Welcome to the first-ever installment of Things I Don't Want To Forget Thursdays! I saw this a few times on another twin momma's blog, and I was hooked. Sam and Anna do so many adorable things daily that I know I will never remember them unless I document each one permanently. At first, I tried to save them for the monthly post, but a month is a long time to wait to pass when your babies are only 4 months old!
Anna:
Yesterday I was taking the babies for a stroller ride in the afternoon, and Anna was watching me with a very serious face. I thought maybe she was more tired than I realized when we set out and she was ready for a nap. I lifted my sunglasses to try to get her to smile at me. She instantly looked shocked and burst into one of her full-on grins. I think she didn't recognize me with the shades covering my eyes! So we played the sunglasses game during the rest of the walk. I'd lift them up and smile, and she'd flash me the hugest grin in return. Every time I lowered my sunglasses, the smile would quickly fade. It was hilarious- and even Sam started to join in the fun!
She is trying so hard to stand and loves bearing weight on her legs. If you try to pull her to a sitting position, she'll lock her body and stand instead.
Sam:
Sam tries so hard to scream like his sister can and like she frequently does. He'll open up his mouth as wide as he can and loudly babble on and on, but you can see the mounting frustration on his face as he tries to contort his mouth to yell. It is the cutest thing to watch! When he finally figures it out, I bet he's going to be one happy guy!
Sam would rather sit than stand. If you try to get him to bear weight on his legs, most of the time, he'll let them cross so he can sit. This is the boy who used to really dislike having his legs bent to a sitting position! I think he's really close to a tripod sit.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
My Beef
It bothers me when breastfeeding mothers comment something along the lines of "I must make buttermilk!" or " My baby must be drinking half and half!" after sharing the nice healthy weight of their child. Too often I see these comments on blogs of women who entered parenthood through the hard fought path of infertility. I just read similar words again tonight, and thought it was time I stopped internalizing my annoyance, allow myself to vent, and maybe help someone to see things from a different perspective.
To me, those words are all too similar to ones that infertiles hear all the time: "my husband has super sperm... all he has to do is look at me and I get pregnant." IF ladies- doesn't it at least slightly irritate you when you hear those words?
Now breastfeeding moms- remember back in the early days when it wasn't so easy for you to breastfeed. Think of the multitude of women that try and can't breastfeed their babies- whether it is because of latching issues (one of the issues we faced), health issues (like lack of weight gain- another problem we encountered in the hospital), or supply issues. Or the many new moms who can't breastfeed from the beginning because of NICU stays or other physical limitations. Think of the mommy guilt you might face when you have to stop breastfeeding. And maybe you can start to see what a loaded comment that turns into and how it might make someone else feel badly.
I know I am just a little more sensitive to these types of comments because I tried to breastfeed in the beginning. Now that Sam and Anna are on formula and have eating issues that create weight gain issues, I would be lying if I said it never crossed my mind to wonder if we'd have the same problems if I were still breastfeeding my twins.
All I ask is that before tossing similar words around like: "my baby must be getting heavy creamer from me!" you consider your audience and how those words might sting a little for the person on the other end.
That is all.
To me, those words are all too similar to ones that infertiles hear all the time: "my husband has super sperm... all he has to do is look at me and I get pregnant." IF ladies- doesn't it at least slightly irritate you when you hear those words?
Now breastfeeding moms- remember back in the early days when it wasn't so easy for you to breastfeed. Think of the multitude of women that try and can't breastfeed their babies- whether it is because of latching issues (one of the issues we faced), health issues (like lack of weight gain- another problem we encountered in the hospital), or supply issues. Or the many new moms who can't breastfeed from the beginning because of NICU stays or other physical limitations. Think of the mommy guilt you might face when you have to stop breastfeeding. And maybe you can start to see what a loaded comment that turns into and how it might make someone else feel badly.
I know I am just a little more sensitive to these types of comments because I tried to breastfeed in the beginning. Now that Sam and Anna are on formula and have eating issues that create weight gain issues, I would be lying if I said it never crossed my mind to wonder if we'd have the same problems if I were still breastfeeding my twins.
All I ask is that before tossing similar words around like: "my baby must be getting heavy creamer from me!" you consider your audience and how those words might sting a little for the person on the other end.
That is all.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Things I Do For My Babies
Y'all- I don't cook. I worked out a handy (and smart, if I must say so myself) agreement with my husband long before the rings were put on that he'd do all the cooking at our house. He's in charge of the kitchen and pretty much everything that has to do with it. In return for his cooking, kitchen cleaning, dish washing and bottle making, I don't say a word when the kitchen is less tidy and clean than I would personally like it to be. He's an excellent cook, loves experimenting with food and has even reformed me from a very picky eater to a person who loves Indian, Thai, and sushi, among other foods.
Since we've been married for over 7 years, it's been a long time since I've cooked regularly. Let me tell you- when it comes to cooking, if you don't practice, you do forget how to do it; at least how to do it well. I used to be okay in the kitchen- now I have been known to even mess up mac and cheese.
Now knowing all that, it should surprise you that I decided making/cooking baby food would be something I wanted to take on.
For a baby shower gift, we got a electric baby food mill, baby food storage cubes, and baby food cookbooks. I did not register for these, and at the time, I thought: seriously? The gift giver (my MIL, who taught my dear husband how to cook- but that's enough blog fodder for another post entirely) thinks that with twins I'll have time to make baby food? Now that the babies have been here for a while, I may be singing a different tune. Maybe I won't have time to make all the baby food my little ones will eat, but I think it will be a nice effort to make what I can. It will be more nutritious for them, and less expensive. And after paging through the baby food cookbooks- it looked fairly easy and not all that time consuming. So tonight, I attempted making our first batch of homemade baby food.
I settled on carrots for a few reasons: "Yellow" veggies are typically recommended first, after rice cereal. It was a toss up between carrots and sweet potatoes, until I read that the proteins in sweet potatoes are harder to digest and then I read that carrots are one food that is suggested to be organic. Since the formula that has worked best for Sam and Anna has partially broken down proteins (and people, we've tried 5 different kinds of formula before we finally settled on this one), I was worried that the proteins in the sweet potatoes might cause problems if we attempt that first. So carrots, it was.
Now you won't see any pictures for a while of Sam and Anna enjoying the pureed carrots (although I tasted them and thought they were yummy) because we haven't actually started solid foods yet. I froze the pureed carrots, which will be fine for 6 weeks-2 months. We're waiting until closer to 6 months to begin our adventures into solid food. Call me crazy (and I'm sure this is atypical first-time-mom behavior) but I'm really not that excited to start this stage. It's not because I want my little ones to stay "babies," it's partly because feeding them formula is still a huge challenge for us daily. It takes a lot of work to get in as many ounces as they get a day, which is still not as much as they should (damn reflux and oral issues). I'm dragging my feet on adding another eating challenge into our day.
