There is that smile that gets me every time :-)
This is for Diane...."I love my whoozit too" -Love you, Taryn
Evan is chewing on Taryn's hand and I don't think she is too thrilled about it LOL
Friday, July 24, 2009
1 Year Ago....
...Today....who we now know as Evan and Taryn were just little 8 cell embryos being transferred back to their mommy where they would continue to grow for 9 months until they would be born on April 2nd :-)....or in other words today is exactly 1 year to date from when we had our embryo transfer. It is so amazing to think how much can change in just 1 little year. Our babies went from being 8-celled embryos that could not even be seen w/ the naked eye to...gorgeous cutie-pies that light up our lives. They are finally starting to interact w/ one another (proof below) and it is so cute to witness their curiosity of one another....they will glance at one another and flash smiles at each other and as evidenced below chew on each other LOL :-). Other milestones...Taryn rolled over 3 times today...she is still getting the hang of it but she has come a long way in just a few days and Evan is a rolling maniac I cant even keep him on his belly any more...he will just roll right back over to his back. He just about rolled back to belly today but when he was 3/4 of the way there he realized he doesn't like to be on his belly so he stopped himself and went to his back. In other news we started cereal in the bottle today for the bed time feed. I really have to stop saying I am not going to do things because it seems as though I am always eating my words LOL. I always said I wouldn't start any kind of solids until 5 months but really thought I would wait until closer to 6 months but...Evan's spitting up is out of control...I have had suspicions about him have some degree of reflux for a long time but he never seemed to be in pain so we didn't do anything to treat...mostly because there is not much that you can do....but the amount that he spits up is crazy...we soak burp clothes w/ each feeding go through several bibs and outfits a day. So we called the dr. and he suggested that we put some oatmeal in Evan's bottle. Evan only get one bottle a day at bed time (we are still nursing for all other feedings) so I am not sure how much it will help but I am willing to do anything to help him and cut down on our laundry. It may help keep him a bit more satisfied too...it is nearly impossible to fill that kid up :-). But look how cute he is....could you resist this face :-)....
There is that smile that gets me every time :-)
This is for Diane...."I love my whoozit too" -Love you, Taryn
There is that smile that gets me every time :-) This is for Diane...."I love my whoozit too" -Love you, Taryn 
Monday, July 20, 2009
Fun in the Sun
We took the babies swimming today...I wont lie it wasn't the first time but it was only the second time and it is the first time we were able to get pictures. I am not sure what was going through Taryn's mind but I do know that it was nap time and she was pretty tired but she cooperated w/ us and enjoyed a few minuets in the pool before her late afternoon nap. Evan wasn't really digging it until Chad took him out of the floaty and let him full appreciate the water. Evan was easily amused by the moving water and being able to splash around. I have a feeling next summer I am not going to be able to keep them out of the pool.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
MM: Part Duece
Day 2 of Version 2 (did first version of lone-caregiver during June's Guard Weekend) for Mr. Mom....or Major Mom. As I entered dreamland sometime near 1AM this morning, my mind began wondering if day two would be "Deja-vu'" or "Something New". It was clear (well, depending on who you ask) that the scales on Day 1 ended up tipped in Evan's favor. His accolades were notable, but little did he know that his fiery red-headed sister intended to make short work of his stay atop the podium.
The first fuss rang out in the 2:30 AM hour...by now, their cries and fusses are so distinctive to both Gena and I that we know instantly who is vocalizing their discontent (a very useful skill when you have twins because you can begin preparing your fix-it strategy as you proceed to the troubled area)....as I arose from the bed knowing I was inbound to see what Evan was up to. And, well, based on the previous night's events, it was a foregone conclusion that we'd go ahead and feed upon waking rather than trying the continual pacifier replacement routine. So up Evan went with me and off to the kitchen for 5oz of liquid gold...breastmilk. "E-Man" made quick work of it and was ready for some post intake R&R so back to his crib he went. I hummed a couple of notes of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (the song of the moment on their IPOD) to him and then made my way to the door...and ever so close to temporary freedom, Taryn rang out with sincerity....as if to say "ain't know way my brother is getting a leg up on me today by sneaking in an extra feeding and having more energy to out-do me again...I wan't some liquid gold too!" "I see how this day is going to go", I said to myself...and off Taryn and I went to the kitchen for another round of: frigerator, bottle heater, burp diaper, feed, burp, feed, burp, rock, and replace." And holy moly if she didn't watch every second of my filling up her bottle with the most focused of eyes to ensure I didn't give her any less than I gave her brother." But how the heck would she know what I gave him anyway, I mused...but red-heads gotta stick together, so I evened hers up and then added an extra tenth of an ounce for good measure :-) Back in the nursery I went; and now it was Celine Deon on the IPOD serenading Evan as he slept. SweetPea went down with no problems, and off I went to try to grab some sleep.
