Role switching

It is so funny to me how t and e have switched roles back and forth since coming into this world. T used to be our good sleeper and very laid back baby. Not lately...E has become our good napper and night sleeper. T is back to cat napping and then crying to be picked up. Yesterday he threw the biggest fit....I did not know it was possible for a baby so young to throw such a fit. I was thinking I wouldn't see a big fit until toddlerhood. Motherhood is full of surprises! I keep reminding myself "consistency is key" (thanks Jennifer!) when it comes to nap time. That way they will learn my expectations.

Besides naps t and e continue to amaze me everyday. E is really starting to move around by rolling. Yesterday she rolled from the "feeding fort" to the closet in the nursery in pursuit of a ball David recently bought. It rolls by itself and plays music and lights up. When E decides she wants something she goes after it, and boy, does she get a determined look on her face! She is starting to stand more which makes her daddy really happy. T continues to be my little lazy boy. He rolls when he feels like it. He does not roll from back to stomach yet. If something is out of his reach...who cares...unless it is his pacifier. He still prefers standing over sitting. Neither one of them is sitting up unassisted yet though we try to "practice."

That's all for now.

7 Months Old!

The twins are seven months old as of yesterday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by, how much they have grown, and how much they have changed. Their little faces have changed, their personalities are starting to show, the list goes on. They have grown out of their first pair of blue jeans, and I ordered them a new pair yesterday. They have pretty much outgrown their 3-6 months clothes and are now in 6-12 and/or 9 months sizes. All of the sudden they need new clothes. I haven't actually shopped for baby clothes at all and am looking forward to it. Over the weekend we bought them jumpers ( the ones that hang from the door facing), and they seem to like them. They don't actually jump yet, but they do turn around in circles. I feel great that they have somewhere to be besides the floor or swing. I think they are almost ready to move from their bouncey seats to their booster seats for feeding. We decided not buy highchairs and bought the booster seats instead. If they don't work out we can always go buy some highchairs.

Thomas had an appointment at the pediatrician's office today. We think his ringworm is back. Unfortunately, he is too young for the oral meds and the cream has to be used at least six weeks. My sister who is a nurse practitioner told me she always advises her patients to use the cream for 2 to 4 weeks longer than the six weeks -- especially if the ringworm is in the hair. Of course, that is where Thomas' is. Poor thing! He was just starting to get his hair back.

I have decided to cut back on the amount of baby food the twins are getting because they have really started spitting up worse in spite of the meds thay take for reflux. They spit up worse in the evening it seems. They have also started taking less breast milk even though they only get about 3 tablespoons of baby food twice a day. Breast milk is best and is where they should be getting most of their nutrition. The pediatrician said it would be fine to discontinue baby food, but it might mean feeding more frequently including during the middle of the night. As much as I have enjoyed T and E sleeping through the night I would rather feed them more frequently than have them spitting up so much. I may drop down to one baby food feeding per day and see how that goes before discontinuing the food all together. I don't know....it is all one big experiment, right? Any advice on nursing and baby food from those who have been there is welcome!

Ooooh

I have been scolded.....

I know I haven't posted in awhile and have been scolded by a good friend and a few family members. Time is a huge factor. At night when I have the time to post I just want to go to sleep...and do! T and E are growing so fast! They have already started fighting with each other! E loves to take her brother's pacifier and put it in her own mouth. We really can't put them close together unless we are right there because they grab at each other like they do their toys and it results in somebody getting scratched. OUCH! T and E both throw little mini fits now when things aren't going their way (ie. not being picked up first, not getting medicine first, when toys aren't going in their mouths correctly, when the other is getting a bite of food or is on the breast first, etc) It cracks me up to see their fits. E is definitely my little firecracker at the moment and T is an extremely close second! They are back on meds for reflux. Oh well. We will try again when they are older, I guess. Dare I say it.....their naps have gotten better. Nights have gotten better with E. She has been sleeping through the night (from about 9 pm to 5 or 6am). T still wakes up frequently for his pacifier and often wants to play or be held around 4 am. I put him in our bed a couple of times -- HUGE MISTAKE I KNOW! No more of that. Famous last words!

