Growing up

Everyone's growing up so fast! Jadens about to turn 5 and starting kindergarten this year. We are so excited about homeschooling. We joined a homeschool group and we have lots of functions to go to. These are the kids that they're gonna grow up with, gonna be their lifelong friends.

I go back to night shift starting Monday, so happy to get my hours back. It works out much better for my family life and I get to see my boys way more.

Not much else to update on. Still exclusively breastfeeding. All my joints are still sore. Babies are getting huge! Still producing tons of milk. Not much has changed.

Everything's really busy right now. My wonderful sister in law bought me an amazing planner that I just love! Jadens birthdays coming up and that's going to be a lot of fun.

I had a mishap with school and taxes and financial aid so now I have to amend my taxes and start school in January. It shouldn't affect my graduation date though. Just an aggravation. Small bump in the road.

I really can't think of anything else that's going on :) love you all!

3 months postpartum!

The twins are 3 months old! I cannot believe how time is flying. I don't know how much they weigh because they haven't been to the doctor since 2 months and don't go back until 4 months, but I'm tellin ya- these babies are HUGE!

They're still pretty much fussin all the time. Daddy does well with cryin babies when he's home. Kasons going through a phase where he wants to be held all the time and doesn't really like to be worn. Kyler loves to be worn.

Breastfeeding is still going strong. I still have the oversupply with foremilk/hindmilk imbalance that I am STILL working on correcting. I think its getting better but they still need the lactase drops or the fussiness is way worse. Kylers colic seems to be improving with the chiropractic treatment. The whole family is going twice a week for that. He still has some episodes but not as often and they don't last as long.

I'm struggling to find time for everything I need to do and have found myself needing a better schedule. It's a work in progress as well. Kyler sleeps through the night once or twice a week (through the night being from 10 pm to 5 am). Kason never sleeps through the night but usually skips the midnight feeding and wakes around 2 or 3. They are super easy at night though. They just eat and go back to sleep. Kasons still an early bird and likes to stay awake after 7 am.

I'm losing lots of baby weight but my body's not the same at all. It's amazing that I'm still losing weight with as much as I'm eating right now. I'm a bottomless pit! Sometimes my scar still aches if I bump it on the crib, it seems to be right at the same level. Mostly it's numb all around it. I still have the flabby belly skin and hernia. So not cute. I'll post a pic soon for you morbidly curious people that don't see me at home everyday.

I did finally get a stroller! Super exciting! It's a really nice one too. Graco duo quattro something. Love it.

I've been having joint pain for the last month or so. Mostly ankles, knees, hips and elbows. I've come to the conclusion that it's the hormones from breastfeeding (lots of relaxin) plus the hormones from my mirena making my joints loose and sore. So I don't have Lyme disease without a tick bite or something (I don't think)!

Still hatin my phone. Let me know if you have any questions or if I forgot to update about something!

12 week old twins chiropractor visit!

So a couple of days ago, someone in my "Moms of Twins" group of facebook suggested I try taking Kyler to a chiropractor for his colic. I had never even heard of babies going to chiropractors before! Especially not for treatment of colic. So I did lots of research. People on the internet (and people I knew in real life) had nothing but positive things to say and their own success stories! So I thought it couldn't hurt to try it. I emailed and then called a local place that treats infants. They had me come in this morning and bring both babies for a free evaluation and exam. FYI- WellCare does not cover chiropractors.

It was a small office with some older people there, they cooed over how cute the twins are. Went into a room and Dr. Martin came right in. He told me that he would have to put them in their natural position to examine their spines. He then turned Kyler upside down and held him by his ankles! I'm thinking to myself, "Oh Lord. What have I gotten into?" Kylers head immediately tilted to the right. Then the doctor told me that he was going to "vibrate Kylers atlas." So he squeezed the back of his neck and kinda shook it gently, like a vibration. Kyler fussed but did not scream. The doctor did that for about 30 seconds and poked his back in a couple of other places. Then he held him upside down again. This time, Kylers head did not tilt and he was perfectly straight!

He repeated the process with Kason and he had the same reaction. Dr. Martin said that both of their spines had been out of whack and now the nerves could get to the digestive system better and things would work the way God intended. In my research I found the causes of "spinal subluxation" in infants to be: Crowding in utero, c-section births, breech presentations during pregnancy, rough handling (as in inexperienced diaper changers), and forceps/vacuum extractions. Kyler was breech for a long time during pregnancy, and they were both very crowded, but Kyler was more crowded. And they were born by c-section. So they had some risk factors!

Anyway, we go back on Friday morning to see how their spines are and if they need another adjustment, and to see if todays adjustment helped with the colic. The best part is, they aren't charging me for today or Friday! :)  Hopefully my baby boys are well on their way to wellness! Who knew people actually hung babies upside down?

