Two Year Checkup

The twins had their two year checkup and everything is going well.

The kids were really good this appointment. They were friendly and happy (right up until the vaccines came). While we were talking to the doctor, Caden opened the door and took off running with Caroline right behind. Both kids were only wearing diapers for their jailbreak. Before I could catch them, they both made their way to the waiting room with the toys.

When the doctor was leaving, Caden gave her a big hug and a kiss. The doctor turned her head so Caden kissed her cheek and not the mouth she was going for. We thought it was very sweet.

Both kids went up in percentiles across the board. Before the appointment, we were a little worried that Caden hadn't been gaining enough weight since he feels so much lighter than Caroline. Turns out, he is light but still within his growth curve.

Here are the twins measurements from this appointment.

Caroline

two year:
weight: 27 lbs 4 ounces and 60th percentile
height: 36 inches and greater than 95th percentile
head circumference: 50 cm and 95th percentile

eighteen month:
weight: 23 lbs 12 ounces and 48th percentile
height: 33 1/4 inches and 94th percentile
head circumference: 47.9 cm and 80th percentile

fifteen month:
weight: 20 lbs 3 ounces and 20th percentile
height: 31 3/4 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 46.5 cm and 70th percentile

twelve month:
weight: 20 lbs 1 ounces and 30th percentile
height: 30 inches and 76th percentile
head circumference: 46.4 cm and 75th percentile

nine month:
weight: 18 lbs 7 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 28 inches and 70th percentile
head circumference: 45 cm and 65th percentile

six month:
weight: 15 lbs 15 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 27 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 43 cm and 52nd percentile

four month:
weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces and 45th percentile
height: 25 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 41.3 cm and 50th percentile

two month:
weight: 11 lbs 12 ounces and 75th percentile
height: 23 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 39.4 cm and 53rd percentile

one month:
weight: 9 lbs 1 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 20.5 inches and 30th percentile
head circumference: 36.5 cm and 25th percentile

two week:
weight: 7 lbs 10 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 20 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 35.4 cm and 25th percentile

birth:
weight: 7 lbs
height: 19.375 inches
head circumference: 34 cm and 25th percentile


Caden

two year:
weight: 23 lbs 13 ounces and 5 to 10th percentile
height: 34.5 inches and 60th percentile
head circumference: 49.5 cm and 75th percentile

eighteen month:
weight: 21 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 32 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 47.5 cm and 40th percentile

fifteen month:
weight: 19 lbs 1 ounces and less than 5th percentile
height: 31 inches and 55th percentile
head circumference: 46.5 cm and 28th percentile

twelve month:
weight: 18 lbs 5 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 29 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 46 cm and 30th percentile

nine month:
weight: 17 lbs 8 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 27 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 44.5 cm and 25th percentile

six month:
weight: 14 lbs 15 ounces and 8th percentile
height: 25 1/4 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 43cm and 25th percentile

four month:
weight: 12 lbs 11 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 24 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 41cm and 20th percentile

two month:
weight: 10 lbs 4 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 22 1/4 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 38.2 cm and 12th percentile

one month:
weight: 7 lbs 13 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 20 inches and 5th percentile
head circumference: 35.8 cm and 6th percentile

two week:
weight: 6 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 19 inches and 6th percentile
head circumference: 33.9 cm and 5th percentile

birth:
weight: 5 lbs 10 ounces
height: 18.125 inches
head circumference: 32.3cm and 5th percentile

Eighteen Month Checkup

The twins had their eighteen month checkup and everything is going well. Nothing much to report. Caden and Caroline are healthy and doing well.

Here are the twins measurements from this appointment.

