A very chilled Zachary
Zoey, alert as ever
Weight Check and Consultant Appointment
The twins had their last home visit from the SCBU community nurse at nine weeks where they were weighed and measured. Both are piling on the ounces and their nurse was especially impressed with how much Zoey had grown in length, she was 50.5 cm while Zachary was 54.5 cm.
Then, last week, they had their consultants follow up appointment at the hospital. It was very strange going back there and walking past the SCBU. It's weird, at times it seems like so long ago, yet being back there it all comes rushing back and feels really recent. I am just so glad those SCBU days are behind us.The appointment with the consultant went well. She was pleased with both their weight gains and growth and only Zoey needs to be seen again in four months time, the reason being to keep an eye on her weight gain as she's still following her own curve below the 0.4 percentile.
The size difference between the twins does seem to be getting more apparent the bigger they are getting, especially when you see them side by side with Zachary often looking pretty huge next to Zoey. She will catch up in her own time but for now she's my little "Zoey bean" while Zachary is definitely my "chunky monkey".
11 weeks, 4days
Umbilical Hernia
Over the past few weeks Zoey seems to have developed an umbilical hernia, it is reducible which means it can be pushed back in. It looks quite alarmingly big when you see it protruding especially if she starts to cry. According to the doctor there is nothing that can be done for it right now, we just have to hope it rectifies itself over the next few years. I did read some people tape a coin over it or strap it down but it supposedly makes no difference. I do wonder whether it is worth doing though, as to me it would make sense to keep it pushed in, I would just worry it would be uncomfortable for Zoey. If anyone has any advice or experience I'd be interested to hear about it.
Zoey's umbilical hernia
Immunisations
They had their first immunisations at the start of last week which was pretty horrible to say the least. I'm glad I gave them a couple of extra weeks before getting them done, which was mostly due to the difficulty in getting an appointment at our surgery but I also felt Zoey needed to get a bit bigger first. She finally has some fat on her legs which was much needed given the size of the needle used. It was time for Ben's booster injection too so he took on the role of the brave big brother to show the twins it wouldn't hurt. It did. Poor Ben was a little star though and quickly recovered, warning the nurse not to hurt his Zachary and Zoey. They did hurt though and cried lots. I am so glad that's over though, not looking forward to the next one in four weeks time.Development
Everyday they seem to be getting more and more reactive and Zachary is turning into a real little smiler who bursts into big cheesy grins with very little triggering.Getting smiles out of Zoey is getting easier by the day and is so fantastic when you do as her whole face lights up and it's almost as if her eyes smile too.
They are both making gurgling noises, reacting and responding to us which is super cute. It's such a sweet special litte sound, it's lovely. They love when you do This Little Piggy rhyme with their toes and it's one sure fire way to get smiles from them both.
Ben has a very special bond with the twins already too. He has his own ways of making them smile from his little dances to kisses and tickles. I have heard him whisper to Zachary that he is his favourite, I have a feeling they are going to be real partners in crime.
Ben and Zachary - "Partners in Crime"
Of course Ben loves his little baby sister, Zoey too and there is never any shortage of kisses for her, in fact at times he can be a little over affectionate.
Ben and Zoey kisses
Out and about
I feel a lot more confident about getting out with the twins and Ben on my own these days. I just need to be organised. Mostly trips out have gone well with one or both of them sleeping for the duration which makes it so much easier however there have also been disasters like our shopping trip last Friday where I had two crying babies to contend with along with a horrifically explosive nappy. I'll put it this way, I was glad to get home and have made the decision to do all grocery shopping online from now on.
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous for the past few days but it has taken the twins a bit of time to get used to the warmer temperatures. They are definitely starting to adjust though and seemed a lot more tolerant of it today, I do get paranoid about having them in the sun though and keep lathering them in the factor 50+. It's lovely to be able to dress them in little romper and get their cute little baby toes on display.
Big foot, little foot - I love baby toes!
Until my next update I leave you with this picture of the twins holding hands...