I'm also not enthused about starting solids because some foods can cause reflux flare-ups in babies that have reflux. It varies so much from baby to baby, that we won't know the foods that will cause a reflux flare-up until we try them. For that reason, babies that suffer from reflux need to be introduced foods much more cautiously and slowly than a typical baby.
Honestly, I'm scared of having more trouble with reflux. With every food we try, I'm going to be nervous that my babies will be miserable for days afterwards. I think that may be a subconscious reason why I thought to give making baby food a try: to have some control over the uncertainty that solids will be for us. And maybe even to try to drum up some enthusiasm for the milestone event that is just around the corner. I promise I'll post pictures when that day arrives. :)
Since we've been married for over 7 years, it's been a long time since I've cooked regularly. Let me tell you- when it comes to cooking, if you don't practice, you do forget how to do it; at least how to do it well. I used to be okay in the kitchen- now I have been known to even mess up mac and cheese.
Now knowing all that, it should surprise you that I decided making/cooking baby food would be something I wanted to take on.
For a baby shower gift, we got a electric baby food mill, baby food storage cubes, and baby food cookbooks. I did not register for these, and at the time, I thought: seriously? The gift giver (my MIL, who taught my dear husband how to cook- but that's enough blog fodder for another post entirely) thinks that with twins I'll have time to make baby food? Now that the babies have been here for a while, I may be singing a different tune. Maybe I won't have time to make all the baby food my little ones will eat, but I think it will be a nice effort to make what I can. It will be more nutritious for them, and less expensive. And after paging through the baby food cookbooks- it looked fairly easy and not all that time consuming. So tonight, I attempted making our first batch of homemade baby food.
I settled on carrots for a few reasons: "Yellow" veggies are typically recommended first, after rice cereal. It was a toss up between carrots and sweet potatoes, until I read that the proteins in sweet potatoes are harder to digest and then I read that carrots are one food that is suggested to be organic. Since the formula that has worked best for Sam and Anna has partially broken down proteins (and people, we've tried 5 different kinds of formula before we finally settled on this one), I was worried that the proteins in the sweet potatoes might cause problems if we attempt that first. So carrots, it was.
Now you won't see any pictures for a while of Sam and Anna enjoying the pureed carrots (although I tasted them and thought they were yummy) because we haven't actually started solid foods yet. I froze the pureed carrots, which will be fine for 6 weeks-2 months. We're waiting until closer to 6 months to begin our adventures into solid food. Call me crazy (and I'm sure this is atypical first-time-mom behavior) but I'm really not that excited to start this stage. It's not because I want my little ones to stay "babies," it's partly because feeding them formula is still a huge challenge for us daily. It takes a lot of work to get in as many ounces as they get a day, which is still not as much as they should (damn reflux and oral issues). I'm dragging my feet on adding another eating challenge into our day.
I'm also not enthused about starting solids because some foods can cause reflux flare-ups in babies that have reflux. It varies so much from baby to baby, that we won't know the foods that will cause a reflux flare-up until we try them. For that reason, babies that suffer from reflux need to be introduced foods much more cautiously and slowly than a typical baby.
Honestly, I'm scared of having more trouble with reflux. With every food we try, I'm going to be nervous that my babies will be miserable for days afterwards. I think that may be a subconscious reason why I thought to give making baby food a try: to have some control over the uncertainty that solids will be for us. And maybe even to try to drum up some enthusiasm for the milestone event that is just around the corner. I promise I'll post pictures when that day arrives. :)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Anna's Reciprocal Photo Shoot
Anna checked in at a "whopping" 12 lbs today (hey, for her that's pretty darn good!) which means her days of 0-3 month clothing are dwindling. She has worn a few 3-6 month outfits, but the 6 month ones still dwarf her. If she keep gaining like she has recently, we should be in 6 month clothes very, very soon! Here are some pictures of outfits that are on the way out, all of which are wayyyy cuter in person:
This is actually a newborn outfit. I could hardly get it over her head, and I couldn't even get the bottom snaps close to meeting, which is why the photo is so cropped.
This was the last one I took. Can't you just tell what she's thinking- "Are you done, yet?"
And one more of Anna, just because I like it:
Mother and daughter :)
This is actually a newborn outfit. I could hardly get it over her head, and I couldn't even get the bottom snaps close to meeting, which is why the photo is so cropped.
This girl has always got her hands in her mouth
This was the last one I took. Can't you just tell what she's thinking- "Are you done, yet?"And one more of Anna, just because I like it:
Mother and daughter :) Monday, July 19, 2010
Baptism Brew-haha
This post is about 2 weeks overdue, but I have a minor excuse for the first week, at least: my parents stuck around after the baptism for a week to "help." They did help, but sometimes having visitors for a week can be a lot of work, too. Sam and Anna were baptized on July 4th. We chose that date because all of our families needed to travel to our home from out of state, and it was the only weekend in July that worked for everyone. I wanted to have the baptism in the summer so I wouldn't have to worry about school, and I thought they would be old enough that by the time July rolled around, we'd know what were were doing enough to host 12 people at our house for the weekend.
This event was the first time I hosted any sort of get-together at our home (one of the perks of living outside of the state where you grew up), and it was stressful to plan meals for the weekend, coordinate who was staying where and entertain everyone up to the baptism on Sunday, plus get our house clean by the time everyone arrived all with two babies keeping us busy. Our pastor is awesome though, because he and his wife (who happen to live in our neighborhood) watched Sam and Anna for an evening the day before our first guests arrived so the two of us could hardcore clean.
The booties their grandma made for the occasion
This event was the first time I hosted any sort of get-together at our home (one of the perks of living outside of the state where you grew up), and it was stressful to plan meals for the weekend, coordinate who was staying where and entertain everyone up to the baptism on Sunday, plus get our house clean by the time everyone arrived all with two babies keeping us busy. Our pastor is awesome though, because he and his wife (who happen to live in our neighborhood) watched Sam and Anna for an evening the day before our first guests arrived so the two of us could hardcore clean.
Everything went very well. Both babies cried while we were up at the alter (I think they didn't like us just standing still and not interacting with them) but stopped crying when the water was poured over their heads.
The booties their grandma made for the occasion (festive, don't you think?)
