3 Weeks Old - June 23, 2011

3 Weeks Old
Sophie - 5lbs 4oz
Stella - 5lbs 9oz

Sophie & Stella,
Congratulations! You are both finally back over 5 lbs!!! We went to the Pediatrician's office today for another weight check and we were so nervous because you both have been throwing up so much that we didn't think you had gained any weight. Stella got weighed first and she gained another 5 ounces. When they put Sophie on the scale, I held my breath thinking you had lost weight. To my surprise you gained 8 ounces in 8 days! Pretty good, kid. I could finally breath again. I'm glad to see that we are doing things right and you are getting enough to eat.

Here's a recap of what happened with you girls this week:

Photo Shoot with "Picture Perfect Photography"

We had the photo shoot with Val on Friday. Oh my gosh...it was so cute! You girls were so good and Val is so amazing with infants. We finished the photo shoot in a record 3 hours. Apparently, by the time we had Sophie's part shot, Val is still trying to get some infants to settle down enough to just start. We were totally ahead of the game and you girls are naturals, which is a good thing because I'm sure mommy will be putting you in plenty of photo shoots when you're a bit older!

On Saturday, Lisa G's had the annual "Dam Duck Race" where they drop 100's of rubber ducks into the Chubb River. The ducks are purchased by people as a fundraiser and the person who's duck goes over the dam and crosses the finish line first wins the raffle money. There are always a ton of people at this event and we decided to bring you girls and be social. We walked into Lisa G's and immediately people swarmed you two! People came to visit and see you both the entire 2 hours we were there. It was quite crazy, but everyone just loves you!

June 20, 2011
Your First "BathTub" Bath

Sunday was daddy's first father's day, and it was a great day but a very busy day! You girls gave daddy a really cute card that mommy picked out (and obviously filled out for you), daddy loved his card. We decided to go to Plattsburgh for the day, as we had a lot of little things that we needed to pick up to stock the nursery. This was your first trip to Plattsburgh and our first time taking you girls outside of Lake Placid. It took some careful planning: making sure we had the diaper bag packed, planning out when you needed to nurse so we could work around that, figuring out how to shop easily with two car seats. Daddy and I had to each push a cart so that your car seats could rest in the shopping carts. We also went to your first "Sunday Family Dinner" with daddy's family. Sunday dinner is a tradition in the Hoffman household, every Sunday the family gets together with Papa and Janer at Spruce Lodge for dinner. You girls were very good, sleeping through most of dinner. You also got passed around a lot, as everyone wants to hold you, especially Aunt Ashleah! After dinner, daddy took you girls for a drive in the car to Wilmington. Daddy and Uncle Tim had to get Uncle Tim's car down there, so daddy was nice enough to take you both with him so mommy could get in her first run. Mommy was sad to see you go in the car without me, but was very excited to take my first run since the half marathon I ran when I was 5 weeks pregnant with you. I ran from Spruce Lodge to home, so it wasn't very far but it felt so good. Mommy is training for two half marathons this year; one in September and one in November.

The best part of Sunday was that you slept through the night at only 2 1/2 weeks old! You girls tend to have "cranky time" just like your Aunt Leah, and it tends to be anywhere between 7-9pm. Daddy and I named Stella "Lady Fussy Pants" because she seems to be the fussier of the two most of the time. We call Sophie "Madame Pukes-a-Lot" because you've been spitting up so much. Hopefully these names won't stick with you, but I had to document them because they are kind of humorous. Anyway, on Sunday we had Cranky Time until about 11:00pm and mommy put you down in your cribs at 11:30pm. You girls did not wake up until 6:30 the next morning. I did have to get up in the middle of the night to feed you, because you're not supposed to go more than 4 hours without being fed, so I fed you both while you slept and then put you back to bed. I'm sure it was a fluke that you slept through the night, but it felt so great!!!

Mommy & Great Grammie

Aunt Ashley and Stella

Great Grammie and Sophie

Monday we spent the day with Aunt Ashley. We walked around the lake in the morning because it was so beautiful and then we went to visit Great Grammie for the afternoon. Great Grammie cannot get enough of you girls. Every time we visit, her eyes light up, it is just so cute. I really hope that you are both blessed to know your Great Grammie like mommy does...she is such a special person to me and I hope you get the chance to have a great relationship with her. She loves you both so much!

Stella also found her thumb on Monday. Mommy was holding "Lady Fussy Pants" because she was surprisingly fussy (who would have thought!) when all of a sudden, you calmed yourself down by sticking your thumb in your mouth. It was so exciting to watch you do it, because at this point you both hadn't done too much other than sleep!

Mommy is really excited to see all the little progressions you girls make as you continue to get older. It is just such a blessing to watch you both grow everyday and learn new things. Mommy learns new things everyday, too and I can't wait to share them with you and teach you everything. I love you both so very much!

Love,
Mommy