Big Kids

After several nights in a row of Sam climbing into Anna's crib (while wearing a sleep sack) and tackling her every 2 minutes at bedtime, and several days in a row of reports of good naps in beds at daycare in separate rooms, we decided that it was time to make the switch to beds at home as well.   Oh well- the sleep sack trick to keep them from climbing out bought us over a year longer of crib use and for that I'm thankful. Sam and Anna have been napping at daycare in beds since they turned 2 and when we made the change in daycares in August, they continued napping in beds there as well.    For about 6 months it has worked just fine to nap in beds at daycare in separate rooms, but sleep in cribs in the same room at home.  But not so much anymore.  I was getting weary from the bedtime antics that seemed to be amping up- not decreasing.

All we did this weekend was basically make the transition from one room with two cribs to two rooms with two beds, and boy was it a lot of work.  First, we had to clear out our old guest room.  Then we went shopping for two beds.  We lucked out and bought mattresses and box springs at a local furniture warehouse sale this weekend.  My FIL is making bed frames for Sam and Anna and we should be able to get them in November so for now, they just have simple metal frames underneath.  While Sam and Anna napped Saturday, Daddy painted Anna's new room a not-babyish shade of pink.  Before nap, we had Sam and Anna pick their favorite pink paint chip from the collection of about 50 shades I brought home from the store.  After putting them down for nap, we picked our own favorites, and actually ended up picking the shade Sam selected first.  The rest of Saturday ended up finding new homes for the old guest room stuff once we realized there was no way we'd have enough time to disassemble two cribs and assemble two beds before bedtime.

Sunday we worked on moving around furniture between the two rooms and the cribs got removed before beds were made.  For now, Anna is keeping the white dressers and Sam will eventually get new darker work furniture.  I'm waiting until we have his bed, so that we can select a furniture color that goes with his wood bed frame.  Anna's bed frame will be painted white.

Naps in the new beds in separate rooms on Sunday went.... less than great.  For the first time sleeping in beds at home, we barely got them to fall asleep.  I consider it a minor miracle that both finally did sleep for a little bit.  I am surprised that after napping for so long at daycare without even thinking about getting out of the bed, the very first time we attempted a nap in a bed at home, Sam's feet hit the floor and he decided that it would be a good idea to open the door; repeatedly.  I thought for sure we'd have a while before reaching that point. 

The first night sleeping in their own rooms in beds went better, but only because I laid with Sam until he fell asleep.  I was a little sentimental that it was the first time ever since before they were a speck of dividing cells that they spent the night sleeping alone, apart from each other.  Once they fell asleep, they both slept through the night without waking until they had to get up for daycare the next morning.  Whew!  I was worried that would have gone horribly wrong and I'd be up for hours in the middle of the night.  Thank goodness that wasn't the case!

We still have a lot to do- bed frames probably painted and put together one we get them, new furniture/dressers for Sam, wall hangings/decorations for both rooms, and remove the rest of the storage stuff in the old guest room closet.  For now though, our big boy and girl are sleeping in their own rooms in big kid beds-  the last bit of baby in them: their cribs, are gone.  And this mama is feeling just a wee bit sad that I'm never going to have a little one in a crib ever again.

Sam's bed

 

Anna's bed

 

Anna's room

 

First time sleeping in her big girl bed

 

First time sleeping in his big boy bed

Potty Training Reflections after Day 3

More information just to clarify some things:

No, I am not doing a sticker chart or giving stickers.  Sam and Anna can earn one mini gummy bear or chocolate chip for each time they keep their underwear dry by going potty in the toilet.  They earn two for each time they keep their underwear clean and dry by going poop in the toilet. (This modification was made when Sam seemed unable to poop on the toilet and needed an extra nudge but it was not what I had originally planned to do.)  I made the distinction very clear that simply peeing in the toilet will not earn them anything... that they must have dry underwear AND successfully eliminate to earn it.  We have told them that if they have zero accidents in a day, they will earn a new toy of their choice.  I will phase out the treats when I think we are at that point.


I did not want a visual reminder of their success  with a sticker chart because I did not want one child to get discouraged if they didn't have as many stickers, or make it too competitive.  With the special treats, Sam and Anna are not able to keep track of how many they are each getting.  Sometimes they get one at the same time, and sometimes they don't.  After 3 days of that, they are now accepting that their sibling might earn a special treat when they don't.  On day 1 they didn't quite get why their sibling did and they didn't.  It didn't take long for them to figure that out.  They never get sweets so I am okay with a few mini gummy bears and chocolate chips a day for now.

We use the terms underwear (not panties) and toilet (not potty) for what they are sitting on.  We use the word potty as a verb; as in going potty on the toilet.  The actual stuff is not potty in our house; we call it pee.  And there are our distinctions.

I do not do a regular timed interval of having them sit on the toilet.  While I do have them sit  on the toilet before and after times when they cannot go on their own free will- like when they wake up, before and after meals, before going to sleep, and before and after we go somewhere, I am not timing them and making them go at certain points- not every hour, 30 min or whatever.  I am asking them if their underwear is dry often right now and that is to encourage them to tell ME when they have to go potty, rather than the other way around.  I wanted to potty train my kids, not potty train myself. :)  It did not take long for both Anna and Sam to let me know when they have to go, but the time it takes us to get there is usually what's resulting in accidents.