Mommy's little piggies

Time is flying! I had school orientation today, got all the financial aid stuff sorted out. Having to retake anatomy and physiology 1 and 2 and microbiology (and their labs) because they can't be older than 3 years and of course mine are. At least they're classes I like, especially micro!

The last few nights have been rough with the twins. They are so fussy in the evenings and at night. They just cry and cry. Can't wait until they outgrow the colic. If it's not soon I will lose my mind for sure. Breastfeeding is still going well. I have become somewhat of a breast milk hoarder and cannot be reassured that I have enough in the freezer or that I'm making enough. Though the twins are HUGE and I pump more than they eat. Still. You can never have too much. Even with oversupply. :)

Jaden (who will be 5 next month) is a night owl and has a really hard time going to sleep, especially since the twins are usually crying and we all share a room. Some of you have been wondering what it looks like to have 2 adults and 4 kids in one room so I'm going to post a video on Facebook in just a few. Anyway, the pediatrician suggested Jaden take melatonin each night (this was about a year ago, he's always had trouble). I'm not sure if I should try it. And how would I get it in him? Anyone have experience with children and melatonin?

Gage is still having some aggression but its almost always towards Jaden. He loves the twins soooo much and he is so great with them. He fetches anything they need or I need, and loves to talk to them and make them smile. He and Jaden do play together more than they fight though.

This is my first time blogging from my phone. I still hate this phone, I think even more than I did when I first got it. Want my iPhone back for sure. If something happens and this post doesn't save, I'm throwing it in the trash.

I'm gonna run and make that video while I can, I hope to update the blog more often! Thanks for reading :)

Happy Days

I've been struggling to find time to write this update! But I finally found it :)

Right now my 3 year old Gage is screaming at the top of his lungs in a temper tantrum. He really is going through the terrible threes. They are way worse than 2 ever was! Sometimes he gets so aggressive, especially to his 4 year old brother. He needs an outlet for sure. On a super positive note, he potty trained himself this week! We had been encouraging him to wear his underwear and not pee in them and also try to pee in the potty. While visiting his Granny last weekend, he decided to pee in her potty. Ever since then he has been peeing AND pooping in the potty with only an accident or 2. I am SO proud of my big boy!!!!

The twins had their 2 month checkup on Wednesday. Kason weighs 10 lbs 2 oz and is 21 and 3/4 inches tall. Kyler weighs 10 lbs 8 oz and is 23 inches tall! Kason feels heavier but I think it's because he's more compact. Kyler's colic has really not improved much unfortunately, we are just waiting it out. I am going to start wearing them though when I get my baby k'tan carrier! Hopefully that will help. Either way, I can't wait to use it.

Starting back to work was really rough. I missed everyone so badly and it was hard trying to pump every 2-3 hours and still try to get back in the swing of things. So much of what I do at work is timed and I can't afford to be slow or distracted. I have gone down to part time though and I think it's for the best, especially with school. I have managed to stay ahead of them with pumping so far and I intend to continue to pump and breastfeed until they're 1 with no formula ever. That's the plan anyway! :)

I can't remember if I talked about this in a previous post or not, but I'm having trouble deciding whther to start kindergarten with Jaden this year or not. He will be 5 August 20th and while ahead academically, he is behind in maturity and physically. We are using My Fathers World curriculum and it's supposed to start off gently so I think we will just do it and see what happens. If I feel like he isn't ready yet or he's not enjoying it, we can either do it slower or wait a while.

We are going to occupational therapy twice a week for one hour sessions and it is helping a lot with his motor skills. He can press down with more pressure with a crayon now and is having more strength in his fingers. Jaden still frequently "w-sits" and it has made his hip muscles tight so he runs funny and it hurts his legs to sit other ways like "criss-cross applesauce". He also has general low muscle tone so he gets tired faster than other kids and he doesn't ride a bike or tricycle. We are working on all these things with the wonderful people at Aspire Pediatric Therapy! Love them! Jaden loves going to OT.


I got a new phone, the samsung galaxy s4. I had an iphone 4s. I miss my iphone! The galaxy is so different and I'm not used to it and find the device very aggravating and not user friendly at all. I'm hoping it'll grow on me.

Local people with small kids- we need to get together and play. Also, I was thinking about getting Jaden involved in a sport or activity this year, but not sure how to go about it or what he would really like. I was thinking about tumbling. I plan on talking to his O therapist about it next week. Does anyone have any suggestions on what we should try? He's not old enough for music lessons right? We're definitely gonna do 4H and boy scouts when he's old enough because I know he would love those things. Gage definitely needs something physical, but he 's so young and usually refuses to participate in things.