Caroline

eighteen month:
weight: 23 lbs 12 ounces and 48th percentile
height: 33 1/4 inches and 94th percentile
head circumference: 47.9 cm and 80th percentile

fifteen month:
weight: 20 lbs 3 ounces and 20th percentile
height: 31 3/4 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 46.5 cm and 70th percentile

twelve month:
weight: 20 lbs 1 ounces and 30th percentile
height: 30 inches and 76th percentile
head circumference: 46.4 cm and 75th percentile

nine month:
weight: 18 lbs 7 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 28 inches and 70th percentile
head circumference: 45 cm and 65th percentile

six month:
weight: 15 lbs 15 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 27 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 43 cm and 52nd percentile

four month:
weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces and 45th percentile
height: 25 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 41.3 cm and 50th percentile

two month:
weight: 11 lbs 12 ounces and 75th percentile
height: 23 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 39.4 cm and 53rd percentile

one month:
weight: 9 lbs 1 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 20.5 inches and 30th percentile
head circumference: 36.5 cm and 25th percentile

two week:
weight: 7 lbs 10 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 20 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 35.4 cm and 25th percentile

birth:
weight: 7 lbs
height: 19.375 inches
head circumference: 34 cm and 25th percentile


Caden

eighteen month:
weight: 21 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 32 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 47.5 cm and 40th percentile

fifteen month:
weight: 19 lbs 1 ounces and less than 5th percentile
height: 31 inches and 55th percentile
head circumference: 46.5 cm and 28th percentile

twelve month:
weight: 18 lbs 5 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 29 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 46 cm and 30th percentile

nine month:
weight: 17 lbs 8 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 27 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 44.5 cm and 25th percentile

six month:
weight: 14 lbs 15 ounces and 8th percentile
height: 25 1/4 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 43cm and 25th percentile

four month:
weight: 12 lbs 11 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 24 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 41cm and 20th percentile

two month:
weight: 10 lbs 4 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 22 1/4 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 38.2 cm and 12th percentile

one month:
weight: 7 lbs 13 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 20 inches and 5th percentile
head circumference: 35.8 cm and 6th percentile

two week:
weight: 6 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 19 inches and 6th percentile
head circumference: 33.9 cm and 5th percentile

birth:
weight: 5 lbs 10 ounces
height: 18.125 inches
head circumference: 32.3cm and 5th percentile

Fifteen Month Checkup

The twins had their fifteen month checkup on Monday and everything is going well.

For this checkup, we met with the nurse practitioner, Gwen, who has eleven year old boy/girl twins. It is nice meeting with her because she knows exactly what we are going through.

When we first arrived, Gwen had a story she was eager to tell us. She recently had a dream about Caden and Caroline where she saw them in a special school in California. We thought that was sweet that she had a dream about our kids and then remembered to tell us.

We were very happy that Caden has started to walk some so we could give a favorable report to the doctor. Gwen was very happy and said it is very common for twins, especially boys, to walk even a few months later than our little guy.

Here are the twins measurements from this appointment.

Caroline

fifteen month:
weight: 20 lbs 3 ounces and 20th percentile
height: 31 3/4 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 46.5 cm and 70th percentile

twelve month:
weight: 20 lbs 1 ounces and 30th percentile
height: 30 inches and 76th percentile
head circumference: 46.4 cm and 75th percentile

nine month:
weight: 18 lbs 7 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 28 inches and 70th percentile
head circumference: 45 cm and 65th percentile

six month:
weight: 15 lbs 15 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 27 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 43 cm and 52nd percentile

four month:
weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces and 45th percentile
height: 25 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 41.3 cm and 50th percentile

two month:
weight: 11 lbs 12 ounces and 75th percentile
height: 23 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 39.4 cm and 53rd percentile

one month:
weight: 9 lbs 1 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 20.5 inches and 30th percentile
head circumference: 36.5 cm and 25th percentile

two week:
weight: 7 lbs 10 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 20 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 35.4 cm and 25th percentile

birth:
weight: 7 lbs
height: 19.375 inches
head circumference: 34 cm and 25th percentile


Caden

fifteen month:
weight: 19 lbs 1 ounces and <5th percentile
height: 31 inches and 55th percentile
head circumference: 46.5 cm and 28th percentile

twelve month:
weight: 18 lbs 5 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 29 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 46 cm and 30th percentile

nine month:
weight: 17 lbs 8 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 27 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 44.5 cm and 25th percentile

six month:
weight: 14 lbs 15 ounces and 8th percentile
height: 25 1/4 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 43cm and 25th percentile

four month:
weight: 12 lbs 11 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 24 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 41cm and 20th percentile

two month:
weight: 10 lbs 4 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 22 1/4 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 38.2 cm and 12th percentile

one month:
weight: 7 lbs 13 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 20 inches and 5th percentile
head circumference: 35.8 cm and 6th percentile

two week:
weight: 6 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 19 inches and 6th percentile
head circumference: 33.9 cm and 5th percentile

birth:
weight: 5 lbs 10 ounces
height: 18.125 inches
head circumference: 32.3cm and 5th percentile

Amy was a little bummed that Caden was not over twenty pounds since we cannot turn his car seat around until he gets there. I think it might be a few more months before he breaks the twenty pound barrier.