Finding it easier to tend to their needs before they go dolby-surround-sound full volume, I camped out on the floor of the nursery awaiting their wake-up call. Not a second past 0645, Evan signaled the opening of today's "competition". He arose with such fortitude and recklessness that he quickly earned a "WUOWSOC" (Woke Up On Wrong Side Of Crib) award for his tracking sheet. Yup, he was off to the races, but not necessarily on the right track. Not a handful of seconds after Evan called "Game-on", Taryn signaled her determination to stay with him step for step. "Better get to work", I thought...so I whisked Evan into Pit Row (the changing table) and did a swap on all four (diaper, outfit, hairstyle and socks.) I let him utter his discontent out in the swing while I brought SweetPea in for her swap.
Just as the bottles were warming, Gena arrived and was able to feed SweetPea before she had to go in to work. That kept the two of them neck and neck in the early morning hours, with both of them fueled up for the morning activities by 7:35AM. A quick look at the scoreboard showed the wetters (wet diapers) even at 1-a-piece and consumption even at 9.5 total ounces each (can't leave out their early morning protein-loading session). As 0800 rolled around, it was looking more like Deja-vu' than something new (with the exception of Evan's early WUOWSOC" award). Sensing a long day ahead or wanting another chance to arise on the correct side, Evan headed for his morning nap at 8AM. Not about to let her younger brother get a lead on the much-needed rest, SweetPea called for her nap and made it to the pack-n-play at 8:10AM.
Me...well, I made a mad dash for the coffee maker! :-) We've learned that when you are living a schedule directed by not one but two, if you wait it's not gonna happen. So I made haste to get some caffeine and sustenence before the twangel's next sound-check. The result: 55 minutes of personal freedom...for at 8:55AM, Evan woke from his nap and was ready to play. He did good on this one, and his pit crew tallied another wetter. At 0930, SweetPea's strategy became clear...outwit, outlast, and outplay. And as Evan went from Bumbo to Playgym and back, SweetPea kept counting the sheep....and counting the sheep.....and counting the sheep!
10AM rolled around, and Evan tallied 5 more ounces of liquid gold. Sensing that his sister had the superior strategy for today, he quickly called for his nap and was back in the crib by 10:20AM. At 11:03, he awoke as if to do a status check to see what his sister was up to....to which he found...she's still counting sheep! Disturbed and frustrated that he had been lapped in the nap category, he decided to use his vocal disruption tactic to try to awaken his sister. Blasting the airwaves with remarkable tonation and tenacity, he let the entire East wing of the house have it....and the result: well, SweetPea did wake up, but gently and with a smile on her face. I wasn't sure if the smile was more because of the fact that she had slept so good or because of the satisfaction she got as she watched me tally another "WUOWSOC" award on Evan's side of the tally sheet. So after logging an equalling wetter, Taryn decided to catch up in the consumption catergory and downed 5 oz of liquid gold.
So by 1130, the wetters and consumption were still dead even...but Taryn took a HUGE lead in the naptime category...and Evan had the lead...well, in the WUOWSOCs.
Gena was able to make short work of her day, and got home a little after the noon hour. That brought BF back into play, which made tallying LG consumption too hard to be accurate. Taryn did add another lengthy nap (1.5 hours) and a couple of BF sessions...and Evan logged a couple of trips to the Breastaraunt as well and punctuated his effort with a 2.5 hour nap.