Y'all give me feedback on these things, you can leave it on my facebook if you don't want to comment here. facebook.com/ashley.mckinnon

Until next time!

Q&A!

Here is the Q&A as promised! I got a few questions inboxed to me, some asked verbally, and some texted.

Q: How are Jaden and Gage adjusting to life with the twins?
A: It depends on the day, really. Jaden has had some regression and increased tantrums since right before they were born. The regression is better, and some days the tantrums are. Gage at first didn't notice them much. Now he really likes them, and he is my right hand man. He is super helpful and likes to be involved. Lately he has had an increase in aggression and being more emotional, and I'm not sure if those are related to the birth of the twins or not. They can both tell the twins apart and have not ever expressed any negativity towards them.

Q: How is twin pregnancy, labor and delivery different with twins than a singleton? 
A: For me, the first trimester symptoms were way worse with twins. I was unbelievably tired, my boobs hurt so bad they couldn't be touched, I vomited frequently. I also felt like I felt the "baby" moving at 10 weeks, when I knew it was too early. I was working full time during this pregnancy and in my previous pregnancies I had not worked, only gone to school. Starting in the second trimester, I thought I would literally die of heartburn. With my singleton pregnancies, I did have heartburn in the third trimester but it was well controlled with Zantac. There was no stopping this twin heartburn. It felt like my chest was ripping apart all the time. I was on Prilosec, Zantac, Protonix, and many Tums and it barely helped. With my singletons, I was induced both times so the labor was rough. Pitocin is nobodys friend! They were both vaginal deliveries. With the twins, I had prodromal labor for weeks. I had contractions every day from 32 weeks, but never dilated past 3cm. Scheduled my one and only C-section at 38 weeks exactly.

Q: Are you getting any sleep?
Right now, the twins are 6 weeks old and still eat about every 3 hours. I have been trying to keep them on a schedule of 3-6-9-12 but that doesn't always work out. Kyler eats more frequently and Kason eats more at once. Also, if Kason is sleepy, he will not wake up to eat. They are still exclusively breastfed, never had any formula! The pediatrician has advised me not to feed them at the same time for a couple of weeks because my letdown is more forceful when both breasts are stimulated and they have a hard time keeping up. So for now at night, I feed one and hope the other one doesn't wake up crying before I'm done. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes I fall back asleep for 45 minutes before the other wakes up. It just depends. So I get sleep in small doses throughout the night and no day time naps for me.

Q: Did you breastfeed your other 2 children?
Jaden not at all, and Gage only for a week. So this is really my first time doing this.

Q: Are your twins identical?
No, they are fraternal. We weren't sure until they were born but now we are sure! They're very different. They were dichorionic/diamniotic which means they were in their own sacs and each had their own placenta. If you are looking at pictures of them, Kyler has a lot more hair than Kason does.

Q: Do twins run in your family?
No they do not. Since it only matters on my side of the family (since I'm the one that dropped 2 eggs it has nothing to do with my husband), we have learned that these are the first twins we know of in my family.

Q: Were you using fertility treatments to get pregnant?
No. The twins were completely spontaneous. I was, however, having irregular cycles since coming off the Depo shot.

Q: Did you get your tubes tied? If not, what birth control will you be using if any?
I did not get my tubes tied. I am getting an IUD at my 6 week checkup.

Q: Do you want more kids?
 Not at this time. I could not handle any more children. If my husband and I feel differently in 10 or so years, we may revisit, but it's not likely (and I'll be 39!). So I don't think I'll be having any more and I'm perfectly happy with that.

Q: Who takes care of your boys while you work?
My grandmother and aunt live with me and take care of them. My mom also lives not far away and comes over everyday to help out as well. I am very blessed to have the family I have. I could not do this without them!

Q: What guilty pleasures do you indulge in to have some "me-time"?
I have recently discovered my love for pedicures! I've only had one but it was an amazing experience and I can't wait to go back! I also love to watch Dance Moms and Greys Anatomy. And I love taking baths!

Q: Where did you get the names Kason and Kyler?
I had originally liked the name Chyler (as in Chyler Leigh actress that played Lexie on Greys) for a girl but was afraid it sounded too masculine. Everyone knows I wasn't gonna have a girl anyways. So I changed the spelling to make it even more masculine and appear to be a cross between Kyle and Tyler. Then, my husband and I had liked the name Payson but were again unsure about the gender. When I found out I was naming twins, I decided I'd like their names to start with the same letter and NOT rhyme!  Kason was the natural conclusion. Fun fact: the name Kamden was also considered. Their middle names are family names just as the other 2 boys have family middle names. Kason Todd is named after my stepdad that means so much to me, and Kyler Thomas is named after my moms daddy (as is Jaden Drew).