The "Baker" Ears and Tubes for Caroline

Jason and I have fun talking about which side of the family our kids got their traits from....is their red hair from his side or mine? Did Caroline get her outgoing personality from her Aunt Angela?? Is that Ella's laugh or Cal's smile??? Who knows! The one thing that we do know, though, is that they both inherited the Baker Ears. Small Eustachian Tubes are a Baker trait! I had tubes several times as a young girl and to this day, when I see a doctor, I still hear comments about the amount of scar tissue in my ears.

Caden had three ear infections before he was seven months old. Caroline had two before she was six month old. Then, we had months of no ear problems. That abruptly changed for Caroline. She had her three double ear infections over the last month or so. She just couldn't fully recover and it became obvious that she needed tubes.

We scheduled the appointment just as soon as we possibly could. The whole family has been sick with a stomach virus for the last week. This virus prevented Caroline from being able to take her antibiotics. We needed the surgery to clear up this ear infection since Caroline's stomach just couldn't handle the medicine. :(

Our whole goal this week was keeping Caroline hydrated enough so she wouldn't need an IV and could have her surgery. This was easier said than done but thankfully, we can check that goal off the list.

This last Thursday, we woke Caroline up at 5:45 am so we could arrive at the surgery center by 6:00. As you can see, Caroline was not ready to be woken up.
Grammie and Poppa tag teamed Caden babysitting duty. Grammie took the early shift and then headed into work for a meeting. Poppa took over until we returned home.

This is what it looked like outside when we arrived.
We waited for an hour before the surgery. That was way to long for a little girl to wait...especially when she couldn't eat or drink anything. Finally, the doctor came and carried Caroline away. Five minutes later, the doctor was out telling us the surgery was complete and everything went very well. We were relieved.

Here is Caroline after the surgery. She was scared, crying, and had the floppy head of a new born. It was very sad seeing her this way and we struggled to comfort her.
Caroline's monitor.
Here is the surgery center after we left. We totally missed the sunrise. I guess we had other stuff on our minds.
When we got home, Grammie and Poppa had a surprise waiting for Caroline. You can see, Caroline was not yet back to her normal toy loving self.
But after a well deserved nap, Caroline decided to give the new car a try.
This time, she liked it. :)
We hope Caden's ears hold up so he wont need to get tubes like big sis Caroline.

One Year Checkup

The twins had their one year month checkup on Monday and everything is going well. Not much new to report. Here are their measurements from this appointment.

Caroline

twelve month:
weight: 20 lbs 1 ounces and 30th percentile
height: 30 inches and 76th percentile
head circumference: 46.4 cm and 75th percentile

nine month:
weight: 18 lbs 7 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 28 inches and 70th percentile
head circumference: 45 cm and 65th percentile

six month:
weight: 15 lbs 15 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 27 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 43 cm and 52nd percentile

four month:
weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces and 45th percentile
height: 25 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 41.3 cm and 50th percentile

two month:
weight: 11 lbs 12 ounces and 75th percentile
height: 23 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 39.4 cm and 53rd percentile

one month:
weight: 9 lbs 1 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 20.5 inches and 30th percentile
head circumference: 36.5 cm and 25th percentile

two week:
weight: 7 lbs 10 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 20 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 35.4 cm and 25th percentile

birth:
weight: 7 lbs
height: 19.375 inches
head circumference: 34 cm and 25th percentile