I know different people have different opinions of what constitutes as "potty trained" but to me, right now, Sam and Anna are almost there during awake time, after only 3 days.  They tell me when they have to go, and the are successful almost all of the time.  Both of them have pooped on the toilet.

Seriously, today was crazy.  Like crazy GOOD, not what I expected good. 

Anna?  ZERO accidents all day, did all her business in the toilet without being told and just being asked periodically if her underwear was dry.  One time she popped up from playing and said she had to go, high tailed it into the bathroom and I got there a little after her.  She had already pulled down her underwear, and started peeing.  I call that successful potty training, don't you????  I am so thrilled by her success because she was the one I didn't think it would go easily for if we had issues because she hasn't expressed interest in going much and had never gone on the toilet successfully before we officially began potty training.  Sam's issues with pooping have really surprised me because he's gone poop on the toilet of his own accord off and on for months.  I really think it has been the added pressure of keeping the underwear clean and dry.

Well today, Sam jumped right up when I went into their room in the morning after they woke and said "I have to go potty!" and off we went.  He had a really good day of potty training- no pee accidents and two poop accidents.  Which really, not too shabby for it being only the third day and me not telling them to go most of the day- I stuck to asking every 30-45 min or so if their underwear was dry and going before sleep, after sleep, before meals and after meals, and when leaving the house (times around periods of wen going to the toilet isn't an option.)  The first poop accident was a partial and the second one we were outside.  BUT he did poop after that in the toilet, so I'm hoping we're over his anxiety about it.

The connection has definitely been made and they both understand what to do.  Funny side story- I put some books in the bathroom for them to read if they get bored trying this weekend.  We ended up putting Sam's beloved collection of Thomas stories from the library in there with the explanation that I will only read the stories to them in there while they try because, well, we can all recite all the stories word for word now, and it's a library book.  Extra incentive, plus a break of reading them for me, you know?  Well, the last story is about Henry and the Elephant.  In the story Henry the train tries to push the elephant out of the tunnel, but the elephant pushes back, then they both push harder.  That story has been our pooping anthem.  We push right along with the train and the elephant.  These are the moments I'll still remember when they are 20 years old... and I may just remind them of when they are potty training my grandchildren.

So here's been my experience in short:

Day 1:  THIS IS HARD.  Potty training twins- not for the weak hearted.  Anna= 10 accidents or so Sam= less than 10 accidents but a handful.
Day 2:  Going better but tiring.  Hoping we don't develop any issues over certain aspects of the whole thing.  Anna= 1 accident Sam= a few
Day 3:  Holy crap- this 1 day method (although it took 2 days for my twins probably because I wasn't strict in following each part) works.  My twins are pretty much potty trained because hello, zero pee accidents after 2 days and that's without me telling them to go and without used timed potty breaks.  I'm feeling better.  Marveling at how far we came so fast. 

Can I just say how proud I am of my big, grown up kids???

Anna and I went shopping tonight before bedtime so she could pick out her toy for no accidents all day while wearing underwear.  She immediately picked this furry cat when she saw it: hugged it and exclaimed, 'I love it!"  When the cashier asked her what it's name is going to be, she replied "Purr."    (Last week our daycare got a new baby kitten that they found outside their house.  While Sam and Anna were visiting one day while I was finishing up my graduate summer coursework, Anna fell in love and wouldn't put it down.  I had to tear her away.   My daycare provider's family tried to get me to take it home with us.  This kitten that actually purrs is a perfect substitute, in my opinion!)

The big girl and her self-selected toy

2 Years Old

Sam and Anna already 2 years old- woah.  It hardly seems like 2 years ago they were born, and yet, it seems like they have been a part of our family for forever.  We're definitely reached the point where we can't imagine what we did every weekend before they were born, but life must have been certainly more boring.

Size wise, Anna's back in size 4 diapers after running out of our box of free size 3s.  Sam is wearing size 5 diapers (yup, still not attempting that potty training stuff and won't be for a while although two potty chairs sit our basement).   Both Sam and Anna are wearing almost all 24 month/2T things, although they are in that in between stage when the size down looks too small and yet the size up is sometimes too big.  I can't wait for warmer weather to stay and have them live in shorts and Ts every day when the length of the sleeves and legs don't matter.

Sam and Anna are talking in almost all complete sentences or long phrases of 3-5 words.  It is so easy to communicate with them now.  Sam likes to report the day's events from daycare, like what they ate for lunch, what they played with, and he even told me last week that he had a "poopy diaper  at nap time" when I noticed he was wearing different  clothes than he was in the morning.  Their vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds too- it seems like every day, they utter a new word  in appropriate context that I've never heard from their mouths before.   Both Sam and Anna say "Moot!" when they want somebody to move... which I think is pretty darn cute.  They are also doing more labeling of adjectives before nouns unprompted, like pointing out a "red truck" passing us (minor truck obsession on car rides going on right now), or telling us that the milk jug they are helping carry is "heavy milk."  Along with a greater memory for their increase vocabulary came requests for specific food at mealtimes.  It is rare we get through a meal without requests for "cheese please (Parmesan cheese)" or "Ketchup" or "yogurt (from Sam)."  In the past, Sam and Anna were able to often say the next letter in the alphabet song if we pause, and now they are able to sing several letters in order on their own.  Sam started called Anna "Annabel" more frequently (because a new child at daycare calls her that as well), while Anna calls Sam now about 50% of the time "Sam" and 50% "B"  She's also calling herself Anna less and using I, me, and mine more often.