Q: When are you going back to work?
I start back next week, the twins will be 7 and a half weeks old. I had 12 weeks unpaid FMLA and used 4 weeks of it on bedrest before they were born.

Q: Do the twins sleep in the same crib?
They do. We only had enough money and space for one crib. I did not get a bassinet, just the crib. They sleep in our room. I do have a pack n play in case I need to separate them for some reason. I'm going to try to keep them in the same crib until they're big enough for toddler beds. I hope it works out, but if not it's ok.

Q: Are your older 2 boys twins?
They are not. They are 15 months apart. However, they do generally wear the same size clothes and are about the same size. Jaden (the oldest) is a little taller.

Q: How do you feel about not having a girl?
I'm ok with it. Really. I always thought it would be nice, but I'm so happy with my boys. God knows what he is doing!

Q: I saw that Jaden was not completely potty trained until he was 4 and a half. Is Gage potty trained? And are you going to allow all of your boys to be in diapers that long?
Gage is not potty trained. We are going to start soon really encouraging him to make that step but I wanted to wait until after the twins were here and everything was settled. I believe they will do it when they are ready. Each child is different and forcing them before they are ready will only result in frustration and disappointment. I started trying to potty train Jaden when he was 2. So, I will allow each child to go at his own pace and refuse to punish them or shame them for not going to the bathroom. They won't go to college in diapers, this won't last forever. If they are 4, then they're 4. If they're 3, that's ok too.

Q: Are your boys circumcised?
They are. It was the preference of my husband and I, I believe it is each family's decision whether or not to have this done. 

That's all the questions I received for today! Hope everyone enjoyed!

This week in review

What a crazy week! First our dryer broke. We currently have 5 adults and 4 children living in this house. And the twins go through 100 outfits a day it seems like! So the dryer breaking was a minor disaster. Robbie diagnosed the problem and ordered the parts.

Tuesday morning Gage had a follow up appointment from last week when he had that virus and his white blood cells had been really low. Retested a week later and back to normal. 

On Tuesday night, I was breastfeeding the twins at the same time and Kason had an episode where he kinda drowned in my breast milk. He couldn't breathe for like 15 seconds and it scared us both to death. Stupid forceful letdown and oversupply. Anyway, on Wednesday he couldn't breathe through his nose. It got worse and worse until as I was pulling out of the driveway for Jaden's OT with both of the big boys, Grandma flagged me down and said Kason wasn't breathing right and she didn't feel comfortable for me to leave. I called the doctor and they told me to bring him in. I ended up having to take everyone except Kyler because the big boys were already in the car and it would've been drama to get them out. I thought the breastfeeding episode had caused this and the nurse practitioner did an exam and said he was fine.

Thursday I went to my aunt Terri's to do laundry since the dryer was still broken. I brought all 4 boys and her grandson (who is 3) was there. It was a crazy day because the big boys were really wild all day and there was really no where to put the twins except on the floor which was dangerous with the kids running around. That day Kason's nose was really stopped up. He wasn't eating well or sleeping well. Then Kyler started acting stuffy.

Friday- the parts for the dryer came in and Robbie worked forever and was finally able to fix it- HOORAY! So proud of him! Kason's nose was not any better at all and I was afraid to go into the weekend with him like that. Back to the doctor we went. They examined him again and said there's nothing they can do about it, it's a cold virus (probably the same that Jaden and Gage had last week) and just keep doing what I'm doing.

Saturday was the best day of all. On Saturday afternoons, my mom always takes Jaden and Gage out to eat and to the grocery store and back to her house for the evening. I pumped some milk and Kyler went next door with my mother in law and Kason stayed home with Nanny. Robbie and I went out! He got a haircut and I got my first pedicure ever. It was the most amazing experience! I can't wait to go back! We walked to Kohls and Famous Footwear because I was looking for a new pair of flip flops. I didn't get any because I couldn't find any under $20. I'm not paying $35 for a pair of flip flops! Then we went to dinner at Chilis. 

Today we just had church which is always fun. The van was acting like it wasn't going to start after church so hopefully Robbie can look at that and it's something simple. Kasons nose is finally getting better today. Kyler is struggling a lot with gas and fussiness. Mylicon only helps a little. I think the oversupply is contributing to that some. 

So its been a long crazy week, and I haven't even gone back to work yet! I also haven't started school and the school year hasn't started for the boys! Yikes! I'm hoping we will be able to settle into a routine fairly quickly.

Thanks everyone for reading! I will update again soon, for the twins are about to be 6 weeks old!