Category Archives: Baby

Introducing…

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IMG_856112088561_10101480880465599_5880826435607904315_nIntroducing… our beautiful baby girls! Born Thursday, October 1, 2015.

Sloane Anne Harvey
10:05am, 5lb 5 oz, 19in long

Maisie Lynne Harvey
10:06am, 5lb 1oz, 18 in long

They were born via planned c-section (post coming soon on the ins and outs of c-sections). Sloane was “grunting” after she was born and so after a quick introduction she was taken to the “Transition Nursery” which is the level between being in the room with you but not serious enough to admit into the Special Care Nursery (NICU) of the hospital. KH followed her as Maisie and I headed to recovery. After being in recovery almost the full hour, our sweet Maisie started “grunting” as well and had a low glucose (blood sugar test) and so she too was taken to the Transition Nursery. It was quite a wild ride. I was wheeled up to my room, after delivering two babies, and found myself alone which was a completely heart breaking experience as I wanted nothing more than for our sweet family to be all together.

A lot of different things happened (many of which are hard to remember at this point) but eventually Maisie came to join us in our room later day followed by Sloane. I was overjoyed. We spent one night all together in our room until the next morning when Maisie failed a couple of her glucose tests and she was admitted to the Special Care Nursery.

We spent the next several days going back and forth between our room and taking care ofScreen Shot 2015-10-09 at 11.21.14 PM Sloane, and the Special Care Nursery where we could visit Maisie. I wanted nothing more than for our family to be together! One comfort was found in one of our friends and neighbors who is a nurse in the Special Care Nursery. She took care of Maisie all day on Saturday and kept us updated on how she was doing. Maisie was eating well but it was zapping all of her energy so she eventually was put on a feeding tube. Lauren was the first to get her to drink out a bottle but then the following feeding was completely by tube again.

KH, Sloane and I were discharged on Sunday and sadly had to leave Maisie behind. KH and I spent the next couple of days going back and forth visiting Maisie during the day and then heading back to the hospital after Sloane’s 9pm feeding and visiting with her until close to midnight. Each day she was getting stronger and stronger and was eating less and less from the feeding tube.

On Tuesday we went to the hospital to visit Maisie and to our surprise we found out that not only would Maisie be going home- she would be going home with us immediately! We were expecting later that week so it was a complete and wonderful surprise to be able to pack up and get her home so quickly.

Screen Shot 2015-10-09 at 11.18.22 PMAnd so we made it home and surprised my mom, who was there watching our little man, and we walked up with BOTH babies and finally got our picture of 5 (6 with Toby!)

It’s crazy how recent it all was but how quickly everything is meshing toward and becoming a blur. We feel overjoyed and blessed to have our sweet daughters home together with us. Let the fun begin!

 

 

30 Weeks

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Well in case you were wondering, life IMG_7535is certainly bigger with twins! Today marks 30 weeks
with our baby girls. Here’s a side by side from when I was pregnant with Jude (left) and now the girls (on the right). Today I also hit one of my milestones- I’ve been super anxious, excited and ready to make it to the 30s. Here’s to getting even closer to our delivery date and the arrival of what we are praying will be two healthy babies. Currently no major complaints- I’m getting more and more tired, heartburn is getting worse but i’m managing and moving/walking is slower and more uncomfortable (especially at night after a long day).  6 more weeks to go! Can’t wait!

15 Months!

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IMG_7606 Our sweet boy is 15 months today! He is growing and changing so much its hard to capture it all! He currently weighs 21 pounds and is about 30 inches tall. Despite his dad’s 6’3″ height our little man is hanging in right around the 25th percentile for his size. He is finally growing out of his 12 month clothes and now wears 12-18 month (Old Navy and Gap) and 18 month clothes (Carters).

Jude is running all over the place and prefers to walk into school instead of being carried. Still no definite words but the closest is when he holds a phone, remote or anything else up to his ear and says “hi!” 🙂 He can say please, more and all done in sign language and also waves bye and night night.

He still loves his paci and also enjoys playing outside with his Little Tikes car, as well as playing with balls, cars, trucks, books, Little People playsets and any boxes, bags or anything else random laying around the house.

This boy is keeping us running around and on our toys but we are loving every minute. He’s a handful and tons of fun all at the same time 🙂

His current schedule during the day is..

  • 7AM: Wake and Breakfast with Milk
  • 9:30AM: Snack at school
  • 12:00PM: Lunch and Milk at school
  • 1:30PM-3:30PM: NAP
  • 3:30PM: Snack at school
  • 6:00PM: Dinner and Milk
  • 6:30PM: Bath
  • 7:00PM: Bed

Showers for the Twins

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This month we were blessed by two wonderful showers for our baby girls. The first one was hosted by my mother-in-law and was a diaper and gift card shower and the second one was hosted by 6 dear friends from work. Both of them were so special and so thoughtfully planned and I thoroughly enjoyed them both so much. Kyle and I feel so blessed by the love and support of so many who are helping us prepare and celebrate as we await the arrival of our daughters!

Some favorite gifts for our twins if you’re looking for items to add to your own registry or give to someone having twins (remember these aren’t our first children so our needs are different than someone having twins as their first and second children as opposed to their second and third).

  • DIAPERS (its not fun for the person who buys it but its so so helpful!)
  • WIPES (same as above- the big boxes from Costco are awesome!)
  • More bottles, bibs, blankets, pacis and swaddles
  • A second bouncy seat, pack n play, carseat, and camera for our monitor
  • A double stroller and double snap n go with accessories
  • Another changing pad and cover
  • Sound machine for the bedroom and for travel
  • Sheets and bedding for two cribs
  • Bath sponges, towels and toys
  • Coordinating outfits (and/or matching outfits)
  • Lovies and toys
  • A git for the big brother! (My sis got our little man a Little People playset which he loves)

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First Day of Toddlers!