As they have for months both Sam and Anna know all 11 colors... but lately Anna has taken to calling everything pink (because it's her favorite color or because she wants it to be pink).  When we call her on her mistake, she almost always tells us the correct color the second time, so I know she still remembers them.  Sam's favorite color is probably blue right now.  At 22 months Sam and Anna knew circle, star, triangle, heart and diamond... now they are getting a good handle on rectangle and square as well.  Sam and Anna have counted objects to around 5, they can recite numbers (oral counting) to about 10 and they have a good understanding of what 1, 2 and 3 means when asked how many are in a set of objects.  We are working on representing the numbers 1, 2, and 3 with fingers and Anna especially has been really catching on.  Anna can identify the number 2 in print (although I don't know if they can identify more than that).  Letter and sound identification is about the same, but they are beginning to remember the way the letters look in their names... i.e. recognize their name in print.

It may be partly because of their size (which at this point I don't think is that much smaller than average) but it seems like everywhere we go, people are commenting on how advanced they are.  Neither one is shy in a public setting.  Anna likes to tell people "Bye- thank you!" to random strangers- whether they held the door open for us, checked us out, or told us a compliment.  They do so well out  in public (most of the time), that I thank my lucky stars and hope it continues so that taking both of them out and about isn't a headache.  Going out to eat has never been a problem, and rarely do we have issues in stores.  Sam and Anna willingly leave the playground and children's museum when we say it is time to go.  I am thankful for two very obedient children when we go places.

Pretend play continues to be a big hit.  Anna's dollhouse from Christmas is probably the top hit tied with our kitchen.  Mega Blocks and Little People are also daily faves.  Sam and Anna love to color, use playdoh and paint.  We try to paint once a week on the weekends- so far we've finger painted, painted with tubes, marbles, paintbrushes, shaving cream and peppers.  Sam asks to paint often, but it just isn't something we can tackle on weeknights once we are home from daycare.  Sam and Anna rotate pretty well between what we have to play with, and I can't really think of many toys still out that aren't played with much anymore.

Over the winter we received several Elmo books as gifts, and they are daily requested reads, especially Elmo Loves Hugs.  Good Night Gorilla is making a resurgence in the book department for Anna as well.  Sam particularly likes our small collection of Hands Are Not for Hitting, Teeth Are Not for Biting and Tails Are Not for Pulling... which is good, because he needs the messages reinforced more than Anna does!


Sleep wise, Sam and Anna have been in a small rut of taking longer to go to sleep at night.  I'm thinking they need less overall sleep right now, but they still need to wake up at 6:40 am on weekdays and the days when they take a long time to fall asleep are the days when they don't want to get up for us.  Then we have two grumpy kids that don't want to get peeled away from their cozy cribs.  After that, they end up napping late- sometimes we wake then at 4:30 pm after starting nap at 1 pm, which means then that they aren't sleepy enough for bedtime when they should be.  It's a vicious cycle that I'd love to figure out a way to break.  Sam and Anna are still in cribs and sleep sacks.  However, Anna has been pacifier-free for over a month!  It was much easier that I thought it would be, so I am extremely glad we waited until she showed us she was ready to ditch it.

I think Anna is a little more advanced in motor skills than Sam right now.  She's great at jumping and kicking a ball, although Sam can also do both.  Anna is also much more of a calculated risk-taker when it comes to climbing things.  Sam kind of crashes through life, climbing everything and running everywhere- which sometimes results in more bumps and bruises for him.  I still have a hard time getting him to lift his feet off the ground in the Cozy Coupe so I can push him, while Anna mastered that last summer.  Anna has also mastered our toddler light switch pull, but Sam hasn't figured out how to push it up to turn the light off again.  Sam's fine motor skills are excellent though- when he really wants to, he can really get in a zone and carefully stack a tower of blocks taller than himself... or put together an entire train track by himself.  Anna and Sam both take off their coats on their own (unzipping and removing the arms) and Anna puts on her own pants most days.  Either it is a huge coincidence, or she gets that the label goes in back/zipper in front because almost all of the time, the pants are not backwards- whether jeans or an elastic waistband.
Sam final incisor finally broke through within the last week or so, making his total teeth count 16.  He got all 4 canines before that incisor which was supposed to show up on average a year ago.  Anna's last canine (upper left) is about to break through at any time- which makes her tooth count 15 going on 16.  Anna's hair?  Still super curly.  I adore those ringlet curls and I will cry the day I realize they are gone for good.


Within days of their 2 year old birthday, it seems like a switched flipped and someone clued our toddlers into the fact that they were supposed to start acting like two year olds at meals.  Anna refused to sit in her high chair for several days in a row.  And after that, I was tired of the same old battle so the high chairs got retired and boosters were introduced at home.  We still get a daily challenge from her to get in the booster, but not as much.  Sam and Anna have sat on real chairs for months at daycare though, so I am sure that is where her issues are coming from.  She also has become super picky about what she'll eat lately, which is concerning to us, since her weight has always been something we've had to think about.  I'm hoping for a nice number on the scale at the well child appointment in a few days so we can relax on working so hard to get her to eat.  Sam though, is eating like a champ.  He's our little meat and yogurt lover- and will eat anything with ketchup or Parmesan cheese all over it.  The other day he moved all his corn and peas into his ketchup spot, slathered them up, and then (only after that) ate every last one.  Anna loves crackers, especially a big graham cracker.  Because one broken up just doesn't taste the same, of course.

