Notes on the first few days

I want to be able to go back and have some memories of these days recorded. However, my brain has been doped up on pregnancy hormones for the past few months so my thoughts are rarely cohesive. So this may be a bit rambling instead of witty and insightful.

Molly is shaping up to be one high-maintenance baby. Schedule, Schmedule, Who Needs a Schedule is going to be her motto. We're trying to go toward a 4 hour feeding schedule but Miss Molly is Not.Having.It. She did not get the memo that if you are born in a litter, you do not get the option of going your own way; that is reserved for Singletons and Only Children. I'd be happy if she (and hence, the others) were on a 3 hour schedule, but she won't even stay on that; it's more like 3 , then 3 1/2, then 2 1/2, then 4, etc. She is currently fussing after just 2 hours since her last feed and a mere 30 minutes since I finished the whole crew. Um, round the clock demand feeding is not an option, kiddo.

Part of the problem is that she is an inconsistent feeder. Because she does not always eat well, it is nearly impossible to stretch her out to 4 hours between feeds. But if she wakes up fussing and rooting, I try to hold her off at least a bit, until something near The Schedule, and then she's so tired from wiggling and rooting that she doesn't eat. I can't win. But she will learn, I am one stubborn and determined momma and this ain't my first barbecue, so I will prevail!

Did you know that 3 week olds can move? I mean like, "wait a minute, didn't I put you on that side of the crib?" move. Their new trick is to wiggle out from under the covers by scooting around. Seriously, I've been working with kids for 4 or 5 years and I've never seen a newborn that could scoot. This leads to a whole mess of unforeseen problems.

First, they don't stay covered. Now, there are 2 major rules for NICU babies: keep them warm and make them eat. We keep our house pretty cool so I'm vigilant about the individual swaddling, the bundling together, and the extra layer of blankets, but they are simply undoing all of that. Earlier, I had them all on their bellies and I went in to find Cooper half way across the crib and still moving. Unfortunately, he was partially using Emily for leverage.

Which leads to problem #2: They're practically crawling all over each other which makes co-sleeping in a crib in mom and dad's room a short-lived plan. I remember that Hunter and Hannah only co-slept for about 6 weeks so I guess we're on that same course with these three. I'm not looking forward to trooping up and down the stairs all night so I'll be researching a solution to this problem.

Cooper and Molly are snuggle-buddies. I think they must have come to an understanding while making do without Emily for those last few days in the NICU. If those 2 are next to each other, one or both of them will wiggle around until their head is against the other. Cooper will contort himself all kind of ways to get his head up against Molly, so I try to tuck them in pretty close together. I don't always put them in the same position in bed, so currently Emily is in the middle. She started fussing so I went in there to find Molly had scooted up against her and had her head in Emily's back, which Emily was trying to move away from. Seems like Em is going to be like Hannah and decidedly NOT a snuggler.

Nicknames: It's funny to me how nicknames evolve. Sometimes we think them up and they stick, sometimes they just come out and seem right. Here are the ones I/we are using.
Emily: Peanut (because she's so small), The Divine Miss Em, Em
Emily and Molly: M&Ms
Molly: Molly McButter, Precious, Pumpkin
Cooper: Cooper Pooper, Super Duper, L'il Buddy

That's all I can think of right now. Scott asked me yesterday if the "newness has worn off" and I'm used to having the three of them home, or if I still go to the crib and stare in amazement (which I did for most of the first 24 hours). A little of both I guess. Now I'm wrapped up in getting them incorporated into our lives, but I still stop and stare, too.