In the end, however, the day was ended up being "Something New" when compared to yesterday. But hey, that is what twins do...they both change on a daily basis, and sometimes one is better at one thing and then the other will emerge in that area. It's so dynamic each and every day...but that are so awesome and amazing and so much fun. Taryn told me the other day that the two of them are an absolute blast...and when it didn't look like they were, they actually were and it was just that I was looking at it the wrong way! Her junior perspective on things is so refreshing...and really so very true. The two of them are a blast...a hoot...truly little miracles who have a remarkable way of trying out every ounce of parenting skills I think I have. :-)
So as Day Two of Version 2 concluded, here's how the tally sheet looked:
EVAN:
Fusshead Award
Bad Napper Award (last ditch effort at day's end impressed the panel, but was too little/too late)
Best Smile Award
Best Laugh Award
Spit-up Award
Cranky Award
Best Rollover Award (did some rollovers from stomach to back with Gena right before dinner)
TARYN:
Best Napper Award
Best Hair-do Award (Even without the Red :-) )
Best Eater Award
Nap Longevity Award
Meritorious Breastfeeder Award (Remarkable form/efficiency)
I love every minute I have with my precious son and my daughter...and while their tally sheet is strictly for the purpose of me keeping my terrible short-term memory (who ate how much and when, who napped and for how long, etc) accurate and in check, it's a score-keeping that keeps me laughing and having fun with two precious miracles in my life. Oh, and the best part of the day...
.... "Mom's home!!!"
I think I learned my lesson by now because I know I can't post this much text and not include a picture...so here is one to keep me off the "bad-blogger" list :-) :
The first fuss rang out in the 2:30 AM hour...by now, their cries and fusses are so distinctive to both Gena and I that we know instantly who is vocalizing their discontent (a very useful skill when you have twins because you can begin preparing your fix-it strategy as you proceed to the troubled area)....as I arose from the bed knowing I was inbound to see what Evan was up to. And, well, based on the previous night's events, it was a foregone conclusion that we'd go ahead and feed upon waking rather than trying the continual pacifier replacement routine. So up Evan went with me and off to the kitchen for 5oz of liquid gold...breastmilk. "E-Man" made quick work of it and was ready for some post intake R&R so back to his crib he went. I hummed a couple of notes of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" (the song of the moment on their IPOD) to him and then made my way to the door...and ever so close to temporary freedom, Taryn rang out with sincerity....as if to say "ain't know way my brother is getting a leg up on me today by sneaking in an extra feeding and having more energy to out-do me again...I wan't some liquid gold too!" "I see how this day is going to go", I said to myself...and off Taryn and I went to the kitchen for another round of: frigerator, bottle heater, burp diaper, feed, burp, feed, burp, rock, and replace." And holy moly if she didn't watch every second of my filling up her bottle with the most focused of eyes to ensure I didn't give her any less than I gave her brother." But how the heck would she know what I gave him anyway, I mused...but red-heads gotta stick together, so I evened hers up and then added an extra tenth of an ounce for good measure :-) Back in the nursery I went; and now it was Celine Deon on the IPOD serenading Evan as he slept. SweetPea went down with no problems, and off I went to try to grab some sleep.
Finding it easier to tend to their needs before they go dolby-surround-sound full volume, I camped out on the floor of the nursery awaiting their wake-up call. Not a second past 0645, Evan signaled the opening of today's "competition". He arose with such fortitude and recklessness that he quickly earned a "WUOWSOC" (Woke Up On Wrong Side Of Crib) award for his tracking sheet. Yup, he was off to the races, but not necessarily on the right track. Not a handful of seconds after Evan called "Game-on", Taryn signaled her determination to stay with him step for step. "Better get to work", I thought...so I whisked Evan into Pit Row (the changing table) and did a swap on all four (diaper, outfit, hairstyle and socks.) I let him utter his discontent out in the swing while I brought SweetPea in for her swap.
