Andy and Mindy Sauer: May 2009

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Visiting with Great-Grandpa Albrecht

The boys met their 93-year-old Great-Grandpa Albrecht for the first time today! It was so special! Grandpa had identical twin sisters, too, so it was especially fun to hear some of the stories!

Boys' Dedication

On Sunday, May 31st, we had the boys dedicated by Pastor Karl. It was a wonderful day! It was especially neat because Pastor Karl baptised me 12 years ago and then married us 2 years ago... how neat thatr he would dedicate our two sons!

The girls just love their new cousins!

Pastor Karl with Ben and Jack

The grandparents

Our little family

Thursday, May 28, 2009

My Nephew, Matthew

Mattew is my older sister, Ellie's, son who was born March 13th, just 7 weeks before the boys. He is in the 97th percentile for both height and weight! Matthew is just beginning to recognize faces and smile in response to stimulation (rather than the gas smiles I get from my boys!) Both Mom and Dad have blue eyes, too, so we knew he'll keep those. What a cutie!!!

Matthew with Grandpa Albrecht

He's such a happy baby!

Aunt Ellie with Ben and Jack

First Haitcut

I know it may seem silly to be thinking about a haircut when your babies are only three weeks old... but have you SEEN their hair? They looked like unruly rockstars! So Grandma Albrecht gave them a little trim in the back and around the ears. What a difference! And don't worry: we still saved some locks of hair for their baby books.

Ben and Jack. sportin' their new looks with Grandma Albrecht

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Three-Week Update

I can't believe my boys are now three weeks old! Time flies when you're not sleeping! :)

Jack and Ben, three weeks old

Our biggest challenge during the past few weeks has been putting weight on both Jack and Ben. Neither has had impressive weight gain since their hospital stay, so I've been working closely with a lactation consultant to try and boost their weight. We've been waking them up every 2.5-3 hours around the clock and alternating breastmilk with formula. We haven't gotten much sleep, but as we saw from today's doctor's visit, our hard work has paid off... both boys gained about a pound each in just one week!

Jack is now 7 lbs, 8 oz, and Ben is currently 8 lbs, 2 oz. That's still not where we'd like them to be for being three weeks old, but that is fantastic progress!

Our doctor also told us that we can start stretching the time between night feedings, since we know they're gaining weight. That means we can wake them up every FOUR hours, rather than every 2.5 to 3. Isn't that fantastic!? More sleep for Mom means more milk for babies! Hooray! Praise God for His faithfulness!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Identical or Fraternal?

... the jury's still out! What do you think?

Benjamin David

Jonathan Andrew

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Two-Week Update

Jack and Ben are now officially two weeks old!

It's been a very busy two weeks. I never thought that watching my husband load the dishwasher or change a dirty diaper could be so attractive. That the phrase, "Honey, let me watch them so you can get some sleep" would immediately bring tears to my eyes. That seeing my sons smile (even if it is gas) would make me giggle with delight. I never thought I'd count their fingers and toes so many times or go into their room just to see that they were still breathing. Yes, our lives have been deeply blessed.

Andy stayed home from work with me for the first week and we really enjoyed getting to know the boys through our new schedule (albeit with VERY little sleep.) During that time, we began working with a lactation consultant so I could learn how to breastfeed the boys... which is no easy task! Doctors were concerned because they weren't gaining the kind of weight they had expected. They weren't losing weight, but just not gaining. So we started supplementing with formula and also pumping in order to increase my milk supply. I had to increase my calorie intake by 1,000 calories a day while also healing from major abdominal surgery. I was absolutely exhausted, having only 45 minutes for 'cat naps' between feedings! Andy returned to work this past Monday and so my mom has been helping me during the day (and sometimes through the night) to receive extra assistance. We're still working with the lactation nurse to refine our technique and come up with new battle plans, but we got a good report today... both boys gained weight!

Jack is now back to his birth weight of 6 lbs, 5 oz, a gain of seven ounces since our last visit on Friday. Ben is now up to 7 lbs, 1 oz, a gain of ten ounces since our last visit. It's still a lot of work - we're feeding every two hours around the clock - but we are very pleased with our new progress. God has been very good. We now have a routine that we feel confident with and are hopeful that things will continue to go smoothly.

I got on the scale the other day and learned that I am seven pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. Hooray for breastfeeding! I guess I'm going to enjoy this new "Mindy, eat this candy bar. You have to consume more calories!" phase. Lord knows, it won't last forever. :)

Friday, May 15, 2009

The First Week

The boys are now 10 days old and doing great! Mommy and Daddy are doing well, too, though I don't think we're getting as much sleep as Jack and Ben! Here are some photos from our first week together.

The boys are great pals!

Daddy has transitioned into fatherhood very nicely.

They just love their daddy, even moving their heads to the sound of his voice.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Meeting the Cousins

Jonathan and Benjamin got to meet their cousins for the first time when they were eight days old! Anna, Sarah, Lauren and Tommy just LOVED their new cousins (and I think Tommy is especially excited to have more BOYS in the family!)