E is really trying her best to sit up while T is not very interested in that. He prefers to stand. He thinks everything is funny...going down the stairs, eating, me laughing, anything his daddy does. T and E both think David is extremely funny! It is so sweet the way they can't take their eyes off him when he comes home at night. He can't even be in the same room with me while I am nursing because they won't nurse. They just want to look at him and watch his every move. I love to hear them laugh. It warms my heart. They have both recently shown some stranger anxiety. E started crying in Kohl's when a nice lady spoke to her and this past Tuesday when our good friend Linda came to babysit while I went to the doctor for a checkup. Wednesday, T cried when David's Aunt Diane came to babysit so I could go back to the doctor. Neither episode lasted long...thank goodness.


We are going to start going to a play group monthly maybe weekly if we like it. Will post on that later.

6 Months Old!

Thomas and Elizabeth turned six months old on the 13th -- which was also Gramps' birthday. Happy Birthday, Gramps! We took T and E for the six month well visit yesterday, and all went well. E is 24 inches long and weighs 12 lbs 3 oz. T is 24 1/2 inches long and weighs 12 lbs 12 oz. I knew Thomas was bigger because he definitely feels heavier when I pick him up. They are below the average range in all areas of the growth chart for their age and gender. However, this is normal since they are twins and were born early. The pediatrician expects them to catch up by their 9 month or 12 month check-up. I'm not concerned that they are below average especially since they are growing and moving up the growth chart. They each got 4 shots yesterday (HIB, polio, pneumoccocal conjugate, and DTaP) so they are a little crabby today. I was glad David went with me yesterday because it was so difficult to console both of them after their shots on their 4 month check-up. Besides their growth T and E are doing well developementally. They are rolling over some -- E more than T -- using their hands to somewhat transfer objects, cooing, and laughing, and sitting up with assistance. Eating is going well. The doctor said that she would not renew the prescription for the Reglan or Prilosec because usually babies will outgrow reflux by six months of age. That is the hope anyway. So once the meds are gone we will see what happens. If they show they still need the meds the dosage will be increased based upon the their weight. T and E still aren't sleeping completely through the night consistently, and the doctor said as they get larger in weight we should expect them to sleep longer at night.

I continue to be amazed with our children and am so thankful for how well they are developing. God is good.

Bath Time

I gave the twins a bath tonight. Thomas has learned to splash! He makes the weirdest (spelling?) noises as he splashes! We will have to try to get it on video and put it on the blog.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope everyone is having a good New Year so far. Our New Year has been busy. T and E have been trying new foods, and I have had so much fun feeding them. They continue to love their oatmeal cereal though I have started mixing it with formula rather than breastmilk. It was too taxing for me to pump in between their feedings or mostly late at night in order to have milk to mix with their cereal. I introduced sweet potatoes right after Christmas, but that did not go over too well. Even on the fourth day of sweet potatoes T and E still gagged and shuddered. I will try them again later. After sweet potatoes I gave them avocado (thanks Jennifer!). I just pureed the avocado with some water. They seemed to really like it! No gagging and no shuddering. I have some in the freezer for later on. Today I gave them peaches in the jar. They are actually pretty tart even to me so I understand why T and E shuddered. I have been giving each food 4 to 5 days before introducing a new one. I think bananas will be next or maybe squash.

T and E have both been trying to roll over from their backs to their stomachs. E seems more interested in this than T. He is still so preoccupied with his feet, and he has started keeping one of his fists in his mouth most of the time. Yesterday, David put E on her back in the living room and then came back into the kitchen where I was. When I took T in the living room Elizabeth was on her stomach -- hate we missed it. However, this afternoon I saw her roll from her back to her stomach while playing on the floor in the nursery. It was heartwarming and so exciting! Even with my background I continue to be amazed at how quickly they are learning. Not just T and E, but all babies learn so much during the first year. It is truly phenomenal to me. They continue to talk and get louder each day. I have heard a few consonant/vowel syllables but they don't seem to be consistent yet. David has been working really hard trying to get Elizabeth to say "daddy." It is pretty cute to watch.