Just as the bottles were warming, Gena arrived and was able to feed SweetPea before she had to go in to work. That kept the two of them neck and neck in the early morning hours, with both of them fueled up for the morning activities by 7:35AM. A quick look at the scoreboard showed the wetters (wet diapers) even at 1-a-piece and consumption even at 9.5 total ounces each (can't leave out their early morning protein-loading session). As 0800 rolled around, it was looking more like Deja-vu' than something new (with the exception of Evan's early WUOWSOC" award). Sensing a long day ahead or wanting another chance to arise on the correct side, Evan headed for his morning nap at 8AM. Not about to let her younger brother get a lead on the much-needed rest, SweetPea called for her nap and made it to the pack-n-play at 8:10AM.
Me...well, I made a mad dash for the coffee maker! :-) We've learned that when you are living a schedule directed by not one but two, if you wait it's not gonna happen. So I made haste to get some caffeine and sustenence before the twangel's next sound-check. The result: 55 minutes of personal freedom...for at 8:55AM, Evan woke from his nap and was ready to play. He did good on this one, and his pit crew tallied another wetter. At 0930, SweetPea's strategy became clear...outwit, outlast, and outplay. And as Evan went from Bumbo to Playgym and back, SweetPea kept counting the sheep....and counting the sheep.....and counting the sheep!
10AM rolled around, and Evan tallied 5 more ounces of liquid gold. Sensing that his sister had the superior strategy for today, he quickly called for his nap and was back in the crib by 10:20AM. At 11:03, he awoke as if to do a status check to see what his sister was up to....to which he found...she's still counting sheep! Disturbed and frustrated that he had been lapped in the nap category, he decided to use his vocal disruption tactic to try to awaken his sister. Blasting the airwaves with remarkable tonation and tenacity, he let the entire East wing of the house have it....and the result: well, SweetPea did wake up, but gently and with a smile on her face. I wasn't sure if the smile was more because of the fact that she had slept so good or because of the satisfaction she got as she watched me tally another "WUOWSOC" award on Evan's side of the tally sheet. So after logging an equalling wetter, Taryn decided to catch up in the consumption catergory and downed 5 oz of liquid gold.
So by 1130, the wetters and consumption were still dead even...but Taryn took a HUGE lead in the naptime category...and Evan had the lead...well, in the WUOWSOCs.
Gena was able to make short work of her day, and got home a little after the noon hour. That brought BF back into play, which made tallying LG consumption too hard to be accurate. Taryn did add another lengthy nap (1.5 hours) and a couple of BF sessions...and Evan logged a couple of trips to the Breastaraunt as well and punctuated his effort with a 2.5 hour nap.
In the end, however, the day was ended up being "Something New" when compared to yesterday. But hey, that is what twins do...they both change on a daily basis, and sometimes one is better at one thing and then the other will emerge in that area. It's so dynamic each and every day...but that are so awesome and amazing and so much fun. Taryn told me the other day that the two of them are an absolute blast...and when it didn't look like they were, they actually were and it was just that I was looking at it the wrong way! Her junior perspective on things is so refreshing...and really so very true. The two of them are a blast...a hoot...truly little miracles who have a remarkable way of trying out every ounce of parenting skills I think I have. :-)
So as Day Two of Version 2 concluded, here's how the tally sheet looked:
EVAN:
Fusshead Award
Bad Napper Award (last ditch effort at day's end impressed the panel, but was too little/too late)
Best Smile Award
Best Laugh Award
Spit-up Award
Cranky Award
Best Rollover Award (did some rollovers from stomach to back with Gena right before dinner)
TARYN:
Best Napper Award
Best Hair-do Award (Even without the Red :-) )
Best Eater Award
Nap Longevity Award
Meritorious Breastfeeder Award (Remarkable form/efficiency)
I love every minute I have with my precious son and my daughter...and while their tally sheet is strictly for the purpose of me keeping my terrible short-term memory (who ate how much and when, who napped and for how long, etc) accurate and in check, it's a score-keeping that keeps me laughing and having fun with two precious miracles in my life. Oh, and the best part of the day...
.... "Mom's home!!!"