Caden

twelve month:
weight: 18 lbs 5 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 29 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 46 cm and 30th percentile

nine month:
weight: 17 lbs 8 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 27 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 44.5 cm and 25th percentile

six month:
weight: 14 lbs 15 ounces and 8th percentile
height: 25 1/4 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 43cm and 25th percentile

four month:
weight: 12 lbs 11 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 24 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 41cm and 20th percentile

two month:
weight: 10 lbs 4 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 22 1/4 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 38.2 cm and 12th percentile

one month:
weight: 7 lbs 13 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 20 inches and 5th percentile
head circumference: 35.8 cm and 6th percentile

two week:
weight: 6 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 19 inches and 6th percentile
head circumference: 33.9 cm and 5th percentile

birth:
weight: 5 lbs 10 ounces
height: 18.125 inches
head circumference: 32.3cm and 5th percentile

Here are some charts of their stats.

Nine Month Checkup

The twins had their nine month checkup on Monday and everything is going well. Not much new to report.

Both kids fit nicely on the child growth curve. Caden is obviously lower on the curve but he is definitely doing well. Can you believe he is now more than three times his birth weight?

Here are their measurements from this appointment.

Caroline

nine month:
weight: 18 lbs 7 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 28 inches and 70th percentile
head circumference: 45 cm and 65th percentile

six month:
weight: 15 lbs 15 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 27 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 43 cm and 52nd percentile

four month:
weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces and 45th percentile
height: 25 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 41.3 cm and 50th percentile

two month:
weight: 11 lbs 12 ounces and 75th percentile
height: 23 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 39.4 cm and 53rd percentile

one month:
weight: 9 lbs 1 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 20.5 inches and 30th percentile
head circumference: 36.5 cm and 25th percentile

two week:
weight: 7 lbs 10 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 20 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 35.4 cm and 25th percentile

birth:
weight: 7 lbs
height: 19.375 inches
head circumference: 34 cm and 25th percentile

Caden

nine month:
weight: 17 lbs 8 houces and 10th percentile
height: 27 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 44.5 cm and 25th percentile

six month:
weight: 14 lbs 15 ounces and 8th percentile
height: 25 1/4 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 43cm and 25th percentile

four month:
weight: 12 lbs 11 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 24 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 41cm and 20th percentile

two month:
weight: 10 lbs 4 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 22 1/4 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 38.2 cm and 12th percentile

one month:
weight: 7 lbs 13 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 20 inches and 5th percentile
head circumference: 35.8 cm and 6th percentile

two week:
weight: 6 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 19 inches and 6th percentile
head circumference: 33.9 cm and 5th percentile

birth:
weight: 5 lbs 10 ounces
height: 18.125 inches
head circumference: 32.3cm and 5th percentile

Six Month Checkup

We had our six month checkup today. The kids are doing great. Not as much seemed to happen at this checkup when compared to others. I'm thinking that's because Amy and I are now old pros at parenthood. ;)

Even though the twins each had an ear infection, the doctor said their ears looked great. We were also given some tips on transitioning to solid(ish) foods.

The big news of the checkup was when the doctor said, "Oh, Caroline, you already have a tooth." Amy and I were stunned! We check both kids everyday (including yesterday) to see if any teeth are coming in and we never saw or felt a thing. Caroline was a little whiny last night and today at day care pre-pre-school so I guess that thing might have been annoying her as it fought its way out. I'll try to get a picture up of it at some point.

The kids got some more immunizations along with a flu shot. Each got three shots. Caden didn't flinch at the first shot, was upset at the second, and cried a little after the third. Caroline started crying immediately, but I think she was slightly quieter than she was last night.

Below are there stats from this visit and the previous visits. The doctor said our kids were very nicely proportioned (I agree) and that they were doing well...especially for one month pre-mature twins.