We had a wonderful visit to Arkansas for the holidays. The twins enjoyed being held by their many cousins and second cousins, and they got to see several great aunts and great-great aunts. My nieces and nephew are so fortunate to get to be surrounded by so many family members from different generations. I think that is pretty rare these days. In spite of the hustle and bustle T and E slept really well at night while we were there until the last day. I think they were worn out by then. It was good to get them home ,but at the same time I was pretty lonesome upon our return. I enjoy living here, but maybe one day we will move closer to Arkansas. Who knows? We had them christened on Christmas Eve, and it was a beautiful service. They were so good. They didn't make a sound. We have lots of pictures from that trip but haven't had time to get them on the computer.

I attended a Mother of Twins Club meeting on 1/2 and had a great time. I look forward to formally joining and making friends. I think having multiples is SO very different from having singletons. I anticipate getting to ask questions and share stories with women who have had or are having the same experiences that I am having. The club meets once a month but also has family nights and moms' night out monthly as well. I plan on doing both. I will keep you posted.

I think Thomas and Elizabeth are experiencing a growth spurt right now. Last night they woke up every three to four hours to eat. They haven't done that in awhile. They have a well visit scheduled for Monday -- more shots and measurements. I am anxious to see what they are weighing now. Thomas feels much heavier than his sister now and looks longer. He has consistently been longer than she is but their weights have been pretty close. It will be interesting to see their weight differences.

I can't believe the twins are still asleep -- I probably shouldn't have said that :) They have almost been asleep for one hour. They still don't sleep well during the day.

Gotta go!

Thomas finds his feet too!

Getting ready for our trip

I can't believe Christmas is five days away! David and I will be taking the twins to Arkansas to celebrate their first Christmas, and I am so excited about it! We are flying out Friday evening and will be flying back Wednesday afternoon. Elizabeth and Thomas have grown so much since their last visit. I am anxious for my family and friends to get to see them. We are having their christening on Christmas Eve Sunday. I am very happy they will be christened in the church I grew up in and by the preacher who married David and I. He is such a wonderful man and friend of the family. I started working on a packing list today so that I can start packing tomorrow. I need to take a breast pump and am debating whether to take my big pump or my hand held pump. I feel like taking the big one may be too much of a hassle in the airport. I'm not finished with my Christmas shopping yet. I may try to get some done tomorrow. I'm thinking about taking the twins to see Santa tomorrow.

Big Milestone tonight

Tonight Thomas and Elizabeth are sleeping in their own cribs. This is their first night to sleep apart since we brought Elizabeth home from the hospital. Bittersweet.....

What are these?

Elizabeth found her feet last night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Elizabeth and Thomas are five months old today! I can't believe how much they have grown and how quickly time has flown by. They are really using their hands to hold and play with things now and love to watch the fire in the fireplace, any type of lights, and they will watch David or me as we move around in the room. They watch each other especially when one of them is throwing a fit and the other is not. T and E don't have a consistent sleep pattern at night yet, and we are still working on naps during the day. They don't go down as easily during the day as they do at night and they often wake 30 minutes into their naps. I usually go in and pat them to try and calm them. I feel ok if they stay in their cribs for at least one hour and even better if it is 1 1/2 or 2 hours. I would love to be able to hold them some while they sleep, but I can't hold them both at the same time now. They also need to learn to comfort themselves some. From books I have read and from talking to other mothers T and E need sleep during the day to continue to develop and grow. Anyway, it is all a work in progress. T and E are both talking quite a bit and love to listen to music and to be read to.

Gotta go!

Oatmeal cereal last night..