I think I learned my lesson by now because I know I can't post this much text and not include a picture...so here is one to keep me off the "bad-blogger" list :-) :
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Mr. Mom
This weekend is drill weekend for the Guard which means Gena is at work while Chad stays home and plays Mr. Mom. I truly do enjoy the roll reversal we get to play on drill weekends. It is a nice break for me and Chad gets a chance to full appreciate what it is like taking care of the babies solo...and I don't think they went so easy on him today as I came home and Chad had this really cool color coded chart that only a really great Navigator or Military Man would have. He was charting their sleep, eating, and play times. I came home at lunch to pump and I saw the start of his super cool chart...and it appeared that they day was going fairly well for him. However, when I got home for the day around 1630...the chart looked much different. Now not only was he charting their, eat, sleep and play habits for the day he also gave out awards LOL and this is what it looked like:
Evan's Awards:
Spit Up Award
Best Smile Award
Best Napper Award (Believe it or not he actually napped today, go figure LOL)
Best Laugh Award
Biggest Poopie Award
Taryn's Awards:
Bad Napper Award
Cranky Award
Fuss head Award
Best Eater Award
Biggest Wetter Award
I am probably just easily amused at this point in my life but I thought this was pretty funny as this is what I go through every day :-). In Taryn's defense though she took awesome naps yesterday...she napped for 3 hrs, then 2.5 hrs and then 1hr...that was awesome...you go girl :-) and Evan you keep up your super cute smiles and laughs they fill mommy's and daddy's hearts w/ so much love.
Evan's Awards:
Spit Up Award
Best Smile Award
Best Napper Award (Believe it or not he actually napped today, go figure LOL)
Best Laugh Award
Biggest Poopie Award
Taryn's Awards:
Bad Napper Award
Cranky Award
Fuss head Award
Best Eater Award
Biggest Wetter Award
I am probably just easily amused at this point in my life but I thought this was pretty funny as this is what I go through every day :-). In Taryn's defense though she took awesome naps yesterday...she napped for 3 hrs, then 2.5 hrs and then 1hr...that was awesome...you go girl :-) and Evan you keep up your super cute smiles and laughs they fill mommy's and daddy's hearts w/ so much love.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Stop, Drop and Roll....
Evan did it...he rolled over from tummy to back twice so far today. Just when I was saying they are going to be behind he goes and shows me up :-). It was awesome to see him work through his frustration and conquer this task. Way to go E-Man....mommy and daddy are so proud of you. He hates tummy time...Taryn does too....but I told myself I have to make them do it or they will never roll over because they wont have a chance to LOL if I never put them on the floor. It took him a bit and at first he was just getting to his side and then all of a sudden he pushed again and there he went right on to his back. I called Chad and told him he almost has it and while we were on the phone Evan did it :-)...now we just got to work on Taryn...she shows absolutely no interest...common Sweet Pea you can do it too.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Checking In
Just wanted to check in and let everyone know how we are doing. Of course this is a loaded question as there are too many answers :-)....we are happy, tired, frustrated, excited, overwhelmed, amazed, blessed and every other thought, feeling and emotions you can throw in the mix. When Mom T was here I remember her asking me if the early days/weeks felt far away and at that point even though it was just a few short weeks ago they really didn't feel that far removed from them but now I do...I think back to those first few weeks and they feel like they were several months ago not just 2 and I think about how much the babies have grown and changed since then and I am just amazed. They grow and change so much everyday. Big changes for us...
Evan is no longer being swaddled...he is completely weaned from it. We tried Taryn w/o it as well and she did great for 2 weeks and then all of a sudden she seemed to need it again so she is still being swaddled for bed and naps. I was still swaddling Evan for naps until today and he did great w/o it (however, the word "great" is relative when speaking of Evan and naps in the same sentence).
