9 Months Old Today!

It is hard to imagine a whole nine months has flown by. Well, in some ways it has and some ways it hasn't. We've had our share of tough times (trying to console three babies at once, doctor appointments, rushing always, stress ect) but we've made it this far and things are getting easier...I think! Adelyn, Ellie and Quincy are all crawling and have been since about 7+ months. We were sitting just after Christmas (6+ months). Quincy sat first, then the girls. Adelyn however crawled first and now she's REALLY on the go! I cannot turn my back for a minute and she's in another room! They truly love their independence. Quincy still LOVES his walker! One day we should clock him...I bet he goes at least 7-8 mph in that thing! He is hilarious! Schedules seem to come and go. Some weeks are easier and we stick to a schedule and other weeks things are changing it seems. Pretty much once you get the hang of one schedule the babies are growing and older and it all changes again. But that's okay. This is what makes is pretty hard with the three instead of just one or two babies. Other difficult times are eating solids-all three in the highchairs waiting for their turn. I try to occupy the "waiters" with little puff snacks that they can take their time gumming to death. lol. They are MESSY though! The babies are continuing to develop personalities. Adelyn wants to be the boss, the ring leader! Haha! Ellie is the toy stealer and both her and Adelyn like to crawl over one another and also on Quincy-he's not such a fan of getting his face creamed into the carpet, poor boy, he's just outnumbered. Quincy gets bullied, despite being the biggest and strongest! He's having to learn to get tough with those sisters of his!

Things they are into at this stage include loving to sit in our bay window (with mama behind them of course) to watch cars zooming by, people walking on the sidewalk, feeling the warm sunshine, and watching the trees blow and birds fly. We will ALL LOVE living outside this summer! I cannot wait! They also LOVE their jumperoo and exersaucer. Quincy, as I mentioned, adores "his" walker and will go anywhere with it. He can turn that thing on a dime! It's impressive really. You've got to watch your heels and toes when he's in that thing though! Ouch! I'm always jumping out the way when I see him coming.They love to take walks, although we haven't been out to do that in two weeks as they've had terrible colds! I was even in the ER with Ellie last week at 4 AM. The girls also developed ear infections. Boo! :*( Quincy got the virus last and he's still recovering, but he's much better thank goodness. This is funny but they LOVE their carseats. Everyone can be crying and fussy but the moment I put them in their carseats they calm down and smile even. We don't get out too often so I think they just like doing something different. They know if they're in the carseat it means its time to go out! I SO look forward to the day I can pop them in their forward-facing carseats and run in and out of places quicker. Right now its a hassle to go anywhere! It is worth it though to get out of these four walls. If I don't I go crazy. This winter has been rough.

Here are their heights and weights from our last doctor's appointment (9 month well baby check):

Adelyn
Height: 26 3/4 inches
Weight: 16 lbs 4 oz

"Ellie-bell"
Height: 26 inches
Weight: 15 lbs 3.5 oz

"Quincy-Q"
Height: 27 1/4 inches (he's 50th percentile! wow!)
Weight: 17 lbs 6 oz (big boy!)

Ellie is trying so hard to catch up with Addy but she's just not quite there yet. She may never be. They are all strong and healthy though! Nothing major. Ellie and Adelyn I guess are anemic but they are on supplements. Many breastfeed babies are at risk for anemia but Ellie's level was "7" so severe she could have had to had a blood transfusion. Adelyn was low as well at "10" and Quincy was in the normal range at "12". I have to get their CBC rechecked (which I dread! it is horrible to have to hold them down and have their blood drawn-makes ME want to cry for them!) :*( It is necessary however and I just hope our next draw shows increase in iron in their blood and we don't have to worry about anemia for either. They'll be fine though I'm sure. The rice cereal, solids and formula play a huge role so I bet they will have much better levels to report this next time. I am jsut waiting for their colds to be completely gone before taking them in because it can affect the CBC.