We gave the twins oatmeal cereal last night instead of the rice cereal. Again, we mixed it with breastmilk. I tried it myself, and it tasted much better than the rice cereal. It has lots more vitamins in it as well --- and some fiber. Hope the fiber helps their pooping problem. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of a book I bought on Amazon called Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. My good friend Jennifer recommended it. I plan on introducing some more foods after Christmas and would like some information regarding what foods to start with.

I'm going to chop onions. I would like to make some chili tomorrow for dinner and figure if I start working on it now maybe it will be ready by tomorrow night :)

Shopping Trip

I took the twins for a short shopping excursion yesterday, and we had a good time. I bought them some Robeez shoes (courtesy of my mom) for the fall/winter that are really cute! Elizabeth's are brown with pink hearts, and Thomas' are navy with teddy bears. I also bought their christening gowns, and they are beautiful! I will try them on today so that I can take them back if I need to. Trying them on may be tricky due to their reflux. I sure hope they don't spit up on them:) Thomas really flirted with the sales lady at the clothing store and Elizabeth hammed it up too. She felt so comfortable in the store she decided to have a poopie while we were there! I was actually really glad because it had been several days since her last BM. The twins are starting to have trouble in that department. I'm sure they will kill me one day upon reading this post.

I can't believe how close Christmas is! I still have shopping to do. I'm excited about heading to Arkansas for Christmas. Maybe it will snow while we are there. It seems that whenever David and I visit it does snow. It is really cold here this morning. I think I am going to jump back into bed while the twins are napping.

First cereal experience last night

We fed T and E rice cereal for the first time last night, and what a mess it was LOL! David got almost all of it on video and took some still shots. I'm not sure if they are on flickr yet but watch for them. They should be quite funny. We fed them the cereal at their bedtime feeding around 9:00pm. I may try to do it a little earlier though so we can all get in bed a little earlier. I mixed the cereal with my breast milk so it would have more flavor. Neither T nor E really knew what to do with the spoon or the cereal once it got into their mouths, but I know that it is a skill they will develop with practice. It sure will be fun watching them practice and learn. This first year of life is so amazing in terms of how much they grow and learn and develop. God is good!

Great trip!

We had a wonderful time in Atlanta this past weekend in spite of the Razorbacks' loss to Florida. We had such a good time hanging out with Jo and Chris! We laughed all weekend. It was really the first time in a long time we got to just hang out and visit. Jo ate the twins up, and they loved the attention. T and E were so good all weekend....they slept good in the hotel, they did not fuss even though they were in their car seats quite often. Gramps and Grandmother Jane really enjoyed keeping them. They had about 15 friends come over to see the twins Saturday night, and T and E really showed out for their company. Thomas thought Grandmother Jane was so funny. He laughed out loud while playing with her. I loved hearing that sweet sound! Good times!

David went to Pennsylvania yesterday and was gone for the night. It was my first night alone with the twins, and it went well. I kept them up a little past their bed time so David could see them on the web cam. We are going to give them cereal for the first time tonight and plan to video it. That reminds me....need to make sure I have some breastmilk to mix with the cereal.

I am going to go to a Mother of Twins club Christmas party tonight while David keeps T and E. I haven't been to a meeting yet but am going tonight in hopes of joining. They meet monthly and have monthly activities for the twins and for the entire family. It will be a great way for me to meet people who can relate to my experiences. It will also be a great source of advice for me from people who have multiples.

Babies awake...gotta go!

Woo Pig Soooiiee!

David and I are meeting Jo and Chris in Atlanta this weekend to watch the Razorbacks and the Gators play for the SEC championship. Thomas and Elizabeth will have their first hotel stay, and they will also get to stay with Gramps and Grandmother Jane while Mommy and Daddy are at the football game. We are really excited about seeing family. Aunt JoJo can't wait to see the twins. I wish we were going to be there long enough to visit some friends too, but I guess I will have to do that another time. I haven't pumped much this week because I wanted to make sure I had enough milk for the twins. Now I am not sure I will have enough breastmilk for Gramps and Grandmother Jane. I will pack some formula just in case. Everyone is in bed so I am going to try to pump before I join them. ( I started this post this afternoon but am finishing it late)


Go Hogs! Beat Florida!