My little piggies went from eating 5 oz at bed time to 9 oz practically overnight. Though I think they were going through a growth spurt. I have used this extra milk as a way to help break Taryn of her "dessert" habit. I decided if she wanted to eat her bedtime bottle in two sessions that was fine but we would give her round 1 before bath and round 2 after her bath and it has worked like a charm...so I basically will give her 3-4 ounces right before we give her a bath and save the rest, usually about another 4-5 ounces, for after she is all clean, dressed and swaddled. She hasn't asked for "dessert" since...YIPPEE!!!!! Although she is a girl after my own heart, that was not a habit I wanted to keep up with :-)
Changes to bedtime routine...now that the twins are 3 months old they get a story and prayer before bed. We used to just give them their bottles in the living room and then put them down. However, now we go into the nursery and sit as a family in the glider (good thing I bought a double glider) and we feed the babies together, Daddy reads a story, and we say prayers, turn on the lullabies, kiss them goodnight and put them to bed. Recently we have been reading Veggie Tales Bible Stories but since we have completed all the stories in this book we decided to expand our reading selection and just tonight read a new book "Mom Hugs" well I don't think Chad was too thrilled w/ the title of this book because as he was reading it everywhere the word "mom" was he replaced w/ "dad" LOL. Gotta love the guy :-)
Naps...I know I have talked about this before and this is where the frustration comes in...I do try to remind myself how far we have come in just a few weeks to make myself feel better but the whole nap time thing continues to be frustrating to me. The good: they are now napping in their cribs consistently and they go down easily w/ no crying...I have finally learned their signals and can usually decipher when they are fussy because they are tired or if it might be something else. Putting them down at the right time is key for them going down easy w/o a fight where the problem comes in is the duration of their naps specifically Evan. Taryn has done great...she will usually give me a couple 1+ hr naps a day sometimes 2+ hrs...Evan on the other hand I think he has an internal alarm clock that wakes him at the 30 min mark. Sometimes I can get him to sleep 1 hr but I usually have to soothe him back to sleep at the 30 min mark. I would not be so bothered by this but there are 2 huge issues...1.) them being on completely different sleep cycles makes my day very long and difficult 2.) They are so grumpy when they don't get adequate sleep. So it is not like if Evan refuses his naps I can just get him up and play w/ him because the fact is he wont play...he will cry and want to be held. Every place I turn says to get them on the same schedule and when one wakes, wake the other. HA HA that is a lot easier said then done because if Taryn needs to take a 2 hour nap believe me everyone around needs her to take a 2 hr nap as well. She is so clingy when she is tired...so by waking her up I now not only have one over tired cranky baby but I have 2...and when you are by yourself that is no fun. The problem w/ having them on opposite schedules is that there is no break it is a constant circle of putting one baby down and the other getting up...feed, play, sleep and do it over and over and over again...kind of like the movie "Groundhog Day" except I repeat my day in 2 hour cycles instead of 24 hours. And as much as I love those little munchkins it gets exhausting. Honestly more then just the monotony of repeating the same task over and over I feel like the babies are getting cheated as well because this really leaves very little time for play time...and I just worry that they are going to be so behind developmentally because I don't have adequate time to sit on the floor w/ them and do tummy time or practice sitting or playing and just interacting w/ them. I know everyone is going to say "oh, don't worry, they will get there" and yes, I know they will eventually but really, what mom doesn't worry...I think it comes w/ the territory :-) no matter what I am always going to think and feel that I could be doing things better then I am. I just have to be able to go to bed at night and feel like I did the best I could that day and some days it is hard to feel that way because I am so physically and mentally drained.
I hope I don't sound too negative...that really isn't my point...it is just a hard stage right now and I think a lot of it could be solved by a solid schedule and adequate naps but I don't think they are quite there yet so we will continue working w/ them until they get there but I do look so forward to the day when I can implement a schedule that will actually work for them and me :-).
On a more positive note I will share my favorite moments so far....I love their smiles...those little smiles are what gets me through everyday. The other day Taryn was taking one of her marathon naps like the good little girl that she is...so I went in to check on her (after 2 hours I start to worry a bit)...I walked in the room and quietly walked over to the pack-n-play (that is where Taryn naps as I have them separated for naps right now so they don't wake each other) and leaned over to get a good look at her...she slightly opened her eyes and flashed me this huge smile and then closed her eyes...she opened them again and smiled again...she did this 3 or 4 times and it was just so sweet...I love it when she wakes up like that. And then last weekend I was tired and wanted to nap when the babies napped but because I can never trust that they will go down for very long I wasn't too confident that I would get much sleep so I decided to bring Evan to our bed w/ me and put Taryn in the pack n play as I always have better luck w/ them sleeping if we are with them. So I laid Evan on the bed next to me and rubbed his little head and belly until he fell asleep....I kept opening my eyes to check on him and he was just laying their so peaceful and then I would see him open his eyes to make sure I was still there and once he confirmed I hadn't left him he would go back to sleep...so cute, just checking on Mom making sure she didn't leave him :-). But really my favorite Evan moments so far are when Chad is playing w/ him....Chad can make these faces at him that just delight him to no end and he laughs as best as a 3 month old can laugh and it is just too cute. I have yet to make him laugh :-( but that's OK it is so fun to see how they respond to Chad...he is such a great Dad to them.