With the Twos come more wanting independence, more asserting possession, and LOTS more "Mines!"  If there's a way Anna thinks she can do something herself, she will try.  Sam and Anna like to play the "My ____!" game with each other... so the phrase "I'm everybody's mama" (or insert just about any other word: Daddy, Bella, Elmo...) is said a lot these days.

2 year old weight and height stats to come in a few days!

Two Walkers!

Well, I definitely think what I've heard is true about babies that are a little slower development-wise in one area; that chances are they are focusing their energy in another area of development.  While Sam and Anna were later walkers, they continue to amaze me with their communication and fine motor skills every day.  Today I've finally agreed that Anna is a walker.  At 16 months old, Anna is not just taking steps anymore, she is walking!

She's taken steps for a while now, but mostly initiated by me or my husband.  Sometimes (more often at night) she'd spontaneously walk up to 14 steps, but more for the fun of walking and probably the cheers and attention we gave here.   We thought she did better when she was holding something at the same time like a toy, probably because it kept her focus off of the potential to fall.  Anna would also give in easily- never allowing herself to really truly fall.  When she starts to feel like she's losing her balance, she immediately either drops to her knees or sits down on on her bottom, or grabs onto the safety object she has nearby (the wall, the couch, a chair, a taller toy, etc.) . I think she was capable of many more steps in a row than she was doing but just not allowing herself to get outside of her narrow comfort zone. 

However, within the last week or so, Anna's been spontaneously walking throughout the day more and more and crawling less and less.  She's walking to get from one place to another.  She walked from the living room to our bathroom for a bath tonight.  I've lost count how many maximum steps she's made in a row now.  Her main reason for the sudden surge in confidence?  Sam has been running around the house playing with our dog by chasing her lately.  They have so much fun, and I think Anna's been really wanting to join in, but it's a little hard to do that when you are crawling on the ground.

Honestly, I did not want early walkers.  The idea of chasing 2 walking (and running!) 9 month olds that were probably going in opposite directions at the same time scared me.  I was perfectly happy to have them start to walk at a year old.  Then I agreed that even 14 months would be cool, because I could get a few extra months of merely crawling twins (it's easier to catch up with them if they are on all fours!).  I said I wouldn't start to worry or play the mommy-comparison-game until after 14 months.  I mostly followed that statement.  Sam learned to walk at 14 months, and perfected his walk into a run during 15 months.  Anna lagged behind her brother a bit.  She was cautious about sitting (not perfecting sitting until 9 months) and I had a feeling she'd be the same way about walking.  I'd be lying if I would say I wasn't concerned, but I was a little.  I knew she'd walk soon, but I was just hoping it was well before the danger zone of 18 months. Nobody asks how many words your  little ones says- everyone always asks if they are walking.  Now that Sam and Anna are 16 months old, the "are the walking?" question doesn't even really come up anymore because I think everyone assumes they are.  And I know most kids are at 16 months- but that still doesn't mean there is anything wrong with not walking at that point.

I didn't think she was delayed, Anna was just focusing her attention on her verbal communication development and her fine motor development (on top of being a little cautious about walking).  When I look at the milestones suggested for a 2 year old in those areas, she's already there at 16 months.  She has a spoken vocabulary of over 50 words (not including the signs she knows but does not verbally say), follows directions, and not only points to objects in books when they are named, but can identify some objects in books by name when asked what they are.  She stacks blocks 7+ blocks tall, holds a spoon right side up into her mouth, flips switches and turns knobs. Except for the spoon stuff, Sam's the same way.

They might not be physically advanced in their gross motor skills, but considering both mine and my husband's athletic ability, I didn't really imagine either one as a sports star anyway.  I'm proud of them for what they have accomplished so far in their short lives all the same.

One of Everyone's Fears About Day Care

My daycare provider did the unthinkable yesterday... she sent me an email in the morning that Sam took his first step- and walked about 7 feet from their kitchen to their living room.  I tried to give myself a little time to find perspective on this one, but I'm still sad about it.  You see, I missed it.  I wasn't there. I missed his first steps.  Not only did I miss it, but so did my husband. 

I told her when we started going there to pretend all milestones didn't happen until we mentioned them first.  That way I could be ignorant about either of my babies' ability to sit, stand, crawl or walk and live it like it really was the first time when I saw it.  No one would be the wiser, except her.

I think she forgot that conversation.  Or was just too excited to think about it before shooting off the email. (Totally understandable I guess, and I don't begrudge her for it really.) 

My first reactions was not to cheer for my son's new found skill, but to hold back tears for not being there to witness it and cheer him on in person.  I'm trying to just focus on Sam's accomplishment and be happy and proud of him.  Every time I think about it that sadness just creeps in and makes me want to cry.  Alas, this is the beast of daycare.

The fear of missing part of your little one's childhood.

The fear of someone else being there when you are not. 

So Sam's taking  multiple steps in a row... but forgive me if I just pretend for a while he's not.   Until I see some steps for the first time, that is.

8 Months!

Since I was a little behind on 7 months, it only made sense to wait a little with the 8 month post, so they were evenly spaced (that's the story I am sticking to, anyway!) So here we are at 8 (and 1/2) months!