First week at home

So far my first week at home with the twins has been great. I got to nurse them yesterday, and they latched on without any problems. They had the strangest looks on their faces when I put them on the nursing pillow and even stranger faces when it was time for them to latch on. Thank the Lord they latched on. I was a little concerned they wouldn't after having formula. Thomas and Elizabeth are officially too big for the nursing pilllow. I have known this for some time, but it was confirmed early this morning. I was trying to burp Thomas, and he flug himself backwards. While trying to catch him Elizabeth rolled off the pillow and fell in the floor. It scared me to death! Thank goodness we were in the nursery where there is carpet and not in the livingroom where there is hardwood flooring. I think it scared her more than it hurt her. She cried but was easily consoled. Now I sit on the floor with my back against the love seat and the twins facing each other. It is sort of awkward, but I figure in a month or so T and E will be able to position themselves without my help. Time sure flies!

T and E seem to be getting over their colds though they are still coughing some. Jo called me in some medicine for that. I figured after 3 weeks the congestion needed some help -- it wasn't going away on its own. They have been a little grumpy since I started nursing them again. I'm guessing the sudden switch has hurt their tummies some -- I don't know. I plan to start feeding them cereal Sunday night. That will give their systems time to adjust to the change from formula to breast milk before adding a new food. We will try to get their first feeding on video.

It is time to feed them and put them to bed.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! We are staying home and Elizabeth and Thomas will celebrate their first Thanksgiving with just Mommy and Daddy. We are going to have turkey and store bought dressing, cranberry sauce and butter beans. No pumpkin pie for dessert -- we are having Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream instead. I would like to get out the good china, but I don't think we have time to wash it by hand since I am bottle feeding and pumping. Anyway, we have lots to be thankful for this year. T and E are healthy and growing. Hopefully, their colds will go away now that they will be staying home.


I stopped taking my spider bite medication on Sunday. I stopped taking it early because the pharmacist informed me I would have to wait seven days after my last pill before nursing. He called the drug company to make sure. I thought that was so nice and above and beyond what he needed to do. You won't get that kind of personal service at Walgreen's. Anyway, I talked with Daddy about it, and he told me I could discontinue the meds. Thank the Lord! My milk supply has decreased some, but I am trying to pump every three hours and every 1.5 hours a couple of times a day. It reminds me of when the twins were born, and I was pumping frequently to help my milk come in. Needless to say I am a little sore. It will all be worth it though. I will pump through Sunday and will start nursing Monday morning. Provided that goes well we are going to introduce E and T to cereal Monday night. I am so excited about this new milestone! I increased their milk intake to 5oz for E and 6oz for Thomas yesterday. They are still eating every three hours so I feel like they are ready for some food. My pediatrician reassured me that they should be hungry every 3 hours because their weight is consistent with a two month old, and infants that age typically eat that often.

I better go make some bottles for today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Sumner!

It has been awhile.....

A lot has happened since I posted last. Things have been really busy up until now. Let's see, in mid October I took the twins to Arkansas for the first time, and we had a great time. They got to meet lots of family members who were anxiously awaiting their arrival. We stayed with my granparents and had lots of help from Franny (my grandmother) and all the nieces and nephew. The trip was too short. Following that trip my sister-in-law Amy, who lives in Austin, came for a visit. We had such a good time. Elizabeth and Thomas had great conversations with their Auntie, Amy cooked some wonderful dishes for us, and we laughed so much the entire time she was with us. On Amy's last night she was helping me burp the twins during one of their late night snacks. We laughed so much David had to shut his bedroom door :) Good times! We miss you Auntie!

