Twin Breastfeeding Update

In case there are mothers with younger twins reading this... my boys are 7 months today, we are still tandem breastfeeding... and it gets WAYY easier. They are eating about every 4 hours, with solids right after.

Here is their schedule on a good day. (Not every day is exactly like this!!)

7am - Nurse

7:30am - Solids

8:00-9:30 Play

9:30-11: Nap

11am - Nurse

11:30am - Solids

12:00 -2:00pm - Play

2-3pm - Nap

3pm - Nurse

3:30pm - Solids

4pm-7pm - Play

7pm - Nurse/Bedtime

4:30am - Nurse/Back to Bed

7:00am - Wake up/Nurse

I think we have perfected the twin nursing pillow now. It is very comfortable with two pillows behind it it support my back. The boys legs are long and hang off the pillow, but they don't seem to mind. I love that I have both hands free. In fact, I am nursing at this moment ;) They are both asleep though, this is one day when their schedule was messed up. I think they got dehydrated at the park today (very warm), and they wanted to nurse at naptime.

Nursing covers have become very hard to use now, though. The boys' tiny hands are constantly pulling on it. So, most nursing occurs in the nursery, with trips out of the house in between.

Speaking of those tiny, innocent hands, they also like to scratch/poke the baby across from them while nursing. I think I could make some money designing some better twin-friendly gear. I LOVE the twin nursing pillow, but it needs at attachment for older babies to SEPARATE them. I use a stuffed animal at the moment, but of course the boys grab it & play with it while nursing, leaving their sweet faces exposed to their twin's nails. Yesterday Adam started screaming while nursing (and while I was trying to keep the stuffed animal between them). I looked down & saw this:

A huge scratch on Adam's forehead :( I am honestly not sure if Matthew scratched him, or if I did it while trying to keep the stuffed animal in between them. It is our worst nursing related injury though. Poor baby. He got over it quickly though.

I love breastfeeding my boys now. Now that they are older they will look at me & reach for my face while nursing. And, they know when I sit with the nursing pillow that they are about to get milk, and it is so cute how excited they get. I'm glad I stuck with it all of those nights I thought about giving up. (Bottles would be way way more difficult, in my opinion, besides all of the wonderful health benefits of nursing.)

And just for fun, here are a few more pictures of the boys' during their 6th month:
Matthew on left, Adam on right. They are so curious & explore everything with their hands.
Adam after I woke him up due to Daylight Savings, so his schedule wouldn't get too messed up. He looks soo sleepy & adorable.
One of the boys' first baths in the big boy tub. I love being able to bath them together now :)

And Matthew says, "Goodbye until next time." ;)

A Realization

Last Sabbath, Alan wasn't feeling good & decided to stay home. I went to church anyway, but I had to hunt out people to help me with holding a baby. (They don't take good naps away from home, so they were grumpy). During church I saw a married couple holding hands during a song, while their baby played on the floor in front of them. For a split second, I felt a twinge of jealousy and thought, "I want that." Then of course I realized, I have that! (I was husband-less at that moment, but I do have a great marriage.. though sometimes strained from raising twin boys, we still will hold hands during a song service at church :P). That realization suddenly changed my whole outlook. I need to be focusing on my blessings, not on the negative.

I am so blessed to have a great husband and two happy, healthy boys. I am blessed to be able to breastfeed them. I am blessed to have a flexible job where I only have to work one day a week. I am blessed to have two sets of grandparents that love, love, love these two babies, and two grandmas that babysit them while I work. (I couldn't breastfeed if I worked more, and I couldn't work at all without the grandmas to babysit.)

These may seem like obvious things to be thankful for, but somewhere amidst the sleep deprivation and keeping two babies happy, I forgot to count my blessings.

(Grocery) Shopping Chronicles

With two babies, you have to be creative in how you shop, if you are going to dare attempt it on your own ;) I think I have tried just about every way you can imagine to take both babies shopping.