The girls have been solely on formula for about three weeks now. We started weaning them at 8 months. What an AMAZING feeling (and I mean totally AMAZING) to be done nursing! I think breastfeeding (or should I say pumping) is one of the hardest things ever to keep up. I would do it again in a heartbeat but pumping gets really REALLY old! It is one of those things in life where you don't realize how bad it is until you stop. It is liberating! Sounds funny I know but its so true. Today Clint and I got home from a trip (I will reveal more in a sec...) and it was an unbelievalbe feeling to not have to carry my pump with me EVERYWHERE I went. No pumping in the car and NO pumping in the AIRPORT! Uh! I've done my share of these both! No more "pump and dump" when I've had to leave the babies for interviews, funerals ect, no more spilling, bagging and freezing or thawing! No more I'm hungry ALL THE TIME! No more I'm tired ALL THE TIME! (it really takes a ton of energy to pump!) and most importantly NO MORE BEING ATTACHED TO THE WALL! It is so great to not have to worry about pumping and I'm proud and happy I was able to keep it up for my babies for over 8 months! My first goal was 6 months but I really hoped to make it to one year. I am totally fine with finishing, I don't call it "quitting" because its not. It is like running a race a race with no definite finish line. Everyone has their own personal finish and I feel like I crossed mine running strong at 8 months. There is nothing like spending my time with my babies and by stopping pumping I can be with them even more! I kind of feel like it was a natural process really. Everything was telling me to stop but it was hard to accept at first. I was scared, I think, that I would feel like a failure-but I don't at all. I did the absolute best I could and I know it was what was right for me and my family. Anyway, I thought I'd slow down since Ellie was going to need to supplement with an iron-fortified formula but then I decided it was time just to be done. I was only pumping 3-4 times a day at this point, however I was able to keep up enough supply for both of the girls. I wasn't everr sure how long breastfeeding would last for us as Quincy went on formula as early as 3 months because of his severe reflux and GI problems-after two horrible months we FINALLY found a formula for him that he could tolerate (it was Elecare-SO $$$ but worth it to have our little guy back!). Then when the babies were nearly 4 months I stopped pumping at night and they started sleeping through the night (13-14 weeks old). Now with Ellie and Adelyn's anemia and need for some fortified formula, well, it just seems right. I'm not looking back I know that! I did it, it was great, but I'm FINISHED! YEA!!! : )

There is so much to catch up on and say but it has been a looong weekend for us. I need to get to bed but first I will clue you all in on this little secret...we've accepted our first job out of residency! We were married nearly 9 years ago now, went through 4 years of medical school, 1 intern ("transitional") year and now we're on the homestretch of finishing out residency with only 3 months to go! I can hardly believe it has been so long! We are very excited to begin this new chapter in our lives but also incredibly sad to leave amazing friends (especially embryo adoption friends-more like family-Laura, Brad and little Makenna) in Milwaukee and family in Madison (my mom) and Green Bay (my brother Matthew, his wife Sara and the babies cousins Caitlin and Benjamin).

We are moving out of state to..........(drum roll please)..............South Carolina! Clint has accepted a job at a hospital and will be working as a Radiation Oncologist. He is an amazing physician already and so great with his patients. I believe this field is not for everyone and it takes someone very special to do what he does everyday. He has seen so much during his training, some very sad cases and many that end happily. It is rewarding and challenging and I am so proud of him! What a long road though! Phew!

We will be moving after Clint graduates at the end of June. In the meantime we've made several trips to SC, the most recent trip to look for houses. We're also trying to sell OUR house! We live pretty simply and I don't think that will ever change, it is just who we are and how we were brought up but we do need a *little* more spacious house-ours we're outgrowing quickly as it is only about an 1100 sq ft ranch! Right now the babies share a room, which is fine for the time being but they will eventually need more than an 8x9 room! lol! We looked at over 18 homes and have it narrowed down to 3. 2 out of the 3 we're really serious about. They're both very different for many different reasons (price, house size/layout, yard size, location, style of home, year built, ect ect) and it will be hard to make a decision. I literally go back and forth between the two every other minute! Can I ask you to please say a prayer for us to make the right choice and be where God wants us to be? We would really appreciate it!

I hope to become better about writing and keeping up on this little blog of ours. We're thankful to have you all follow our journey and I love reading your comments! Much love!