Caroline

six month:
weight: 15lbs 15 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 27 inches and 90th percentile
head circumference: 43 cm and 52nd percentile

four month:
weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces and 45th percentile
height: 25 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 41.3 cm and 50th percentile

two month:
weight: 11 lbs 12 ounces and 75th percentile
height: 23 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 39.4 cm and 53rd percentile

one month:
weight: 9 lbs 1 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 20.5 inches and 30th percentile
head circumference: 36.5 cm and 25th percentile

two week:
weight: 7 lbs 10 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 20 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 35.4 cm and 25th percentile

birth:
weight: 7 lbs
height: 19.375 inches
head circumference: 34 cm and 25th percentile

Caden

six month:
weight: 14lbs 15 ounces and 8th percentile
height: 25 1/4 inches and 10th percentile
head circumference: 43cm and 25th percentile

four month:
weight: 12 lbs 11 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 24 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 41cm and 20th percentile

two month:
weight: 10 lbs 4 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 22 1/4 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 38.2 cm and 12th percentile

one month:
weight: 7 lbs 13 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 20 inches and 5th percentile
head circumference: 35.8 cm and 6th percentile

two week:
weight: 6 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 19 inches and 6th percentile
head circumference: 33.9 cm and 5th percentile

birth:
weight: 5 lbs 10 ounces
height: 18.125 inches
head circumference: 32.3cm and 5th percentile

Here are a couple graphs I quickly made of the twins height. (I'm a dork.) And yes, I know time is not evenly distributed over the x-axis but I think it gets the point across. (The time issue just makes the lines curve up a little more than they actually do.)
Even though Caroline is still quite a bit larger than Caden, it is nice to see they are growing about the same rate. (Though Caroline did grow taller a little faster over the last couple months.) Sometimes I feel like Caroline is massive compared to our little man, but these graphs tell me he'll get there. It might take a few years, but Caden will pass big sis.

Ear Infections and Doctor Visit

Last Friday, Amy decided to take Caroline to the doctor after Caroline (and mommy) barely slept the night before. Caroline was also diagnosed with ear infection. :( Thankfully, by the time I'm posting this, both kids seem to have already gotten over them. They are both still on this thick pink medicine. Caden seems to like it while Caroline does not. Most of Caroline's medicine ends up on her bib.

We learned a couple things at the doctor.

First, the doctor told us our kids are too old to be swaddled at night. The longer we wait to stop swaddling them, the harder it will be to eventually break them of the habit. Amy and I were worried the kids would not sleep well outside their swaddles and even considered waiting until next week when Grandma visits so she could help at night. :) Thankfully, leaving the swaddles was not a big deal. It is a little harder to put them down at night but they sleep pretty well. I think Caden might actually sleep better because he can calm himself down at night by shoving his hands in his mouth.

Second, the doctor was very impressed with Caden's motor boat sound. There is a video of it in the previous post from about a month ago. Caden is much better (aka: louder and longer) at the sound now. The doctor told Amy that most babies are unable to make that sound until they are around seven months. She even called a nurse in to come see him making the sound. Caden has been doing it since he was three months old. He is our advanced little communicator. :)

Also, the doctor thinks the twins are teething because of all the drooling and how they love sticking their hands in their mouth. We check every night but have yet to find a tooth.

Caden's First Ear Infection

Amy and I knew Caden and Caroline have not felt great the last few days. They have both been congested and would wake up in the middle of the night because of it. Caroline has stayed about the same but Caden has gotten a little worse. Today, Amy decided to take Caden to the doctor. (I'm so thankful we have good health insurance.)

After the doctor scraped all the wax out of Caden's ears, she saw our little guy had an ear infection. She decided to check Caroline's ears and thankfully they were fine. The doctor prescribed some medicine for Caden that should take care of his ears. Also, both kids have minor eye infections. We have a goopy gel to put on their eyes to help clear them up.

Both kids were weighed at the doctor visit. Caroline weighed in at 14 lbs 12 ounces (wearing a very heavy/wet diaper) which was up from 13 lbs 6 ounces a month ago. Caden weighed in 13 lbs 7 ounces (with a dry diaper) which was up from 12 lbs 11 ounces. Caden had been catching up but it looks like Caroline is starting to pull away again.

Despite having an ear infection, Caden was a delight tonight. He jumped in his jumperoo for a good 45 minutes while we made and ate dinner. I should have videoed our sick child having all that fun. With the whining coming from Caroline, you would have thought she was the sick one.

Four Month Checkup

Here comes a long post with no pictures (sorry about that...I'll try to post some pics soon) talking about everything that happened at the twins four month checkup. Last week, Amy and I took the kids to the doctor for their four month checkup. I can't believe it has already been four months.