Sunday, July 18, 2010
1 Year Ago (part 2)
I woke up early that morning and just laid in bed vacillating- do I or don't I? I didn't whip out the pee sticks the day before to my husband's surprise, but it still scared me so much to have the finality of one pink line or two. Anyone who's done an IVF cycle knows the feeling- for the first time in a long time, you have hope (this could be it) and there is the chance that only one pink line will show up, obliterating that hope- so it's just nice to be in the land of I'm-possibly-pregnant for once. But yet, there could be TWO pink lines and all you've prayed and wished for could come true and you want that moment too. When to test (or if) is a hard decision to make after an IVF cycle.
It was a Saturday and our beta was on Monday. , I knew I would test before the appointment at some point because I wanted time to process whatever the result was going to be before having to talk to someone about it. The last thing I wanted was to choke back tears as I told a nurse thank you over the phone. I wanted to do it on my terms when I felt like I could best handle the result. Plus, I wanted to be the first to know- not some lab tech.
I woke up around 6:30 am (unheard of for a night owl like me) dreaming about testing and with a full bladder. After hemming and hawwing, I finally decided that was the sign I needed that it was the right time to POAS. I tiptoed to the bathroom. Despite my heart loudly pounding in my chest, my husband slept without stirring, blissfully unaware of what I was about to do.
I peed. I was shaking. I stared at the test. And there it was, the holy manna for IF gals: the elusive double pink lines. I immediately covered my mouth (I guess to keep from shrieking?) and then looked at my reflection in the mirror, because I wanted to see my expression. My face had a look on it that I had not seen in an extremely long time. I'll never forget the look of pure joy oozing out of every smile crinkle and sparkle in my eyes. That was one of the most magical moments of my life.
I didn't cry tears of happiness- I think because I was in shock. What I remember next is tiptoeing back into our bedroom to do what I had dreamed about for so long- I climbed into bed, hugged my still sleeping husband and whispered in his ear. "Jake- You're going to be a daddy."
He woke up, I told him and showed him and then we spent a lot of time cuddling in bed, allowing ourselves to vocalize all those thoughts about having a baby and being parents that we had packed away a long time ago. He went back to sleep after a while, but I just couldn't. I keep walking into the bathroom to look at the HPT over and over again. It was a perfect way to start our weekend. I knew there were a lot of ways this could end badly, but I promised myself that for the weekend, I would revel in the feelings that a BFP had brought us and not let the worry enter my head. I knew very well that this could be the only time in my life that we would see those two lines whether it resulted in a successful pregnancy or not, and I wanted to experience it the best way we could.
I was pregnant.
It was a Saturday and our beta was on Monday. , I knew I would test before the appointment at some point because I wanted time to process whatever the result was going to be before having to talk to someone about it. The last thing I wanted was to choke back tears as I told a nurse thank you over the phone. I wanted to do it on my terms when I felt like I could best handle the result. Plus, I wanted to be the first to know- not some lab tech.
I woke up around 6:30 am (unheard of for a night owl like me) dreaming about testing and with a full bladder. After hemming and hawwing, I finally decided that was the sign I needed that it was the right time to POAS. I tiptoed to the bathroom. Despite my heart loudly pounding in my chest, my husband slept without stirring, blissfully unaware of what I was about to do.
I peed. I was shaking. I stared at the test. And there it was, the holy manna for IF gals: the elusive double pink lines. I immediately covered my mouth (I guess to keep from shrieking?) and then looked at my reflection in the mirror, because I wanted to see my expression. My face had a look on it that I had not seen in an extremely long time. I'll never forget the look of pure joy oozing out of every smile crinkle and sparkle in my eyes. That was one of the most magical moments of my life.
I didn't cry tears of happiness- I think because I was in shock. What I remember next is tiptoeing back into our bedroom to do what I had dreamed about for so long- I climbed into bed, hugged my still sleeping husband and whispered in his ear. "Jake- You're going to be a daddy."
He woke up, I told him and showed him and then we spent a lot of time cuddling in bed, allowing ourselves to vocalize all those thoughts about having a baby and being parents that we had packed away a long time ago. He went back to sleep after a while, but I just couldn't. I keep walking into the bathroom to look at the HPT over and over again. It was a perfect way to start our weekend. I knew there were a lot of ways this could end badly, but I promised myself that for the weekend, I would revel in the feelings that a BFP had brought us and not let the worry enter my head. I knew very well that this could be the only time in my life that we would see those two lines whether it resulted in a successful pregnancy or not, and I wanted to experience it the best way we could.
I was pregnant.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Award Time Again!
Carol from Happy High Heels and Mommy Wants Freebies gave me this award a few days ago: Thanks for thinking of me, Carol!
Hope Floats Among the Cherry Blossoms
Party of Five
Melissa's Thoughts and Realizations
Banking On It
Spit Happens
and the wisdom to know the difference
Mama and the Dudes
The Rules for Acceptance of this award are fairly simple:
Thank the blogger who bestowed the award on you.
Sum up your blogging experience, philosophy and motivation in five (5) words.
Pass the Award on to 10 deserving bloggers.
So my five words are: infertility (what my blog started out all about), twins (what my blog is about now), outlet (what I use this blog for), and never dull (such is life with twins!)!
OK, now on to the bloggers I think need this award:
(shout out to my BBC gals... y'all have blogs of substance, even if I'm a bad, bad BBC buddy and don't always have time to comment!)
It's Only LifeHope Floats Among the Cherry Blossoms
Party of Five
Melissa's Thoughts and Realizations
Banking On It
Spit Happens
and the wisdom to know the difference
Mama and the Dudes
Thursday, July 15, 2010
I Freely Admit I'm a Dork
I wasn't going to tell anyone what I succumbed Sam to yesterday... but then the darn pictures turned out so cute that my pride for my children won out over my personal pride and so now I'm freely sharing. I'm only a little embarrassed to admit that I turned Sam into a model yesterday, and -who knew?- he liked it.
His 0-3 month clothing is now too small to wear comfortably and there were a lot of cute pieces I was sad to pack away. When I realized that many of them were never worn in a picture so I wouldn't have any permanent evidence of their cuteness (since there will be no babies in the future to wear them around here), I felt the need to remedy that.
Sam was a champ and patiently allowed me to put outfit after outfit over his big melon. He happily posed and smiled for the camera for every outfit- I was shocked that he never got fussy until it was time for another nap and even more shocked that my usual you-need-to-work-for-my-smile guy was turning on the charm so freely.
And now onto some of the pictures:
(I swear- all of these were taken in an hour. And I will now apologize for making you look at picture after picture of my son smiling. What can I say? I love that smile and I already told you that I'm a dork.)