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Today marks Jude’s first day in his new Toddler’s class with his new teachers: Ms Luciane, Ms Amy and Miss Hannah. He will officially move to a more formal schedule with his classmates with no morning nap (only one longer afternoon nap now) as well as a set morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack time. We decided to celebrate the occasion by transitioning out of the diaper bag and into a book bag 🙂 I’m pretty sure our little man loves his new REI gear. 🙂

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First Haircut

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Days away from our little man’s 15 month birthday, we took Jude to get his first haircut. We opted for a place about 20 minutes away called Circus Cuts. Overall we were moderately happy with the experience- liked the hair dresser and loved the haircut itself yet the venue left much be desired (and cleaned!).. not sure the last time it saw a vacuum or a lysol wipe…but we made it! Next time I’ll probably research and ask around a little bit more to try and find a cleaner location that still caters toward young children. But, in the end our boy ended up with a great and much needed haircut just before school tomorrow. So handsome!

(Please excuse his blank stare in IMG_7287the picture on the left- he was distracted by an Elmo video during the entire experience!)

Gift Ideas for 1 year old Boys

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We are headed to my friend Haleigh’s son’s 1st birthday party today! For the first time buying a gift for a child’s birthday party wasn’t an overwhelming task. For years as friends had birthday parties for their kids I was constantly faced with, “What is the world do I buy a “X” year old boy/girl that he/she will absolutely love?!” I was clueless. Now that we have a 1 year old boy (and am around other 1 year old as well) I finally have a grasp on what boys, at least, love to play with at this age and hope this helps out anyone else who might need a tip or toe on what to get a little one..

Gift ideas for 1 year old boys:

  • Fisher Price Little People playsets
  • Trucks/cars that he can push around- big chunky ones that are easy for him to crawl or walk and push as opposed to little cars
  • Balls
  • Board books
  • Water table
  • Little Tikes car
  • Swim suits and personalized and/or matching beach towels (more for the parents – but my bestie got our little guy this for his 1st and I absolutely love it)
  • If they are still learning to walk then anything they can stand and push to walk with like this.

Happy Shopping!

 

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Twins, Triplets and Quads

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Soon after we found out we were expecting twins I immediately reached out to one of my friends and co-workers, Ellen, who has 18 month old twin boys, as well as a 4 year old sibling. I figured she would know better than anyone exactly what I was about to experience and what I could expect!

The first thing Ellen recommended was that I read the book, When You’re Expecting Twins,Unknown Triplets, or Quads by Dr. Barbara Luke & Tamara Eberlein. I immediately dove in and have learned A TON already. This book focuses on a  nutritionally based prenatal program for women pregnant with multiples. It even includes diet and exercise recommendations for the postpartum mother as well as recipes and step by step guidance for each trimester of your multiple pregnancy. I recently went and visited a nutritionist as well and even though she rolled her eyes at the mention of this book both the nutritionist and the book gave the same advice as to how to successfully nourish your body and your babies to a full term pregnancy.

If you are expecting twins, triplets or quads I HIGHLY recommend this book. But to get you started here is a list of some of my top learnings:

General Facts about Twin Pregnancy:

  • Women age 30 or older are significantly more likely to carry their twins for at least 35 weeks compared to younger women.
  • Adequate maternal weight gain is associated with significantly better fetal growth, longer length of gestation, and higher birth weights, as well as better childhood growths.
  • One third of all twin pairs are identical (that’s our girls!). Identical twins share 100 percent of their genes and always are the same sex and have same basic physical features.

Nutrition Goals for Twin Pregnancy:

  • Weight gain goal (if normal weight pre-pregnancy): 40-45 lb
    • 24 of those pounds by 24 weeks
    • 7-9 lb per week
    • If you lose weight during first trimester due to morning sickness then those pounds you lost and re-gained don’t count. It’s a total of 40-45 lb from your original starting weight
  • Goal is to consume 3,500 calories per day for twin pregnancy
  • Eat often! Daily Meal Pattern should include 7 “meals” per day!
    • Breakfast | Snack | Lunch | Snack | Snack | Dinner | Snack
    • Focus on small, frequent meals as opposed to fewer large meals
    • Always eat protein first, then veggies and fruits and then starches
    • Always eat protein and carbohydrates together in every snack and every meal
  • Goal: 100 grams of protein/day
    • I accomplish that with the help of UNJURY – a medical grade protein powder mixed with milk – 30 grams of protein in one 8 oz glass!
    • Each meal or snack should contain protein
  • Eat a bedtime snack that includes dairy
  • As with any pregnancy avoid: alcohol, deli meats, sushi, more than 6 oz of tuna per week, and unpasteurized cheeses

Planning a 1st Birthday Party

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Our little man just turned one and here is a list of all of our food and decor for the main event!

Menu: IMG_5078

  • Pigs in a blanket
  • Veggie Tray
  • Apples with toffee dip
  • Sausage and cheese dip (recipe coming soon!)
  • Caprese sticks (fresh mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil)
  • Sugar cookies with blue icing
  • Cake (If you order from Publix for a 1st birthday you’ll get a smash cake for free!)
  • Basil Lemonade
  • Sweet Tea

Decor:

  • We got most of our party decor from BirthdayExpress.com. Plates, napkins, streamers, balloons and even a banner were all from this 1st birthday theme. It makes party planning simple for those who are on a budget or have limited time and just want a one stop shop.
  • I created a banner with all of Jude’s monthly pictures by printing my Instagram pictures through Social Print Studio. I like using them because the pictures are printed matte and on a very thick paper. I hung them on twine using paper clips and then added a colored fabric banner underneath. Instant mantel decor!

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