9.24.09: Fitting the curve

Today was our first appointment with a pediatrician in LA. Turns out we were really lucky and ended up with a great new pediatrician. Are all pediatricians great? maybe. The girls are growing well; Daphne 12lbs 3oz, Fiona 11lbs 10oz, and Stella 11lbs 2oz. The most exciting news is that all the girls are now on the growth chart - we are in the normal range! Of course all the girls are below the 35th percentile, but we will take it - remember we started under 5 lbs. Finally we are on the growth chart. Success!

After some immunizations and therefore screaming, we made it home and did pretty well the rest of the day. The one thing missing for me as I am learning my role as a stay at home parent is a good book (or website) about the development of infants - what to do with them to stimulate their minds and development, any recommendations? (please leave suggestions in the comments section - now open to everyone).

In the final development of the day, we now have three cribs set up. Fiona and Stella were found headbutting each other several times during the night and it was decided that we had to cave in and finally set up the third crib. Turns out after some debating with the room layout, the nursery doesn't look too bad with three cribs. The girls seem to sleep in their own cribs just fine too - so that is a huge relief.

Auntie Kelly left yesterday, I caught this cute picture of her with the girls napping in the morning.

9.20.09: Atlanta in the house

My dear friend Kelly from Atlanta was in the LA area for a wedding and was able to finagle a visit to the Robertson household to meet the three newest members. Upon arrival she was promptly given Daphne to hold and feed (we save diaper changing for the second visit as we want people to return). Stella took a serious liking to Kelly and would not stop staring at her during the photos. It was so wonderful to see her as it had been way too long (over two years) - we vowed not to let it be this long again before we see each other.

Today also brought over my sister-in-law Catherine. Well I guess she is my sister's sister-in-law, but our family is so small we are willing to stretch the family tree a little further to include all those who are willing. My sister and I had decided previously on Halloween costumes for the girls and while Catherine was over (taking a break from dorm life at USC) we put her to work on the costumes. A group effort by all, these costumes are adorable and creative. She even gave us an idea for costumes next Halloween. Can't say what the outfits are yet, you will have to wait for the picture on Halloween. I will give you one clue - it involved onesies, felt and cost less than $8 for all three outfits.

I adjusted the blog so everyone can leave comments if you'd like (no gmail account required) but please include your name if you do.

9.18.09: In loving memory

In loving memory of
C. Edward Robertson
Beloved father and grandfather

Although too short, we are thankful for the time we had together and wonderful memories we will cherish forever.

9.17.09: Photo shoot - take two

Fiona (pink), Daphne (blue), Stella (yellow)

My mom and sister decided to replicate the attempted photo shoot as well as they could while I was running errands. It was a wonderful surprise to come home to several adorable pictures of the girls who were happy participants this time.

9.15.09: Photo shoot

So I got this idea into my head (suggested by several people) that I should get 'professional' three month photos taken of the girls. Please keep in mind that Brant and I take several group and individual shots on the 11th of each month. The idea of these photos would be to have pictures that are more refined than those that we take at home with the children wedged into the couch or a boppy. So I made an appointment for the photo department at a nearby Target. Kim has done really well at her Target with these milestone pictures so I thought I'd give it a try (of course the lack of a sitting fee was also rather enticing).

My mom and I arrived at Target. The girls dressed, recently fed and napping comfortably in their stroller or wrap - what could go wrong? A whole lot. The room was really cold, dark and had bright shining lights. The photographer decided it was a good idea to rattle and make loud noises and of course the repetitive flash did not help either. She also suggested that the girls sit up on their own, something they can't do yet. After a solid 15 minutes, I couldn't take the screaming anymore and we ceased the photo shoot. The photographer suggested I come back in a couple months and with three adults instead of two. I tried to explain that the idea of a three month photo shoot at five months wasn't as novel. Once I recovered from my near breakdown, we left Target with no photos and totally exhausted. I am so thankful that we take the photos ourselves each month - screaming or not at least they are at home where they are more comfortable. Maybe we will try again at six months, but definitely not before.

9.11.09: Three months old

Today the girls turned three months old.

Stella decided to share a present with me for her 3 month birthday...
First let me set the scene. Our changing table is pretty tall. About belly button height. It is this way because Brant and I are both moderately tall and bending over unnecessarily 20+ times a day is silly. Let me next discuss that our girls are extremely gassy - giving truckers a run for their money. Rumor has it this is likely related to being premature but I don't know, I just know that we seem to hear a lot of tooting. Next I should point out that the girls only poop a couple times a week and usually they have a hard time getting it out. So there I was trying to be a good mom and holding Stella's legs while she was trying to poop. Then all the sudden a bunch of gas came out with the poop a near explosion which ended with poop ON my face. Yes I'm serious, poop on my face. I was stuck between laughing, crying and feeling like I was going to vomit from the smell too close to my nose. So I should thank Stella for this present on her three month birthday. Wasn't it enough that I carried you in my belly for so long? Was this really necessary? and if it must happen, couldn't you at least have done it to dad?

9.10.09: More smiles

I was a little slow capturing the smiles of Daphne and Stella. All the girls started smiling within days of each other, but capturing these adorable grins took some time.

9.9.09: The worm

While straightening the room one day, I set Daphne in a boppy on her belly while Fiona and Stella were in bouncers. This was a safe place to put Daphne where she couldn't escape....or so I thought. I came out of the bathroom to see her partially out of the boppy. She had begun to army crawl over the edge. I was in shock so I watched her continue to push her way over the boppy and onto the playmat. She made it completely out of the boppy. I let her enjoy time on the playmat for a while after working so hard to get there. I couldn't just put her back into it. Lesson learned: attach GPS to children in case further acts of mobility occur in the near future.

9.6.09: Snuggling

We have been noticing this week that the girls seem to be 'snuggling' a bit more than is safe in their single crib. We decided it was time to purchase another crib. Daphne has also begun kicking the sides of the crib (as she is the tallest) and each girl has taken turns resting on the others. We actually went ahead and bought the additional two cribs we will need, but only set up one leaving Fiona and Stella sharing for now. I actually got a little emotional seeing Daphne in her own crib, the girls really are getting big - it is hard to believe is has only been 2+ months.




For our weekly adventure we all went to the Botanic Gardens - it is a wonderful garden just minutes from our home. We weren't able to explore all the gardens in one trip so we will surely return soon.

9.5.09: Playdate

Week one (as a stay at home parent) and I survived. Yes, there was one day where I called Brant to come home for a couple hours, but one out of five isn't so bad - especially for the first week. I am learning, the girls are learning, so we all need some time to adjust.

The girls also had their first play date - if you can call a play date laying/being held at another kids home. We went on our biggest road trip to date and travelled to Soren and Mona's home (~30 miles away). This play date (which didn't involve much playing but more baby holding) went pretty well. Brant and I were spoiled by stealing home cooked food from Mona's mom and everyone held babies while Brant and I ate a meal together - a novelty in our home. We also got lots of help from Joan and Doug while feeding the kids upon first arrival. Brant reassured me that this is what family does, but since mine is so small - I still felt guilty about inconveniencing everyone and bringing the whole family - we are a big bunch these days. We successfully made it home just in time for bed. Another adventure, this time proving that we can feed the girls outside of our house....small steps.