His 0-3 month clothing is now too small to wear comfortably and there were a lot of cute pieces I was sad to pack away. When I realized that many of them were never worn in a picture so I wouldn't have any permanent evidence of their cuteness (since there will be no babies in the future to wear them around here), I felt the need to remedy that.
Sam was a champ and patiently allowed me to put outfit after outfit over his big melon. He happily posed and smiled for the camera for every outfit- I was shocked that he never got fussy until it was time for another nap and even more shocked that my usual you-need-to-work-for-my-smile guy was turning on the charm so freely.
And now onto some of the pictures:
(I swear- all of these were taken in an hour. And I will now apologize for making you look at picture after picture of my son smiling. What can I say? I love that smile and I already told you that I'm a dork.) Wednesday, July 14, 2010
My PSA
Following on the heels of Kerri's great PSA about tanning (BTW: thanks, Kerri- I was actually thinking about going because I'm going to be the palest woman alive at the end of the summer, since my two babes can't be in the sun- and your PSA reminder about tanning couldn't have come at a better time. I changed my mind.), I'd like to give you a PSA to always check to make sure the things your babies use and play with are not recalled. Like Kerri mentioned- I'm not the preachy kind. I pretty much operate on the "if it doesn't hurt anyone and doesn't affect me, you can do whatever you want and it won't bother me at all" philosophy. However, safety of children doesn't fit into that philosophy. When it comes to children and their well-being, I'll be as vocal as I need to be to help make sure that children are safe.
I want to share a little story about a toy I bought for Sam and Anna at a garage sale. It was a cute wind chime and I got it because the price was right, and it was a different sound than all of my babies' other toys, which, frankly, I've gotten a little tired of. Something actually drove me to check the company's website after I got home- maybe I wanted to see how good of a deal I got, maybe it was mother's intuition at work, who knows- but what I discovered was that the cute little wind chime has a big fat recall. Excerpt from the website's information, "...The complaints state that the wind chime was pulled apart exposing sharp metal rods."
Yikes!
The offending wind chime:
I want to share a little story about a toy I bought for Sam and Anna at a garage sale. It was a cute wind chime and I got it because the price was right, and it was a different sound than all of my babies' other toys, which, frankly, I've gotten a little tired of. Something actually drove me to check the company's website after I got home- maybe I wanted to see how good of a deal I got, maybe it was mother's intuition at work, who knows- but what I discovered was that the cute little wind chime has a big fat recall. Excerpt from the website's information, "...The complaints state that the wind chime was pulled apart exposing sharp metal rods."
Yikes!
The offending wind chime:
However, the company was gracious to replace the voluntarily recalled toys, as well as supply a $2 shipping reimbursement. Sam and Anna got two brand new toys (each worth $8) for the price of one $1 garage-sale-bargain-gone-bad:
I love a happy ending! And two toys... perfect for my two babies, to boot! Sam adores the giraffe... and he hasn't gotten attached to any particular toy yet. This might just be his new favorite toy!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I'll Always Feel Different
The path I took to become a mother is different than most women.
Now that I'm here, that's not the only difference I have.
Most mothers have one baby at a time. A few *think* they know what twins would be like because they have two babies close together in age- but I emphatically know that's not the same at all. Two babies 10 or so months apart is not the same thing as having two in your womb at the same time. Trying to hold both babies is not the same thing as trying to hold two newborns that can't support their heads at the same time. Feeding both is not the same as when you have to do night feedings every two hours or so for two babies. It's not the same to try to teach two babies how to latch on at the same time. It's hardly the same at all.
Even though my babies are growing older, sometimes I still feel different than most moms. Sometimes that difference makes me feel extra special- there's so many things I get to experience that most moms don't. Sometimes that difference makes me feel like people can't relate. Sometimes that difference makes me feel like the odd person out (a sort of IF deja-vu, really). That difference can be pretty isolating in real life when very few people can completely understand your life.
Sometimes I feel like I'll never get the true experience of being a "first-time-mom." Yes, I know I am one- but its pretty different when you've got two infants at the same time. I don't have time to neurotically obsess over my only child. That concern is automatically spread out between two babies. My twins won't have meticulously filled out baby books and scrapbooks chronicling ever detail of their life. The nuk falls on the ground- who has time to wash it?- I suck on it, and pop it right back in- even possibly switching nuks between babies. Who has time to make sure two babies don't swap spit? We nuk share, bottle share, and I'm pretty darn sure we'll end up spoon sharing when we get to that point. I don't fret about having other people hold my children like a first time mom might- because it's just a fact of life when you've only got two arms.
I go to the local hospital's new mom group every Tuesday. I like going for several reasons:
1.) It gives me a routine place to go every week to help me mark my days until I go back to work. This is how I know what day it is: Monday=Bachelorette Tuesday=Moms Group Wednesday=garbage day Thursday=garage sales Friday= second day of garage sales Saturday=husband home for the weekend! Sunday=church
2.)Initially, the Moms Group gave me a place to build confidence taking two babies out in public by myself. I knew it would be okay if they cried there, because other babies might cry as well.
3.) Since weight gain has been an issue, I get to have Sam and Anna weighed weekly to track their progress. Sometimes, this does me more harm that good though- like this week when Sam was actually down 1/2 oz from last week, and he's been eating so relatively well- it was disheartening when I had been feeling so encouraged about his eating habits lately.
4.) I like to talk to moms of similar aged babies in person to get and give advice/support and find out about what their babies are doing. I routinely stalk blogs and Babycenter for the same reason, but there's just something more that you get from talking to people in person.
I like going to the New Mom Group, but I always leave feeling like I want something more. (and before you suggest it- no, my area does not have a twins or moms of multiples group. The nearest one is 45ish minutes away. That's a long haul to drag my babies every week.) I always feel like no one can really relate to my experience... but they can all relate perfectly to each other, as first-time-moms to one baby. Its hard to maneuver two babies- trying to get them undressed, weighed, and redressed while there. I get to talk about things that have to do with just one baby- but no one can give advice/support for the things I have to do or figure out for two babies at once, like the logistics of naps and schedules.
Today the moms were commiserating about spit up on their shirts, and how it always seems like you have to change your shirt right before you leave to go somewhere. I found that humorous, because today Anna spit up on my shirt right before we left. After a quick check to make sure it wouldn't be too noticeable, I went out the door- spitup shirt still on. When you've got twins- who has time to change your shirt before you leave? I don't always have time to go to the bathroom before I leave to go somewhere!
Also today, Sam's nuk fell on the floor while we were there. I picked it up, sucked on it and popped it back into his mouth. The mom sitting next to me said with a certain tone in her voice, "that's what you do to clean off a pacifier?" I wanted to say, "yes- when you've got two babies, you don't have time to run to the sink to rinse it off before using it again. A pacifier is indispensable when you need help soothing a baby so you can get to the other child."