At 8 months, Anna:

Is in size 3 diapers (I miss Pampers Swaddlers, though!)
Wears 9 month clothes, although I sneak in my favorite 6 month outfits from time to time
Weighed 15 lb 2 oz (gaining about a lb in a month) - almost 10%ile
Drinks 6-9 oz a time, 4 times a day
Now eats a snack or two each day in addition to three meals a day
In addition to the old list of foods, has recently tried meat including chicken, beef and turkey Other new foods include parsnips, cauliflower, zucchini, yogurt, acorn squash, oatmeal, multigrain cereal, cheerios, pancakes, stuffing, jello, white potato, corn, bread
Is increasing the amount of table food eaten at every meal
Makes the "Anna-face" when she's done eating (or just wants to be cute) which means she wrinkles her nose, and sniffs with a smile on her face
Lights up when she gets handed her sippy cup
Continues to wake a couple of times a night mostly due to overnight dirty diapers, but when it isn't that can put herself to sleep without interference
Now is super wiggly on the changing table making it hard to change her or get her dressed
NO LONGER SWADDLED!!!
Since she sleeps in a sleepsack, often ends up sleeping on her tummy facing in an entirely different direction
Takes 2 longer naps of 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours a day
Started swimming lessons and loves to try to drink the pool water
Still dislikes sitting on her own???
Has been cleared from Physical Therapy for her torticollis
Has army crawled a few inches forward
Rolling is her preferred method of transportation
Loves jumping in the jumperoo- throws back her head and arches her back so it bounces even more
Likes to bang objects together
Makes a "eh eh" barking noise to communicate wants- she makes that noise when she wants more food or wants our dog to come closer
Uses Dada to refer to both parents
Has developed some serious stranger anxiety (just in time for the holidays, ha!)
Loves playing with Mom's necklaces even more than before
Can wave goodbye
First tooth (bottom left) poked through... then promptly receded and hasn't been seen since



At 8 months,Sam:
Is in size 3 diapers (but often leaks through them at night)
Wears all 9 month clothing
Weighed 16 lb 11 oz (gaining about a lb in a month) - almost 10%ile
Drinks 6-9 oz a time, 4 times a day and still one MOTN bottle
Now eats a snack or two each day in addition to three meals a day
In addition to the old list of foods, has recently tried meat including chicken, beef and turkey Other new foods include parsnips, cauliflower, zucchini, yogurt, acorn squash, oatmeal, multigrain cereal, cheerios, pancakes, stuffing, jello, white potato, corn, bread
Is increasing the amount of table food eaten at every meal and has a superb pincher grasp
Has gotten much better at opening wide for spoonfuls of food as well
No longer falls asleep right at the end of his nighttime bottle instantly
Takes 2 longer naps of 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours a day
Starting swimming lessons and loves the pool!
Has also been cleared from Physical Therapy for his torticollis
Is now a sitting pro and can sit indefinitely if he wants to
Can stand while holding onto something for longer periods but still needs a spotter for spills
Is more confident in his crawling and can get from point a to point b in a direct path. Crawled from our living room to our bathroom without assistance
Likes to be adventurous and explore new rooms on his own
With his newfound freedom (thanks to crawling) discovered he loves cords and the glass on our entertainment center
Now gets changed on the floor most of the time because his extreme wiggly-ness makes it dangerous to change him on the changing table. He tries to flip and crawl right off the end!
Has serious stranger anxiety as well (also should make the holidays interesting!)
Is developing his sense of humor- this week tried to be funny by putting a pacifier in Mom's mouth and then laughing- right afterwards, he used a burp cloth to pretend "wipe" off Mom's mouth and laughed hysterically again
Likes to bang objects together
Favorite toy of the moment: besides books, our wooden blocks or anything that isn't a traditional toy: the Bumbo tray, a wooden spoon, the Puffs container, etc.

Food Transitions

We've made a big jump in the food department in the last couple of days: We decided that since Sam and Anna have thankfully had zero food issues with any of the things we've been slowly introducing (despite their GERD) we would think about relaxing our current practice of waiting 4 days before introducing a new food. According to my go-to source for homemade baby food, www.wholesomebabyfood.com, around 9 months is when they suggest you can stop paying attention to the 4-day-wait rule.

Sam and Anna have had MumMums, puffs, banana and peas for finger food before, and have been doing really well. They definitely have a good pincher grasp and they make a chewing motion with their mouths. So on Saturday, we gave them some pancake pieces after their typical breakfast and they loved it! Encouraged by the start of our new food plan, we gave them some macaroni and cheese noodles after their typical lunch too. Then Sam and Anna had some white potato pieces after their dinner. They are on their way to eating mostly the same food we do.

Last week Sam and Anna tried meat for the first time- pureed chicken. Today we introduced beef for the first time. By the end of the week we'll have tried yogurt as well.

My babies are growing up so fast!

Now that we've got a crawler...

The world just got a little bit bigger for Sam. He has been rolling all over to get from one place to another, but not always in a direct path from point A to point B. Now that he is crawling, he is much more efficient to get where he wants to go. He has a penchant for the glass on our entertainment stand...

Bella's toy basket...

Pulling stuff down from the shelves in the babies' room...

And munching on cords- like the computer cord. (this I do not have a picture of since I thought it was prudent that I hustled to remove said cords from his mouth rather than stop and take a photo because nom nom noming on a electrical cord was "so cute.")

