks.

At their checkup the doctor said they are all looking really good and she was impressed at how healthy they were and that they have done so well at home with no real sickness or health issues. Ella is now 12lbs 15oz, Slade is 11lbs 9oz's and Claire is catching up at 11lbs. Its getting easier to be alone with them and I impressed myself with doing 11hours with no help one day last week and two half days. Brian attempted a 4 hour stretch this weekend while I went shopping and suffice to say, he really hopes he stays employed for a long time and doesn't have to do it full time. Poor guy had to endure a 3x baby cry, which while rare, is quite impressive when it happens. I also attempted taking all three to the drive threw to get tacos Saturday morning and realized that a car ride an hour before a feed is a bad idea. Ella screamed 3/4 of the way, with a chirp hear and there from Claire and Slade. I tried meditation but it was hard to imagine that the high pitched screams were actually birds flying over the ocean. Maybe we'll try it again in a few weeks.

Last but not least, we found a great stroller on Craig's list and on the nice days have been enjoying a walk the park with the babes. My aunts and uncle are in town from Canada and took them on their first trip in the new stroller without incident. They enjoy the swings but prefer if it was a little less bright outside.

Well, better go enjoy some TV with Brian as this hour at night is precious since its the only one we get alone not doing dishes or making formula....

Our backseat on a good day after a feed...

Our new stroller and three excited babies...

Our wonderful NICU nurse, Tanya, has come to help out a few days!

Professional Photo

I've been meaning to post this picture for awhile but forgot my blogger password:) I will post more updates next week after their 6 month checkup but for now all is well in the Milligan household...

2010 - A great new year!

We are thrilled to begin this new year. We are sure it will be a year full of fun, laughter, new experiences and....lots of poop. The babies are all terrific and everyday get a tiny bit easier to handle. Now by no means can we do this alone yet, but we are working our way there and we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our friend Darcy has begun working nights to help us make it through the days and we continue to have friends and family helping out as well. Three days this week, they have all slept the same 3 hours so that is a start!

Ella surprised us a week ago and decided to roll over from her stomach to her back which was neat and surprising. She did it for two days and has now decided that she didn't like being treated like our little performance monkey and has since stopped. In fact, now she gets a little mad if we even try it:) She is the happiest baby on the block for sure though and is full of smiles and laughs. At night she sometimes smiles at the empty air which can be a little unnerving as you can't help to turn a little to see what/who she is looking at at 3:30am that is so funny.

Slade is our serious little man who only hands out smiles to a select few and only if you are extremly funny. He is patient and kind and only gets even slightly angry if he has to wait too long to eat. He has found the TV and thinks it is the coolest thing on earth and will crain his neck to make sure he is watching it at all times even if he is eating... He is loving getting help sitting up when you grab his hands and let him pull. We think we may have seen a dimple on this one but the verdict is still out.

Claire, oh Claire. The red hair may be the fire behind her passion for when is is hot she is hot. You have never seen a baby with more expression including frequently furrowing her brow when there is something she doesn't like and wrinkling her forehead when she is angry. When she is sad she puffs out her bottom lip and can make tears within 30 sec. She also has the biggest smile and rolls on the floor from side to side when she is happy. We figure any day now she will roll over as well. In addition, she may be one of the first 9lb babies that can completely hold her head up. It looks a little strange and has been compared to the dancing baby on the computer.

We can't believe it has almost been 6 months since our tiny 1.5 babies were born. We didn't even know if they were going to live and not a day goes by that I forget how far we have come. On Feb. 11th we have their 6 month check up and I'll post the most recent weights.

My sister her last day as night nanny last week...

Merry Christmas!!!

Ella playing in the snow and trees....

Santa Slade

Claire playing in her too big Christmas gear...

Group Photo

So cute!

We are having fun getting to know our trio! They are beginning to smile and laugh which is really rewarding when you are exhausted. They are also beginning to hold their heads up well but still have a ways to go. Here are some recent photos as we are trying to decided if bow bands are cute or dumb???

Ella watching Baby Einstein...
Ella climbed in here herself I swear...

Slade thought the Longhorn game was super exciting...

Not so easy to get a group photo after all...this was the best shot...glad a pro is coming soon!

Slade waking up from a nap...

Ella laughs...

Claire starting on a laugh...

The whole gang watching a little tv (I know its a little early in life but I have to make food sometime!)

Snuggle sisters...