Caroline was awesome at tummy time for the doctor. It was the best she had ever done. Caden, on the other hand, was very upset about something and cried the entire time. He didn't pick his head up at all. Caden calmed down soon after that.

The twins needed to get another batch of vaccines at this checkup. Once again, tough Caden didn't make a peep at the first shot and only started crying after the second shot. Caroline screamed immediately but it was slightly quieter than the last time.

After asking about how much the kids sleep, the doctor told us the twins were sleeping very well (it doesn't always seem that way to us) and it was time for us to start trying to get them on a better sleeping schedule. Caroline normally makes it through the night. Caden will sleep most of the night but will wake up between 2 and 10 times wanting a pacifier. The doctor recommended that we let him cry for a little while before we rush in and give him the pacifier. So far, that has not gone well but we will keep trying.

During the two month checkup, the doctor told us to give the kids vitamins. Well, those vitamins make the twins breath stink for hours and permanently stains anything it touches. Amy ranted to the doctor for several minutes about this and the doctor suggested another brand of vitamins we could try. We are hoping the new brand works better. Also, the doctor gave us a speech on why we should not give the twins rice cereal yet. I think she expected the need to convince us but we plan to do whatever she thinks is best. Also, I think it is easier to not introduce some new food. We are still struggling enough with just breast milk.

Below are there stats from this visit (and the previous visits).

Caroline

four month:
weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces and 45th percentile
height: 25 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 41.3 cm and 50th percentile

two month:
weight: 11 lbs 12 ounces and 75th percentile
height: 23 inches and 75th percentile
head circumference: 39.4 cm and 53rd percentile

one month:
weight: 9 lbs 1 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 20.5 inches and 30th percentile
head circumference: 36.5 cm and 25th percentile

two week:
weight: 7 lbs 10 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 20 inches and 50th percentile
head circumference: 35.4 cm and 25th percentile

birth:
weight: 7 lbs
height: 19.375 inches
head circumference: 34 cm and 25th percentile

Caden

four month:
weight: 12 lbs 11 ounces and 10th percentile
height: 24 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 41cm and 20th percentile

two month:
weight: 10 lbs 4 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 22 1/4 inches and 25th percentile
head circumference: 38.2 cm and 12th percentile

one month:
weight: 7 lbs 13 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 20 inches and 5th percentile
head circumference: 35.8 cm and 6th percentile

two week:
weight: 6 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 19 inches and 6th percentile
head circumference: 33.9 cm and 5th percentile

birth:
weight: 5 lbs 10 ounces
height: 18.125 inches
head circumference: 32.3cm and <5th>

Both kids dropped a little in the weight percentile but held strong in the height category. I think the weight was affected by when they were sick. Both kids barely ate anything for a week when they were sick. Also, according to our sheet, there was only a 0.3 cm difference in their head circumferences but 30 percentile points. I'm thinking the nurse might have written one of them down wrong. I think Caroline's head looks more than 0.3 cm larger than Caden's.

We don't have another planned doctor visit until they are six months old. I wonder how big they will be by then.

The kids have been great the last few days since the four month checkup. The vaccine did not affect them adversely at all. Both have been eating better than ever before. They consistently drink the entire bottle (which was rare before) and they do it in 10-20 minutes (which never happened). They even get a little upset when will pull the bottle out to burp them. Caroline has even stopped her happy spitting (mostly). Caroline has also improved greatly at tummy time. We now have hope that she will learn to crawl someday. :) As for sleeping, all of a sudden, they go to bed earlier, sleep longer at night, and have long morning and afternoon naps. It is not all to regular yet, but we are getting there. Maybe Amy and I are starting to get the hang of this parenting twins thing.

...okay, maybe I should have said that last part.

Two Month Checkup

The twins had their two month checkup today. Everything went very well and the kids seemed very happy to be there. They love looking around and taking it all in.

This checkup is when the twins got several vaccinations including a squirt of stuff into the mouth and a couple shots. That means they can start going out into the public a little more (though it is still flu season.)