So although most of the time I feel very special to be a mother of twins, it can be isolating and frustrating that most people just won't get what it's like. And just like our many years of dealing with IF and the fertile world, I'll always feel at least a little different and sometimes not understood.
Now that I'm here, that's not the only difference I have.
Most mothers have one baby at a time. A few *think* they know what twins would be like because they have two babies close together in age- but I emphatically know that's not the same at all. Two babies 10 or so months apart is not the same thing as having two in your womb at the same time. Trying to hold both babies is not the same thing as trying to hold two newborns that can't support their heads at the same time. Feeding both is not the same as when you have to do night feedings every two hours or so for two babies. It's not the same to try to teach two babies how to latch on at the same time. It's hardly the same at all.
Even though my babies are growing older, sometimes I still feel different than most moms. Sometimes that difference makes me feel extra special- there's so many things I get to experience that most moms don't. Sometimes that difference makes me feel like people can't relate. Sometimes that difference makes me feel like the odd person out (a sort of IF deja-vu, really). That difference can be pretty isolating in real life when very few people can completely understand your life.
Sometimes I feel like I'll never get the true experience of being a "first-time-mom." Yes, I know I am one- but its pretty different when you've got two infants at the same time. I don't have time to neurotically obsess over my only child. That concern is automatically spread out between two babies. My twins won't have meticulously filled out baby books and scrapbooks chronicling ever detail of their life. The nuk falls on the ground- who has time to wash it?- I suck on it, and pop it right back in- even possibly switching nuks between babies. Who has time to make sure two babies don't swap spit? We nuk share, bottle share, and I'm pretty darn sure we'll end up spoon sharing when we get to that point. I don't fret about having other people hold my children like a first time mom might- because it's just a fact of life when you've only got two arms.
I go to the local hospital's new mom group every Tuesday. I like going for several reasons:
1.) It gives me a routine place to go every week to help me mark my days until I go back to work. This is how I know what day it is: Monday=Bachelorette Tuesday=Moms Group Wednesday=garbage day Thursday=garage sales Friday= second day of garage sales Saturday=husband home for the weekend! Sunday=church
2.)Initially, the Moms Group gave me a place to build confidence taking two babies out in public by myself. I knew it would be okay if they cried there, because other babies might cry as well.
3.) Since weight gain has been an issue, I get to have Sam and Anna weighed weekly to track their progress. Sometimes, this does me more harm that good though- like this week when Sam was actually down 1/2 oz from last week, and he's been eating so relatively well- it was disheartening when I had been feeling so encouraged about his eating habits lately.
4.) I like to talk to moms of similar aged babies in person to get and give advice/support and find out about what their babies are doing. I routinely stalk blogs and Babycenter for the same reason, but there's just something more that you get from talking to people in person.
I like going to the New Mom Group, but I always leave feeling like I want something more. (and before you suggest it- no, my area does not have a twins or moms of multiples group. The nearest one is 45ish minutes away. That's a long haul to drag my babies every week.) I always feel like no one can really relate to my experience... but they can all relate perfectly to each other, as first-time-moms to one baby. Its hard to maneuver two babies- trying to get them undressed, weighed, and redressed while there. I get to talk about things that have to do with just one baby- but no one can give advice/support for the things I have to do or figure out for two babies at once, like the logistics of naps and schedules.
Today the moms were commiserating about spit up on their shirts, and how it always seems like you have to change your shirt right before you leave to go somewhere. I found that humorous, because today Anna spit up on my shirt right before we left. After a quick check to make sure it wouldn't be too noticeable, I went out the door- spitup shirt still on. When you've got twins- who has time to change your shirt before you leave? I don't always have time to go to the bathroom before I leave to go somewhere!
Also today, Sam's nuk fell on the floor while we were there. I picked it up, sucked on it and popped it back into his mouth. The mom sitting next to me said with a certain tone in her voice, "that's what you do to clean off a pacifier?" I wanted to say, "yes- when you've got two babies, you don't have time to run to the sink to rinse it off before using it again. A pacifier is indispensable when you need help soothing a baby so you can get to the other child."
So although most of the time I feel very special to be a mother of twins, it can be isolating and frustrating that most people just won't get what it's like. And just like our many years of dealing with IF and the fertile world, I'll always feel at least a little different and sometimes not understood.
Monday, July 12, 2010
4 months!
At 4 months, Anna:
Is in size 1-2 diapers
Wears 3 month clothes, and some 3-6 month
Weighs 11 lb 8 oz- 10%ile
Still struggles to drink more than 4 oz at a time
Is in size 1-2 diapers
Wears 3 month clothes, and some 3-6 month
Weighs 11 lb 8 oz- 10%ile
Still struggles to drink more than 4 oz at a time
Prefers getting fed only by Mom or Dad
Doesn't spit up much anymore- thanks to Prevacid
Doesn't spit up much anymore- thanks to Prevacid
Is transitioning off of Alimentum to Up&Up's Gentlease
Sleeps 8 pm-7 am most nights
Sleeps 8 pm-7 am most nights
Is napping for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours and has learned to self-soothe herself back to sleep if she wakes in the middle (most of the time)
Takes 3 longer naps a day and 1 shorter catnap in the evening
Has learned how to go to sleep on her own so well, she prefers not to be held/rocked/etc. to get drowsy, and will protest if you do. She is happiest when you just place her in her crib awake when it is nap or bedtime, and will fall asleep within minutes on her own with minimal fuss.
Uses size 3 Avent nipples
Is able to sit well with assistance
Is tolerating tummy time more, but only because she flips herself over in seconds, every time
Uses size 3 Avent nipples
Is able to sit well with assistance
Is tolerating tummy time more, but only because she flips herself over in seconds, every time
Gargles while talking
Learned how to shriek and shrieks most of the day: when she's mad, when she's happy, when she's playing, when she's talking...
Has begun to drool excessively
Grasps things with both hands together and brings them to her mouth
Needs her sleep on time but can't fall asleep very well anywhere but her crib
Grasps things with both hands together and brings them to her mouth
Needs her sleep on time but can't fall asleep very well anywhere but her crib
Lets you know when she doesn't want to be held
Loves just laying on her back
Is developing a pretty strong personality every day
At 4 months, Sam:
Is days aways from size 2 diapers
Is wearing size 3-6 month clothing
At 4 months, Sam:
Is days aways from size 2 diapers
Is wearing size 3-6 month clothing
Weighs 12 lb 8 oz- 10%ile
Has been drinking close to 30 oz a day- on average, bottles are 4 oz-7 oz
Has been drinking close to 30 oz a day- on average, bottles are 4 oz-7 oz
Is transitioning off of Alimentum to Up& Up's Gentlease
Has begun waking at 5 am for an extra feeding (We think growth-spurt related. Or maybe the famous 4 month sleep regression?)