Other positives worth mentioning. Taryn has slept completely through the night from 7:00-6/6:30 12 of the last 14 nights...not a peep out of her all night...Way to go Taryn. And for the past 2 nights after we put the babies in their cribs after prayers...they have gone right to sleep...no paci checks or additional soothing...that is huge...usually we are in there at least once replacing paci's or something...so they have done great and they both slept completely through the night for the second time last night...Chad and I hope they repeat tonight that would make it the first time they both did it on the same night 2 nights in a row...lets hope :). Actually the fact that they sleep so well at night is probably why their day sleep issues confuse me :-) I think I have too high of expectation for them. They are doing great and are very good babies...I have very little room to complain and I know it...so I will shut up now LOL :-)
Evan is no longer being swaddled...he is completely weaned from it. We tried Taryn w/o it as well and she did great for 2 weeks and then all of a sudden she seemed to need it again so she is still being swaddled for bed and naps. I was still swaddling Evan for naps until today and he did great w/o it (however, the word "great" is relative when speaking of Evan and naps in the same sentence).
My little piggies went from eating 5 oz at bed time to 9 oz practically overnight. Though I think they were going through a growth spurt. I have used this extra milk as a way to help break Taryn of her "dessert" habit. I decided if she wanted to eat her bedtime bottle in two sessions that was fine but we would give her round 1 before bath and round 2 after her bath and it has worked like a charm...so I basically will give her 3-4 ounces right before we give her a bath and save the rest, usually about another 4-5 ounces, for after she is all clean, dressed and swaddled. She hasn't asked for "dessert" since...YIPPEE!!!!! Although she is a girl after my own heart, that was not a habit I wanted to keep up with :-)
Changes to bedtime routine...now that the twins are 3 months old they get a story and prayer before bed. We used to just give them their bottles in the living room and then put them down. However, now we go into the nursery and sit as a family in the glider (good thing I bought a double glider) and we feed the babies together, Daddy reads a story, and we say prayers, turn on the lullabies, kiss them goodnight and put them to bed. Recently we have been reading Veggie Tales Bible Stories but since we have completed all the stories in this book we decided to expand our reading selection and just tonight read a new book "Mom Hugs" well I don't think Chad was too thrilled w/ the title of this book because as he was reading it everywhere the word "mom" was he replaced w/ "dad" LOL. Gotta love the guy :-)
Naps...I know I have talked about this before and this is where the frustration comes in...I do try to remind myself how far we have come in just a few weeks to make myself feel better but the whole nap time thing continues to be frustrating to me. The good: they are now napping in their cribs consistently and they go down easily w/ no crying...I have finally learned their signals and can usually decipher when they are fussy because they are tired or if it might be something else. Putting them down at the right time is key for them going down easy w/o a fight where the problem comes in is the duration of their naps specifically Evan. Taryn has done great...she will usually give me a couple 1+ hr naps a day sometimes 2+ hrs...Evan on the other hand I think he has an internal alarm clock that wakes him at the 30 min mark. Sometimes I can get him to sleep 1 hr but I usually have to soothe him back to sleep at the 30 min mark. I would not be so bothered by this but there are 2 huge issues...1.) them being on completely different sleep cycles makes my day very long and difficult 2.) They are so grumpy when they don't get adequate sleep. So it is not like if Evan refuses his naps I can just get him up and play w/ him because the fact is he wont play...he will cry and want to be held. Every place I turn says to get them on the same schedule and when one wakes, wake the other. HA HA that is a lot easier said then done because if Taryn needs to take a 2 hour nap believe me everyone around needs her to take a 2 hr nap as well. She is so clingy when she is tired...so by waking her up I now not only have one over tired cranky baby but I have 2...and when you are by yourself that is no fun. The problem w/ having them on opposite schedules is that there is no break it is a constant circle of putting one baby down and the other getting up...feed, play, sleep and do it over and over and over again...kind of like the movie "Groundhog Day" except I repeat my day in 2 hour cycles instead of 24 hours. And as much as I love those little munchkins it gets exhausting. Honestly more then just the monotony of repeating the same task over and over I feel like the babies are getting cheated as well because this really leaves very little time for play time...and I just worry that they are going to be so behind developmentally because I don't have adequate time to sit on the floor w/ them and do tummy time or practice sitting or playing and just interacting w/ them. I know everyone is going to say "oh, don't worry, they will get there" and yes, I know they will eventually but really, what mom doesn't worry...I think it comes w/ the territory :-) no matter what I am always going to think and feel that I could be doing things better then I am. I just have to be able to go to bed at night and feel like I did the best I could that day and some days it is hard to feel that way because I am so physically and mentally drained.