Anna's been pretty consistently a week behind Sam in physical developmental stages (maybe because she was considered as 36 weeks at birth and Sam was 37 weeks?) So I figure I've got a week before she's on the move very deliberately as well. I'm just glad they waited to both crawl until after Dad was home- whew! That was a close one!

A New First!

Just because I didn't think I had enough on my plate right now (yeah, right!), we decided to introduce solid food this weekend. I was more curious to see what Anna would do, because when we tried the added rice formula at 6 weeks with her for her acid reflux, she flat out refused to drink it. Sam and Anna don't meet all the "criteria" for beginning solid foods, but they do meet most of it. Let's face it- it's going to be a long, long time before they weigh over 15 lbs and I'm not sure they'd ever still be hungry after finishing a bottle (ha- in my dreams!). I can tell their tongue thrusting reflex is gone, and they have shown interest in our food when we eat. They have excellent head control and are on their way to sitting unassisted.

It went well! Both were unsure at first and made very serious faces, but did swallow some rice cereal. The second day I think they swallowed more than what ended up on their bibs, so I'm calling it a success! I can breathe a sigh of relief that their formula eating issues are not a by-product of an overall oral aversion created by the reflux that was not completely controlled for so long- which would affect anything we'd try to feed them. I'm a little unsure how to proceed though, because of their limited appetites- I definitely don't want solids to take up important real estate in their stomachs. However I think it is important for them to get practice eating solids at this point, and have positive eating experiences.

First bites
Happy Babies!

(For those of you who are wondering how I had time to create a post after I had a post explaining how busy I am- I typed the whole thing one-handed while soothing Sam back to sleep. Now that he's back down, I'm off to do school-work. Laminated name tags don't cut themselves out!)

5 months!

At 5 months, Anna:

Is in size 2 diapers
Wears 3-6 month and 6 month clothes
Weighs 12 lb 5 oz- almost 10%ile
Drinks 3-6 oz a time, 5 times a day - about 25 oz total daily
Still exclusively drinks formula (no solids yet)
Sleeps 7:30 pm-7 am most nights
Seems to need less napping time during the day
Often talks herself to sleep in her crib
Takes 3 longer naps a day and sometimes 1 shorter catnap in the evening
Still sleeps swaddled in a miracle blanket
Is getting better at sitting with minimal assistance
Would rather practice standing than sitting
Started to scoot forward with her knees while on her tummy
Thinks her feet are a great toy to play with
Drools and puts anything in her mouth to gnaw on (but no teeth buds yet)
Will sometimes drop a toy she has to take a toy from Sam
Smiles and talks to her brother
Likes hard toys she can chew, like rattles
Loves just laying on her back and will sometimes roll to her side from her back
Rolls over instantly from tummy to back
Is a daddy's girl
Is not a big snuggler
Loves the songs Baby Beluga, and Fatou Yo (song from Senegal in Mandingo)
Likes our Kick and Play bouncer the best so she can kick the toys with her feet
LOVES books- being read to, holding them, looking at the pictures, and chewing on them!
Enjoys pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo
Loves to smile and talk
Likes to splash in the tub now
Reaches up when you begin to pick her up
May be starting to turn to you when you say her name

At 5 months, Sam:

Wears size 2 diapers
Is wearing size 3-6 and 6 month clothing
Weighs 13 lbs 7 oz oz- almost 10%ile
Drinks 3-8 oz a time, 6 times a day- a little over 30 oz total daily
Still exclusively drinks formula (no solids yet)
Sleeps 7:30 pm-7 am , with one middle of the night feeding most nights
Sleeps in a sleep sack, unswaddled

Seems to need more napping time during the day than Anna
Takes 3 longer naps a day and sometimes a shorter catnap in the evening
Is getting better at sitting with minimal assistance
Prefers practicing sitting over standing
Will try to sit up on his own by doing stomach crunches

Has gotten a little more fussy- we think he gets frustrated when he can't do something he wants to, like sit up on his own or hold a book when you are holding it
Is very giggly
Thinks it is hilarious when you dance for him

Likes our aquarium bouncer the best, because of the bubbles

Loves to be carried on your hip

Is a momma's boy

Likes to snuggle and be held when he's quiet and alert
Has learned to smile at the camera
Loves soft toys like taggie blankets

But his favorite toy is our musical flower toy

Has a little bit of a faux hawk
Loves the songs Baby Beluga, and Fatou Yo (song from Senegal in Mandingo)

LOVES books and will even cry if you take a book away from him without giving him a new one to look at
Enjoys pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo

Adores looking at leaves on trees

Wiggles a lot on the changing table, making it very difficult to get a diaper on

Still has big blue eyes!

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

Prefers getting fed only by Mom or Dad
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

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

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

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

Weighs 12 lb 8 oz- 10%ile
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

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

Has smiled at his sister
Is a silent observer while his sister runs the show

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. ;-)

Growin' Up...

• I officially decided that once we run out of size 1 diapers, we will move to size 2 diapers. All that's left is in our changing table drawer.
  

• Sam and Anna wore their first 3-6 month outfits this weekend. Now most people would probably be sad about this, but since gaining weight has been a battle lately with the darn reflux- this is cause for celebration! Plus, I love the new options for what to wear. However, I do not love the in between stage when one size is too small and most things in the next size looks big!
  
  
• It was a cool morning and their thighs are getting chunkier, so I could finally break out the BabyLegs! (which, by the way, is having an awesome 4th of July Sale. And if you use the code SouthernBelleBaby, you get a % off. Thanks, Southern Belle Baby!)