Thanks to the pick up/put down method, naps for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours with minor wake ups in the middle. Typically only has to be picked up once or not at all to continue napping
Has begun waking at 5 am for an extra feeding (We think growth-spurt related. Or maybe the famous 4 month sleep regression?)
Thanks to the pick up/put down method, naps for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours with minor wake ups in the middle. Typically only has to be picked up once or not at all to continue napping
Takes 3 longer naps a day and 1 shorter catnap in the evening
Uses size 3 Avent nipples
Is tolerating the Bumbo more
Is getting better at sitting assisted and putting weight on his legs
Loves chillin' on his tummy, even though he knows how to roll over
Laughs when you nosily kiss his neck
Grasps toys with his hands with more control
Uses size 3 Avent nipples
Is tolerating the Bumbo more
Is getting better at sitting assisted and putting weight on his legs
Loves chillin' on his tummy, even though he knows how to roll over
Laughs when you nosily kiss his neck
Grasps toys with his hands with more control
Has smiled at his sister
Is a silent observer while his sister runs the show
Is a silent observer while his sister runs the show
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Talking At 4 Months????
I took this video to document how Sam and Anna had that magical moment recently in which they started to discover each other. They've spontaneously held hands a few times in the past, but that was different. They now seem aware of each other as a person. Sam smiled at Anna the other day, and he only smiles at people. Anna babbled at Sam this week too. We're on the brink of a great milestone that not many babies get to experience: when a twin learns they have a built in playmate to go through life with. One that will be there every step of the way- learning how to eat together, crawl together, walk together, grow up together.
Little did I know that I captured something pretty darn amazing, until I watched it on our computer. It's about 27 seconds in- listen closely to what Anna says:
Am I crazy or did my 4 month old baby tell her twin brother "I love you"????? OMG- and she says it so purposely- she doesn't "say" anything else but that. First rolling over at 4 weeks (only 3 days old adjusted age, to boot), now talking in sentences??? I'm astounded by her genius-ness. ;-)
Little did I know that I captured something pretty darn amazing, until I watched it on our computer. It's about 27 seconds in- listen closely to what Anna says:
Am I crazy or did my 4 month old baby tell her twin brother "I love you"????? OMG- and she says it so purposely- she doesn't "say" anything else but that. First rolling over at 4 weeks (only 3 days old adjusted age, to boot), now talking in sentences??? I'm astounded by her genius-ness. ;-)
Friday, July 9, 2010
A New Stage I Don't Like
A little bit ago one of the updates from Baby Center told me that my children would start showing that they preferred Mom and Dad over other people.
Sam and Anna must have read that update, too.
We've hit a oh-so-fun stage where most of the time only Mom (and sometimes Dad) can feed them and maybe hold them.
It really stinks when you have relatives visiting from out of state for a week and could actually get help/a break from feeding once in a while. But nope. Anna seems to be worse than Sam- she won't even let her grandmother feed her or hold her. So even though I have reinforcements, I'm still feeding two mouths pretty much by myself most of the day.
Their personalities are coming out a little bit more every day. And boy, does Anna sure have some fiery personality!
She has decided she doesn't want help to go to sleep, and actually gets more mad when you try to hold her to help her get drowsy. Don't even try to rock or sway- she'll shriek! So although it just feels so wrong to do, we finally figured out the best thing to do is just lay her in her crib swaddled and awake (and usually crying because you have to carry her to get her there), then tell her it's time to sleep and sweet dreams. Then she cries for a minute, stops on her own and falls asleep. If we continue to intervene and rock/shush/sway/pat/hold her instead, it could take 30 minutes or so before she'd exhaustedly give up.
Sounds great in theory, because then I can immediately turn to Sam and work on getting him drowsy when I'm parenting solo during the day. And I guess it means that she's learned how to self-soothe. BUT- we haven't figured out what to do then when she wakes mid-nap and doesn't soothe herself back to sleep. Which did happen a few times in the last few days. Picking her up doesn't work because it just fires her up more. AND- how to get her to sleep when we're out and about? Boy, babies always keep you guessing, just when you think you've figured something out!
Sam and Anna must have read that update, too.
We've hit a oh-so-fun stage where most of the time only Mom (and sometimes Dad) can feed them and maybe hold them.
It really stinks when you have relatives visiting from out of state for a week and could actually get help/a break from feeding once in a while. But nope. Anna seems to be worse than Sam- she won't even let her grandmother feed her or hold her. So even though I have reinforcements, I'm still feeding two mouths pretty much by myself most of the day.
Their personalities are coming out a little bit more every day. And boy, does Anna sure have some fiery personality!
She has decided she doesn't want help to go to sleep, and actually gets more mad when you try to hold her to help her get drowsy. Don't even try to rock or sway- she'll shriek! So although it just feels so wrong to do, we finally figured out the best thing to do is just lay her in her crib swaddled and awake (and usually crying because you have to carry her to get her there), then tell her it's time to sleep and sweet dreams. Then she cries for a minute, stops on her own and falls asleep. If we continue to intervene and rock/shush/sway/pat/hold her instead, it could take 30 minutes or so before she'd exhaustedly give up.
Sounds great in theory, because then I can immediately turn to Sam and work on getting him drowsy when I'm parenting solo during the day. And I guess it means that she's learned how to self-soothe. BUT- we haven't figured out what to do then when she wakes mid-nap and doesn't soothe herself back to sleep. Which did happen a few times in the last few days. Picking her up doesn't work because it just fires her up more. AND- how to get her to sleep when we're out and about? Boy, babies always keep you guessing, just when you think you've figured something out!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Big Fat FAIL
In the wake of several other bloggers I follow, we tried to sever the cable cord this weekend. With two babies keeping us on our toes, spare time is few and far between, and the babes started to get really interested in the flashing lights on the screen- sometimes interfering with their eating, which is hard enough to get them to do right now. Since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV until the age of 2 and I try to be a good mom, I kept the TV off most of the babies' awake time, and at night I'd rather be on the computer anyway.
I figured I could make do with just the prime channels- a little Bachelorette this summer, a little Grey's and Desperate Housewives in fall, and I'd be content. Little did I know that the evil cable company that charges a ridiculous amount for cable has a bigger hold on our area's TV viewing than I realized. Without cable we had nothing but PBS.