Our little Caden was given his two shots first. He took them about as well as you could possibly hope. He cried for a couple seconds but got over it very quickly. (This is actually the first time he has cried when given any sort of shot/prick to take blood.) And even though he cried, I honestly think the crying was more because he was hungry. Caden was more than an hour behind when he should have eaten. Right after getting his shot, Amy gave him a bottle. (Amy did not want to be anywhere near the kids getting their shots. It just makes her too sad.)

After Caden got his shots, our little Caroline was up. We were pretty sure she would not take it as well as Caden and man, oh, man, she did not disappoint. The nurse gave her the first shot and Caroline started crying loudly. The moment she was poked with the second shot, Caroline let out an incredibly high pitched, ear-piercing scream. It is hard to believe such a loud noise could come out of such a little girl. Sounds like that normally come out of emergency broadcast sirens trying to notify an entire city of a tornado. I'm sure the kids in the waiting room were scared to death that they were going to get the same treatment as her. When it was over, the nurse said, "you can sure tell who the little girl is."

Here are their stats from this visit along with the previous couple visits.

Caroline

two month:
weight: 11 lbs 12 ounces and 75th percentile
height: 23 inches and 75th percentile

one month:
weight: 9 lbs 1 ounces and 50th percentile
height: 20.5 inches and 30th percentile

two week:
weight: 7 lbs 10 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 20 inches and 50th percentile

Caden

two month:
weight: 10 lbs 4 ounces and 25th percentile
height: 22 1/4 inches and 25th percentile

one month:
weight: 7 lbs 13 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 20 inches and 5th percentile

two week:
weight: 6 lbs 4 ounces and 5th percentile
height: 19 inches and 6th percentile

You can see how much the twins are growing and how they are gaining ground in the percentile category. Pretty impressive for twins born four weeks early! Their mother is doing an excellent job providing them food!

One Month Checkup

The twins had their one month checkup today. They are very healthy and everything looked good. Caroline weighed in at 9 lbs 1 ounces and Caden weighed 7 lbs 13 ounces. Both of them were quite a bit heavier than I was expecting. They gained almost two ounces a day since our last doctor visit!

Our Two Week Checkup

We took the twins in for their two week checkup. Everything is going really well. Here are a few of the things that happend during this visit.

The doctor asked Amy and I if we are giving the kids plenty of tummy time. We said yes. Apparently, Amy and I didn't know what tummy time meant exactly. We thought it included laying on our chests facing us. However, tummy time needs to be on a hard surface like the floor. Our bodies made it too easy for them and would not encourage them to build muscles. When we learned this, both Amy and I were worried they would fail their tummy time test. Instead, they passed with flying colors. The doctor said both of them were "showing off" and she did not expect them to be able to push up and move their heads as well as they already do.

One of the things we were looking forward to was weighing the twins. At our first checkup, Caden weighed 5 lb 3 ounces (down from his 5 lb 10 ounce birth weight) and Caroline weighed 6 lb 6 ounces (down from her 7 lb birth weight). Our goal for this checkup was for both kids to weigh at least their birth weight. Amy and I were thrilled when Caden weighed in at 6 lb 4 ounce and Caroline topped the scales at 7 lb 10 ounces. Both weighed 10 ounces more than their birth weights!

After weighing Caden (completely naked to make sure it is exact), the nurse thanked him for not peeing everywhere and then told me I could put his diaper back on. The nurse, Amy, and Caroline then went back into the exam room while I started to put Caden's diaper on. Seconds before I was able to do so, Caden decided to see just how much stuff he could pee on. I think he must have been practicing his distance because he was able to spray a wide variety of stuff at different distances including the scale, a calculator, and several nearby office documents (not to mention his own head). On the bright side, daddy was standing outside the line of fire and and he didn't need to clean this mess up. :) Oh, and the doctor thought it was funny. I doubt she will be the one to clean it up either.

The best news at the visit (other than they are healthy, of course) was that we no longer need to wake them up at night for feedings! We are allowed to let them sleep as long as they like. The doctor expects them to be able to sleep for 4 to 5 hours! I hope that is right. We will find out tonight.

We head back to the doctor in two more weeks. Hopefully, that appointment will be as good as this one.