(So much cuter in person. The picture doesn't do the cuteness justice.)

• We took our first stroller ride like "big kids" last week! Although, I don't think we're quite ready for the Jumperoo or Exersaucer yet. And I'm okay with that, because those things take up a lot more floor space than a bouncer!

• Our swaddling days are numbered. Both babies often break out of the miracle blanket in their sleep now. It's probably time to start keeping an arm out soon.
  
  
• I've stopped remembering how many weeks old they are and instead call them "3 1/2" months old.

• I'm crossing my fingers that Sam has finally hit the 12 lb mark when he gets weighed tomorrow! Anna's probably within a 1/2 lb of there too.



• Both babies slept about 11 hours straight last night- and we woke them up at 7 am. Slowly chipping away at our sleep debt...

Anniversaries and Such

We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary yesterday... if I wasn't too tired from taking care of twins 24/7, I'd probably write a meaningful post all about being married to such a great guy and amazing dad... so you might just have to read what I wrote last year, instead. We did go out to eat just the two of us while my co-worker and her daughter babysat, so we are also keeping up our efforts to have a "date night" once a month.

We are also in the middle of the one year anniversary of the process that brought Anna and Sam into our lives... at this time last year, our IVF cycle was underway and I was just about to start the stim medication. Remembering so clearly what I was doing a year ago has made me very reflective lately... I am looking forward to July 5th as a special "anniversary" day as well, because that was the date of our egg retrieval. I feel very blessed to be able to know the exact date that Sam and Anna were created. That date will always have special meaning to me. It ended up that their baptism will be on July 4th this year- for several unrelated reasons, but I think it is very neat that they will be baptized almost a year to the day that God created them. More on the baptism later!

Sam and Anna have been changing so much lately: Sam recently starting having conversations back and forth with us when we talk to him. It is so fun to hear his voice babble like Anna's. He has also been very interested in his hands lately. Sometimes when he sits in his swing, he'll play with his own hands and stare at them intently the whole time, rather than looking around. Both Sam and Anna have been having fun blowing lots of spit bubbles too. Sam's hair has been growing in more, since he lost some of his newborn fuzz, as well.

Anna has begun to really drool and loves putting everything in her mouth (whereas before she'd always stick her hands in there). I think she'll be our first teether. She's also now mastered rolling from tummy to back and can do it pretty much instantly. She loves this new found talent, as she is our tummy-time hater. Now we have to work on trying to keep her on her tummy so she can continue building that muscle strength! Even though she rolled over at 3 weeks, rolls were few and far between until the last few weeks. When she's really excited and moving, Anna now has a move we call her "penguin arms"= she loves to flap her arms at her sides just like a little penguin... or maybe you could say it's seal-like... but I think I like "penguin" more. :)

Sleep: I'm sure I'm jinxing it for myself, but I'm going to go ahead and type it anyway: I think Anna is rounding the corner in getting past the 45 minute nap intruder. Lately she wakes up, cries for just a little bit and goes back to sleep. This sometimes happens a couple times, and then she's back out for good. Wohoo! I discovered this one day while I was busy trying to get Sam back to sleep and didn't get in to soothe her before she stopped. Now if only Sam could figure it out, but he's never been able to soothe himself back to sleep so I'm not holding my breath.

Within the last few days, both babies have begun grasping toys on their own as well. They have been holding ones we've put in their fingers for a while, but it is nice to place a toy in their carseat that they can self-entertain with while driving or in the stroller. They can also sit assisted pretty well now, in our laps or on the floor between my legs. Anna especially loves viewing the world sitting up, so I think our days of holding them like a "baby" are numbered. My little ones sure are growing up fast! How crazy that the next big changes will be starting solid foods and teething!!!

Amazing Changes

Within the last few days, both babies have really started interacting with us. Anna has especially been talking with us and imitating us. Both babies have been smiling at us for a while, but it was a little hit or miss to get them to smile back when we smiled.

Yesterday, Anna and I had a conversation back and forth that included a lot of "ahs" and "gaas." You could tell she was trying hard to make the same sounds I was. Then I stuck my tongue out at her and she very deliberately copied me (she has been sticking her tongue out on her own for weeks, but this was very obviously an effort to do what I was doing). We did that a few times, and it was great!

I think we're entering a very fun phase right now! :)

(10 weeks old)

They're Getting Bigger...

The 0-3 month onesies started getting a little snug and the 3 month clothing is fitting very well right now. It seems like just a few days ago both Sam and Anna were transitioning from newborn sized clothing into the 0-3 month stuff, which still dwarfed them at the time. They were in newborn sized stuff for over a month. Today I washed all of our 3-6 month clothing and made room for them in the dresser and closet. Sam even wore his first 3-6 month onesie today. It's so hard to believe that only a little over 2 months ago my two little ones were in preemie sized clothing!

Both babies are very close to double their birth weight by now too...

(A little late, but here's a picture from our first mother's day)

First Snow

It snowed last night- about an inch of white fluff covering everything.

My babies were born March 9th. We had an unusual March with no snow, and April's weather was very mild- with even an 80 degree day and a record high. Go figure that their first snowfall would be in May.

I'm sad to say that it all melted this morning before I could rush outside with them for a photo-op, though.