Our services stopped Saturday. We called Monday to get it re-hooked up.
I know, I have no self-control.
And I missed The Bachelorette this week, to boot. So help a girl out- who didn't get a rose and what drama did I miss???
I figured I could make do with just the prime channels- a little Bachelorette this summer, a little Grey's and Desperate Housewives in fall, and I'd be content. Little did I know that the evil cable company that charges a ridiculous amount for cable has a bigger hold on our area's TV viewing than I realized. Without cable we had nothing but PBS.
Our services stopped Saturday. We called Monday to get it re-hooked up.
I know, I have no self-control.
And I missed The Bachelorette this week, to boot. So help a girl out- who didn't get a rose and what drama did I miss???
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Festive Frocks
I didn't get much time to take pictures of our weekend events (except for the baptism) because I was entertaining 11 relatives at our home (5 of which stayed in our house), but Sam and Anna did have some pretty cute outfits (besides their baptismal clothing) since we had a BBQ at our house for the very first time and lots of people got to see them.
They wore these on Saturday for the BBQ:
They wore these shirts on Sunday once they changed out of their fancy clothes:
The tees were a gift, and Sam already had the star romper, so I had to find something for Anna to go with his star outfit, of course. She had a great time lifting the top all day... so I have a feeling I have a future dress-lifter on my hands!
Monday, July 5, 2010
1 Year Ago...
...this was a very busy and monumental week. A year ago today, Sam and Anna each went from a single egg and sperm to a creation of rapidly dividing cells. A year ago today was my egg retrieval. By this time in the evening, Sam and Anna had started growing. Five days later, Sam and Anna (and their sibling) looked like this:
(Our first baby picture)
Reflecting on this today brought all sorts of choked-up-mommy-moments. Reading Guess How Much I Love You as our bedtime story made me tear up at the last line- "I love you right up to the moon- and back." I won't deny that Sam and Anna got quite a few extra snuggles and kisses today. I know I would do anything to have them back then, and I would do anything for them now. I'll never forget my infertility story that made their appearance in my life a possibility, but today it was a little more in the forefront of my mind amid diaper changes, crying babies, and formula bottles. A year may have gone by, but those emotions and experiences are anything but faded.
My egg retrieval was in the early morning, and it went pretty well. I remember feeling somewhat surprised at how relatively good I felt, considering 22 eggs were harvested from my body. I even felt up to going to the local firework display that night. It was the next day that OHSS hit and I was in crippling pain for a few days- surviving on the couch with OTC pain killers that barely made a dent. As the week went on, we were given the news that only 3 eggs fertilized and would make it to transfer. 3 out of 22 was a sobering number- but not surprising, since our problem was the ability of my husband's sperm to fertilize my eggs. We were very gung-ho to transfer all 3, but expected our RE to be a bit more conservative and suggest 2. To our surprise, he suggested transferring all 3. This IVF was truly our Hail Mary then, because there were no blasts to freeze- and no money to have a try-again IVF cycle. This was it. Our only chance at biological children.
I won't deny that I sometimes think of the one embryo that didn't implant. Although triplets would have been more than we could handle, I wonder sometimes if that other embryo was a boy or a girl. I wonder which one in the picture we have was the one we lost (and also in that vein, which one is Sam and which is Anna). I wonder what that child would have looked like, or do when they grew up. I wonder where that embryo fits in.
I think I will always quietly celebrate this day as a sort of second birthday/creation day for my children. July 5th will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the day that God's plans for us became more than just a promise of good things to come. Sam and Anna were baptised yesterday (more on that later), and although it was just a coincidence that the dates were so close together, I find it very meaningful that almost 1 year to the day that God gave us Sam and Anna, we had their baptism. It's hard to find a better way than that to say "thank you" for making your dreams come true.
(Our first baby picture)Reflecting on this today brought all sorts of choked-up-mommy-moments. Reading Guess How Much I Love You as our bedtime story made me tear up at the last line- "I love you right up to the moon- and back." I won't deny that Sam and Anna got quite a few extra snuggles and kisses today. I know I would do anything to have them back then, and I would do anything for them now. I'll never forget my infertility story that made their appearance in my life a possibility, but today it was a little more in the forefront of my mind amid diaper changes, crying babies, and formula bottles. A year may have gone by, but those emotions and experiences are anything but faded.
My egg retrieval was in the early morning, and it went pretty well. I remember feeling somewhat surprised at how relatively good I felt, considering 22 eggs were harvested from my body. I even felt up to going to the local firework display that night. It was the next day that OHSS hit and I was in crippling pain for a few days- surviving on the couch with OTC pain killers that barely made a dent. As the week went on, we were given the news that only 3 eggs fertilized and would make it to transfer. 3 out of 22 was a sobering number- but not surprising, since our problem was the ability of my husband's sperm to fertilize my eggs. We were very gung-ho to transfer all 3, but expected our RE to be a bit more conservative and suggest 2. To our surprise, he suggested transferring all 3. This IVF was truly our Hail Mary then, because there were no blasts to freeze- and no money to have a try-again IVF cycle. This was it. Our only chance at biological children.
I won't deny that I sometimes think of the one embryo that didn't implant. Although triplets would have been more than we could handle, I wonder sometimes if that other embryo was a boy or a girl. I wonder which one in the picture we have was the one we lost (and also in that vein, which one is Sam and which is Anna). I wonder what that child would have looked like, or do when they grew up. I wonder where that embryo fits in.
I think I will always quietly celebrate this day as a sort of second birthday/creation day for my children. July 5th will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the day that God's plans for us became more than just a promise of good things to come. Sam and Anna were baptised yesterday (more on that later), and although it was just a coincidence that the dates were so close together, I find it very meaningful that almost 1 year to the day that God gave us Sam and Anna, we had their baptism. It's hard to find a better way than that to say "thank you" for making your dreams come true.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Award!
I recieved this award from Mandey @ http://mamamandolin.blogspot.com/. Thanks Mandey! She is a fellow twin momma, and her boys are cute as can be. They are only a week older than my twins, so I love reading her blog and finding out what Isaiah and Julian are up to!Award Rule # 1 Share 7 things about myself
1. I'm a Libra. This means I am always weighing everything and can never decide on anything!
2. I discovered Bob Marley late in life- last year right before we went to Jamaica. I heart Bob Marley. After God and my husband, he helped me get through our IVF. His song, Three Little Birds, became my mantra for infertility, and I STILL play it every time I drive somewhere.
3. I have a tattoo of a daisy on my toe, because of a camp song from when I was a camp counselor. Truthfully, I never really liked the song, but I've never regretted the tattoo.