I hope I don't sound too negative...that really isn't my point...it is just a hard stage right now and I think a lot of it could be solved by a solid schedule and adequate naps but I don't think they are quite there yet so we will continue working w/ them until they get there but I do look so forward to the day when I can implement a schedule that will actually work for them and me :-).
On a more positive note I will share my favorite moments so far....I love their smiles...those little smiles are what gets me through everyday. The other day Taryn was taking one of her marathon naps like the good little girl that she is...so I went in to check on her (after 2 hours I start to worry a bit)...I walked in the room and quietly walked over to the pack-n-play (that is where Taryn naps as I have them separated for naps right now so they don't wake each other) and leaned over to get a good look at her...she slightly opened her eyes and flashed me this huge smile and then closed her eyes...she opened them again and smiled again...she did this 3 or 4 times and it was just so sweet...I love it when she wakes up like that. And then last weekend I was tired and wanted to nap when the babies napped but because I can never trust that they will go down for very long I wasn't too confident that I would get much sleep so I decided to bring Evan to our bed w/ me and put Taryn in the pack n play as I always have better luck w/ them sleeping if we are with them. So I laid Evan on the bed next to me and rubbed his little head and belly until he fell asleep....I kept opening my eyes to check on him and he was just laying their so peaceful and then I would see him open his eyes to make sure I was still there and once he confirmed I hadn't left him he would go back to sleep...so cute, just checking on Mom making sure she didn't leave him :-). But really my favorite Evan moments so far are when Chad is playing w/ him....Chad can make these faces at him that just delight him to no end and he laughs as best as a 3 month old can laugh and it is just too cute. I have yet to make him laugh :-( but that's OK it is so fun to see how they respond to Chad...he is such a great Dad to them.
Other positives worth mentioning. Taryn has slept completely through the night from 7:00-6/6:30 12 of the last 14 nights...not a peep out of her all night...Way to go Taryn. And for the past 2 nights after we put the babies in their cribs after prayers...they have gone right to sleep...no paci checks or additional soothing...that is huge...usually we are in there at least once replacing paci's or something...so they have done great and they both slept completely through the night for the second time last night...Chad and I hope they repeat tonight that would make it the first time they both did it on the same night 2 nights in a row...lets hope :). Actually the fact that they sleep so well at night is probably why their day sleep issues confuse me :-) I think I have too high of expectation for them. They are doing great and are very good babies...I have very little room to complain and I know it...so I will shut up now LOL :-)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Me and......Buster
Evan here...just wanted to give a big....and I mean big....shout-out to my Aunt Diane. I absolutely love the Manhatten Toy you bought for me...his name is Buster, and he's by far my favorite toy. Ever since my mom hooked him up to my playyard, we've been inseparable. Now, it's definitely been tough on me because our instant bond sent Trenton the Toucan into whiney fit for the lack of attention...and Borus the Butterfly hasn't fluttered my way in quite some time now. But hey, you gotta go with what you know and what works...and Buster and I definitely work!! Thank you so much Aunt Diane!
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