I went back to work officially 10/26 though I started a few days early for a couple of hours to ease myself and the twins into our new surroundings -- me work, the twins daycare. I have a great caseload of sweet kids, and the other speech pathologists are great to work with. I think the school is a good fit for me. However, David and I never anticipated how hard going back to work would be with the twins. Getting everything ready for each day is such an ordeal -- washing bottles, fixing bottles, washing my breast pump pieces, getting them packed again for the next day, packing the diaper bag, etc....Have I mentioned sleep deprivation? Thomas and Elizabeth are not sleeping through the night yet so David and I haven't been getting much sleep. There have been many mornings that have started at 3 am for me. It is such an ordeal getting them up and ready to leave each morning. We always have to wake them up, and I hate that. The ladies in the baby room at the daycare have been wonderful. T and E are the only infants in the room, and they get SO MUCH attention from the entire staff. Elizabeth has had some feeding issues though in that she will not take my breast milk in a bottle consistently. Some days she is fine and others all she does is gag whenever the nipple is put into her mouth. T and E have been sick since they started going to daycare with stuffy noses, runny noses, and now they have coughs. After lots of thought David and I decided I should stay at home with the twins. I have resigned, and my last day will be Tuesday. I hate leaving the school in the middle of the year, but I need to do what is best for my family. It seems that since I went back to work we have had so much chaos. I'm not sure if chaos is the right word or not.... Thomas and Elizabeth have been sick, and David and I have been sick. I have really missed more days than I have worked so far. Anyway, my principal was very understanding and told me that if I had the opportunity to stay home with my children I should do it. He also said whenever I am ready he will hire me back :)

My last full week at work has been an intersting one. Monday evening I was nursing the twins, and I felt something bite me. I asked David to take a look (it was on the outer thigh on my right leg), and he said it was an ant. No big deal, right? Tuesday morning the bite was about the size of a quarter. It bothered me all day at work, and by the time I got home it was the size of the top of a Coke can. Wednesday morning it was the size of an orange, and it was extremely red and hot. I decided to let the school nurse take a look. She took one look and said, "Honey, that is not an ant bite. That is a spider bite!" She told me to go to the doctor right away. So I left work and went to Urgent Care -- we don't have a primary care physician yet because neither one of us has had to go to the doctor. The doctor wasn't certain what type of bite it was but wrote me a prescription for some strong antibiotics. Daddy wasn't satisfied with that so he called me in some dapsone which is a drug specifically for brown recluse spider bites. It stops the tissue destruction caused by spider venom. Needless to say, I can't breastfeed the twins while I am on these meds. So, they are getting formula, and I am pumping and throwing my milk out. I have to pump so that my milk won't dry up. The pharmacist told me it would take three to four days after my last pill before the meds would be out of my system so it looks like I will be pumping and dumping for ten days. We are on day three. I sure hope the twins will go back to the breast after this ordeal is over with. I hope I still have milk for them to drink!

On a more positive note, Thomas and Elizabeth had their four month well visit today. Elizabeth is 23 1/4 inches long and weighs 10lbs 11oz. Thomas is 23 1/2 inches long and weighs 11lbs 1.5 oz. I had lots of questions, and the pediatrician was wonderful and answered them all. T and E continue wanting to eat every 3 to 3 1/2 hours. The doctor said that was normal for them because their weight is comparable to that of a two month old. She said it would be awhile before they start sleeping through the night because of their weight. I do get to start giving T and E cereal, and I am excited about that. Each little milestone thrills me. I am going to wait until Sunday evening to start the cereal because the drastic change from breastmilk to formula has both babies constipated :( Once I get there bowel issues resolved we will try the cereal. Thomas and Elizabeth each got four shots- the pneumococcal vaccine, DTaP, Hib vaccine, and polio. They were so mad after getting their shots. They screamed and cried and were not easily consoled. I was by myself and tried to hold them both, but they are getting so big that it was hard to do. Maybe David can go with me next time.

I will try to do better about posting.

I'm off to the breast pump!