4. I distinctly remember telling a friend when I was little that I didn't want to have twins when I got older. (This is at the age when every little girl wants twins. I told my friend I didn't want them to like each other more than they liked me.) This is one of those situations that proves to me that God always knows best.
5. If I was rich, I would have a pottery studio in my home just for fun. I always loved making things out of clay in school or at camp.
6. Did I ever share how Sam and Anna got their names? Samuel is straight out of the bible and Hannah's infertility story. I knew that if the IVF worked and we had a boy, naming him Samuel would be my way of thanking God. It just felt so right. Annabel's name took us longer to decide. My mother's name is Dianne, my mother-in-law's name is Roxanne, and my step-mother-in-law's name is Joanne. We wanted to have "Ann(e)" in our daughter's name to honor all her grandmothers. It was originally a middle name, but we couldn't quite find a classic name to go with Samuel that we both liked. Were either of those names on my childhood "baby names list?" No way. I remember names like Alexandra or Zoya for girls and Alexander or Andrew for boys. Funny how things change.
7. I'm a night owl. My husband has to remind me to go to bed. I hope my children are the same way so we can all sleep in on the weekends. We trained our dogs to sleep in- how hard could it be to train our kids to do the same? ;)
Award Rule #2 Nominate 15 others for this award
In no particular order (and trying to stick to some of the newer blogs I follow):
Hope Floats Among the Cherry Blossoms
We got hitched. We bought the 4 bedroom house. Now what?
Preheated Oven: Where is my Bun?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Our Goal
As requested by Kate, here is our daily schedule goal right now. I think the word "goal" is important to use, because you've still got to be flexible. If your babies are hungry, you feed them- no matter what time the clock says. And you can't be a hermit- the schedule sometimes gets thrown to the wind on atypical days or when you go someplace. I loosely use a Babywise schedule. I think the most important thing when instituting a schedule is to have a set wake time in the morning that you don't deviate from, and the rest falls into place fairly easily. I've found after watching their sleepy cues like a hawk that Sam and Anna's wake time is shorter first thing in the morning, but typically is around 1 hour 15 minutes to an hour and a half right now. As they get older, their schedule will change. When I go back to work in September, they will have a 6:30 am wake time instead as well.
7 am- (we wake them up every day to keep them on track, even on weekends) Wake Eat Play
8 am ish to 10 am- (after showing sleepy signs) Nap in cribs
10 am- Wake Eat Play (often this is when we go places, so they might eat a little early, or start their next nap a little late)
11:15 ish to 1 pm- Nap in cribs
1 pm- Wake Eat Play
2:15 ish to 4 pm- Nap in cribs
4 pm- Wake Eat Play (often this becomes our daily walk time instead of playtime)
5:15 ish- 6 pm- Catnap in cribs or swing
6:45 pm- start bedtime routine: bath every other night, lotion massage, pjs, pick out a book
7 pm- bedtime bottle, story, prayers, then cribs (right now, they sleep pretty much until we wake them, with a few small stirrings sometimes around 6 am. For that we follow the pick up/put down method I talked about earlier this week. If they wake in the middle of the night, which happens still every once in a while and usually on days they ate less during the day- we assume they are hungry and feed them. )
If they wake early from a nap within a half hour of their next feeding, I go with it and then just adjust the rest of the day and eventually we get back on track. Same thing with staying asleep at the end of a nap- if they are both still asleep, I'll let them continue for 15-30 minutes before waking both of them up. Most times, they wake themselves right around the right time.
I've heard that once they are sleeping completely through the night, not waking early for naps, and have a wake time of 2 hours, it is around then to transition to a 4 hour schedule from the 3 hour schedule we currently do. Since Sam and Anna only do one of those 3, I think we have a while before that happens.
Seriously- adopting a schedule like this was life altering in good ways when we first began. I can't imagine continuing on with twins without a schedule- around 6 weeks when we were figuring out Sam and Anna's reflux, they were both fed on demand individually and thus slept independently as a result. It was so chaotic and insane, I really couldn't keep track of who ate what when, and who slept when and for how long. I thought I liked all the one-on-one time I got each day back then... but they hardly ever slept at the same time, and I like being able to catch my breath, eat, get dressed, and go to the bathroom even more. Now I find different ways to create one-on-one time. Like when one's in a swing/bouncer, I interact completely with the other for a little bit, then switch positions. When I think about those helter skelter days back then, I shudder internally now. My goodness- how did we do it?
7 am- (we wake them up every day to keep them on track, even on weekends) Wake Eat Play
8 am ish to 10 am- (after showing sleepy signs) Nap in cribs
10 am- Wake Eat Play (often this is when we go places, so they might eat a little early, or start their next nap a little late)
11:15 ish to 1 pm- Nap in cribs
1 pm- Wake Eat Play
2:15 ish to 4 pm- Nap in cribs
4 pm- Wake Eat Play (often this becomes our daily walk time instead of playtime)
5:15 ish- 6 pm- Catnap in cribs or swing
6:45 pm- start bedtime routine: bath every other night, lotion massage, pjs, pick out a book
7 pm- bedtime bottle, story, prayers, then cribs (right now, they sleep pretty much until we wake them, with a few small stirrings sometimes around 6 am. For that we follow the pick up/put down method I talked about earlier this week. If they wake in the middle of the night, which happens still every once in a while and usually on days they ate less during the day- we assume they are hungry and feed them. )
If they wake early from a nap within a half hour of their next feeding, I go with it and then just adjust the rest of the day and eventually we get back on track. Same thing with staying asleep at the end of a nap- if they are both still asleep, I'll let them continue for 15-30 minutes before waking both of them up. Most times, they wake themselves right around the right time.
I've heard that once they are sleeping completely through the night, not waking early for naps, and have a wake time of 2 hours, it is around then to transition to a 4 hour schedule from the 3 hour schedule we currently do. Since Sam and Anna only do one of those 3, I think we have a while before that happens.
Seriously- adopting a schedule like this was life altering in good ways when we first began. I can't imagine continuing on with twins without a schedule- around 6 weeks when we were figuring out Sam and Anna's reflux, they were both fed on demand individually and thus slept independently as a result. It was so chaotic and insane, I really couldn't keep track of who ate what when, and who slept when and for how long. I thought I liked all the one-on-one time I got each day back then... but they hardly ever slept at the same time, and I like being able to catch my breath, eat, get dressed, and go to the bathroom even more. Now I find different ways to create one-on-one time. Like when one's in a swing/bouncer, I interact completely with the other for a little bit, then switch positions. When I think about those helter skelter days back then, I shudder internally now. My goodness- how did we do it?
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