Jesse Coulter

To my little ding dongs...that's what I like to call them these days. What a month it's been! Their personalities are hilarious to watch. Whitney is stoic and doesn't crack a smile easily, but when she does it's the sweetest thing. Walt is my goofball and laughs at anything I do.

Life lately:

• STOP the sickness! I don't remember a day I haven't given one of them antibiotics in the past 6 weeks.

• I took a new job and life has been insane! I've doubled my commute, and I have much more work to do during the day. I leave work at 4, get home just in time to pick them up by 5 and it's a $%&# show till about 8pm. However, I love my job!

• Alex and I took a mini-vacation to Houston for my 30th and it was the best! Much needed time away from kiddos, where we could actually talk and eat in peace. My in-laws drove down from Dallas to watch all three!

Onesies: Gap. Moccasins: Freshly Picked.

Can you believe that Walt and Whitney have NEVER worn shoes until this point?! There are tons of baby moccasins around these days, but Freshly Picked was the first one on the market. I've followed FP for years and have always wanted a pair for my kiddos! I loved seeing Susan on Shark Tank and have enjoyed following her business's journey.  Since I won't ever have any more babies I knew this was my final chance to try them out and I've got to say...I'm SOLD! I've drunk the koolaid and I'm a fan forever. Why you ask?

Happy 7 months Walton and Whitney! This past month has been HUGE for development. They have changed so much, and are starting to interact with Turner, Alex and I much more.

Life lately:

• I've started getting rid of baby items that we no longer use - Twin z pillow, Rock n' play, Bumbos and lots of clothes. I feel like they are growing much faster than Turner did and going through outfits like crazy. I've been buying mostly second hand, but if I see a cute outfit that has a coordinating color like the onesies below, then I immediately buy them because....TWINS!

• My social schedule has calmed down this summer, so most nights I'm at home. Sometimes Alex and I are lucky enough to eat a hot dinner together.

• We had 6 month photos taken with Laura Morsman and even though I forgot their outfits they turned out adorable! See the full post here.

Outfits: Aden and Anais. Bow: Little Poppy Co.

I know how fast babies grow up, so I want to capture Walt and Whitney in as many photos as possible in this stage! Life is crazy beautiful, and most days I'm running around like a hot mess. A perfect example of this is...all week I was so excited for this shoot with Laura Morsman. I envisioned what the babies outfits would look like and then I shopped till I found exactly what I wanted. The day of the shoot, I rushed around like always trying to pack everything I needed for them (bottles, diapers, burp rags, pacifiers, measured formula, etc.), and pack up their stuff, fasten them in their car seats, load them up and finally head out! When I showed up to Laura's house, I realized I had completely forgot their outfits. D'oohhh! We went with it and shot them in their diapers, and I love how they came out!

Photo by Laura Morsman Photography

SIX MONTHS! We've made it halfway, hallelujah! Time has not flown by...it's slooowwwlllyyy krept by BUT we are happy, alive and grateful. 

Life lately: 

• Sleep deprivation is still a very real struggle due to Walt waking up at least twice a night.

• We started buying diapers and formula this month and WHOA! Talk about a budget buster. Our new phrase might be, "Put it on the credit card."... kidding and kind of not kidding.

• Work and planning my local blogger event has kept me VERY busy, and by Tuesday of every week I feel like it should be Friday. Most nights I don't get to bed till around 11pm, and I'm passed out in less than a minute. 

• I'm so excited to have 6 month photos of the babies taken by my good friend and Austin photographer, Laura Morsman, next weekend!

Every month we hit with these babies is a huge milestone and accomplishment to me. FIVE months Alex and I have survived raising twins + a toddler. That may sound dramatic, but it's how I feel.

Life lately: 

• Sleep deprivation and going back in to the office every day has been a killer this month. I'm back to about 5-6 hours of broken up sleep a night. It's times like these I wish I drank coffee!

• Here's an interesting fact, Alex and I haven't had to buy formula or diapers YET! We bought a few cans of special formula when Whitney was super gassy, but other than that we have been gifted formula that has lasted us until this point. It's been through coupons and samples from our pediatrician. We have been tons of diapers and wipes from family!

• Alex has been super great about watching the kids when I've had an event to attend. Watching all three is VERY hard....you've got to be ready for lots of crying, fussing from Turner, and never a moment to yourself. I'm extremely thankful for his support of my hobbies and blog.

We made it to 1 Month! It hasn't been as difficult as I thought, but it's all due to the help of my mom and other family. My in-laws took Turner during the first week, and that was a lifesaver. Turner has been one of the hardest parts of the transition, because he is constantly wanting attention and needing our help (putting on clothes, going to the bathroom, getting food, bathing, bedtime, etc). My mom helped me with the night shifts, and allowed Alex to sleep through the night, then my mom and I would try to take a good nap during the day while Turner was at daycare. After 3 weeks, my mom went home and we were on our own. That's when it really got hard. We've had a TON of support from friends as well, and have had a few meals a week brought over to the house.

Adorable organic outfits by Rainy Lain

Sleep:

• 2-3 hour stretches. Oh, I can't wait until they start sleeping longer!

• For the first 3 weeks they slept in a MamaRoo and RockaRoo, but now have transitioned to Rock n' Plays. I use a sound machine to play white noise.

• They both sleep in their room, and I don't use a monitor. I wait till I hear one of them crying before I get up. I'm such a light sleeper, so I wouldn't sleep a wink if I heard Walt grunting all night.

Eating:

• The first week I breastfed them, the second week they had pumped breast milk supplemented with formula and by week 3 were drinking formula only.

• We are feeding them Enfamil newborn formula, but have switched to Gentlease since they have been so gassy the past week. Whitney is much more gassy and can barely get comfortable eating, and has a very hard time sleeping due to gas pain.

Growth:

• Clothing - Newborn
• Diapers - Newborn

Likes:

• Sleeping and eating (sometimes). What do most babies like other than these at this stage? 
• Whitney takes a pacifier, Walt not so much.  
• Taking naps on my chest

Dislikes:

• The process of being swaddled. Walt usually grunts and tries to get out a few times during his naps, but I know that it ultimately helps him sleep better.
• Walt absolutely hates having his diaper changed, and has the highest pitched scream the second a wipe touches his bottom.

Fun Facts:

• Walt:
• My jumpy one. He reacts so easily to sounds, and throws his hands up constantly. He's also my grunter...constantly making noises.

• Might have torticollis, so we're watching him closely. I he has a hemangioma forming on the left side of his noise. I noticed it when he was 3 weeks old, which is about the same time Turner's began to form.

• Whitney: 
• She has the cutest double chin, and I'm OBSESSED with her strawberry blonde hair.

• Also has a hemangioma like her brothers, but hers is on the bicep of her right arm

• I love putting tiny bows on her. I currently have RosieOutlookTX and TinyTurban bows. I only have a small window to dress her how I want, so I'm taking full advantage.