More Firsts

Yesterday was the first time we left Sam and Anna with non-relative babysitters. Before this, my parents watched them at our house while they were visiting so my husband and I could go out to eat for his birthday (they were just under a month old at the time). It has been a month since we've been able to go out to eat just the two of us. I couldn't have asked for better babysitters: my co-teacher and her daughter both are licensed birth-3rd grade teachers, currently teaching kindergarten. My co-teacher's daughter worked at a childcare while she was in college. I was very confident that things would go well, and didn't even call to check on them once. :)

Last Thursday I took the babies to visit my students at school for the first time. It is an understatement to say that it wasn't easy to haul them there on the 30 minute drive by myself, especially since neither one likes car rides. Sam cried the entire drive there. It definitely felt weird to walk those halls and see my class, since I hadn't been there for 9 weeks. I realized that I am really out of teacher-mode! I have only a few weeks until I go back on May 20th to finish out the school year and needless to say, I'm dreading that immensely. Yesterday my husband and I talked seriously again about letting our savings take a big hit so I don't have to go back for those 3 weeks. My class just doesn't really feel like "my" class anymore on top of how horrible I know I'll feel to leave my babies for so many hours a day.

I plan on bring the babies to visit my old school (where I taught 4 years ago) this week. I still keep in touch with several of the teachers I used to work with there. It is an hour drive one way, so wish me luck! I hope we can time it so that they end up sleeping on the way there and back.

Sleep at night has continued to get better around here- Sam had his first STTN experience last week- he went from 9 pm until 4 am. Anna's consistently sleeping from about 9:00 pm until 6:30 am. So they both STTN that night! Awesome! I can't wait until they both go 9:00 pm to 6:30 am. We've gotten better at a regular bedtime and nighttime routine lately. We typically start at around 8 pm. Last night was the smoothest transition to sleep yet: both babies got put in their cribs drowsy but not yet asleep and both fell asleep on their own with minimal fussing. This was great considering we had been using a blow dryer running in their room at night for the last week or so to prevent struggling to get them to sleep for over an hour after we started to put them down. They have gotten so much better at self-soothing, which is encouraging. I am looking forward to the days when daytime naps go that well too.

Firsts for me: I am back in my pre-PG underwear, and several of my looser pre-PG tops. I tried on jeans yesterday and although I'm no where near my pre-PG size (which was the smallest size I've ever been), I'm no longer in the biggest size I've ever been. I'm trying to remind myself when I get discouraged about the flub around my middle that in high school my jeans were a size bigger than what I can wear now. So hey, progress is being made. Now if I can only find time to actually do the 30 Day Shred...

First Smiles!

I witnessed the first real smiles from Sam today! True to what I've heard- those smiles seriously melt your heart. It's amazing how one precious little grin makes all the crying and screaming, late nights, lack of sleep and tears (my tears) seems so dismissible. I can't wait to be the recipient of Anna's first smiles soon, too!

Almost caught it

Anna's almost there, too

(*Update: Anna smiled at me less than 24 hours later. )

Small Steps = Big Victory!

Amidst all the crying and fussing and extra lack of sleep lately, my morale has been pretty low. It's hard to endure that much crying and not be able to successfully end it. Especially when, from 7:30 am - 5:00 pm, I'm on my own for that double dose of crying. I made it my goal this week to go somewhere (anywhere, really) out in public that involved driving solo with the twins. I have taken them on walks on my own a few times, but that has been the extent of "going out" on my own. With other adult reinforcements with me, Sam and Anna have gone to church and to a restaurant.

Today, I accomplished my goal- and I did it well! Yay me!

I decided to try to attend the new mom class at the local hospital (not the one I delivered at because it is 45 minutes away) held from 10:30 -11:30 am. Although I thought a specific time frame was really ambitious of me, I knew that two crying babies would not be unusual if I made it there. After all, I was really nervous about dealing with the incessant crying from two babies on my own with onlookers all around. My plan B was to go a store if I didn't make it to the class on time, so all that effort to get ready wouldn't be wasted.

I even made it to the new mom class 5 minutes early! Granted, I started "getting ready" hours beforehand so that the diaper bag and stroller were in the vehicle, I was dressed and ready, and my babies were asleep so I could change and feed them right before we left, but hey- you have to do what will work.

Sam and Anna had their best moments of the day while they were there- they slept most of the time and barely cried. They had a scale too, so Sam and Anna both got weighed: Anna is now up to 7 lbs 11 oz (gained 1 lb 3 oz in two weeks), and Sam is over 8 lbs already at 8 lbs 4 oz ( gained 1 lb 6 oz in two weeks)! They may be crying a lot, but they are sure growing! Drawback to that, though- I think our days of newborn clothes and newborn diapers are dwindling. :) It was really nice to talk to the other moms during that hour. We talked about a lot of things that made me feel like I really am knowledgeable about lots of baby stuff, too.

Now some totally unrelated advice soliciting: We are getting newborn pictures taken in a week (at 6 weeks) at a fairly inexpensive studio (we have a coupon). We also have a coupon for a more expensive studio (where we will get 2 free 8 by 10's and no charge for the sitting- we probably won't buy other pictures because they are really high priced- but who knows? I may be unable to resist getting a few). When should we schedule a session for those photos to be taken? Should we wait a while and get 4 months or 6 months or 9 months or later? These two pictures will probably be framed and put on our fireplace mantel. I can't decide when to get them done, so I need your help! Thanks in advance!