• Both babies in cart (Only works for smaller trips... as you can see, not much room for groceries. Picture taken about a month ago):

• Both babies in stroller, momma carrying a shopping basket (Easiest to set up, but only for very short trips)
• One baby in Moby Wrap, one baby in top seat area of cart
• One baby in Moby Wrap, one baby in bottom area of cart (Still not a ton of room for groceries, but I feel like the car seat is more stable. Poor Adam is buried under groceries, but he doesn't mind. Picture taken today.):

I just had to snap pictures of these funny moments.

When I see moms with three (or more) kids, with some/all of them mobile, I just watch and wonder how they do it!!

Sitting Up

My sweet boys sitting up on their own this morning! Matthew on left, Adam on right.

6 Months

We made it to 6 months! Adam & Matthew are changing so fast, it is truly amazing. (In above picture, Adam is in front in the Moby Wrap, Matthew is on my side)

They:

• Find, reach for, grab and play with toys
• Sit up without asssistance for a good amount of time
• Push up on their hands, lifting their chest completely up (for long periods of time)
• Can entertain themselves for long periods (my personal favorite achievement, haha ;)
• Notice each other, smile & laugh at each other
• Laugh at the cats
• Pet the cats
• Are completely captivated by people and their surroundings. Even if they are nursing & dad comes into the room, they both immediately look at him & smile.
• Grab their toes & chew on them while on their back
• Flip from front to back easily. Matthew can flip back to front. I am pretty sure Adam can too, but I don't think he wants to ;)
• Are eating solids. I started them 8 days before their 6 month birthday. So far they are eating rice cereal, sweet potatoes, acorn squash and peas. They are also sipping water from a straw or a cup. (They aren't very good at the sippy cup yet)
• LOVE to stand and "walk" with us holding their hands
• No words yet, but hopefully soon!
• Take 2-3 naps a day. Naps are starting to become longer & further apart.
• Usually sleep from about 7/8pm - 6/7am, waking up only once to nurse.
• Weigh 14 lbs 9 oz (Adam) and 14 lbs 11.5 oz (Matthew). 5-10th %
• Are both 26 in. long. 25th %

They are starting to develop their own personalities.

Adam:

• More even tempered (Slower to smile, but also slower to bawl. Also has a softer cry.)
• More sensitive. Loud noises or people making strange faces can make him cry.
• Goes to sleep easier.
• "Coos" while crying
• Eats more solid food
• Less picky about his solid food, except it CANNOT be cold. The moment it gets cold, he rejects it. (But he gobbles down everything that is warm, including peas)
• Has a big heart. He likes/notices Matthew more than Matthew reciprocates the feelings :) (so far)

Matthew

• Easier to make laugh, but also gets more upset, and with a louder cry. He seems to experience a wide range of emotions (quickly)
• "Grunts" while crying. (We can now tell their cries apart on the monitor)
• Is "done" eating solid foods much faster than Adam
• Takes longer to go to sleep
• Sticks his fingers in my mouth while he nurses.
• Hates peas (so far)
• Smiles very easily. "Flirts" with all of the girls (really!)

I am so happy I made it to 6 months. So far, every month has gotten easier & more fun. I do still feel overwhelmed at times. And, I admit, I can feel jealous of my friends who have singleton babies. I am jealous they can hold their baby on his own, that they are much more mobile (stick him in a moby wrap and you're good to go), that they can breastfeed one baby at a time (easier to cuddle & bond, and easier to travel).

I was actually having a pity party for myself the morning my mom & I took my precious babies for a walk. After a while of walking, this is how we found them:

They looked so peaceful together, it made my heart happy :) I really really love that they have each other, that they have a built in playmate, that they share a room (so I worry less about them being lonely at night), and that they will (hopefully) be friends for life.

Food, Food, Food

Today, just 8 days shy of their 6 month birthday, Adam & Matthew had their first solid food (whole grain rice cereal). They loved it!

I will admit, my goal was to exclusively breastfeed for a full 6 months. But, the boys were consistenty acting hungry after nursing. I felt I should either give formula or solid food, so rice cereal it was. They couldn't get the food fast enough, it was so funny!

I was excited they took to solids so well. So, I pureed some organic sweet potatoes for them, nixed it with water, and stored it in these nifty containers from Babies R Us for later:



The freezer is filling up fast with baby milk/food :)

Things I Can't Live Without (at 5 Months)

#6 - Jumper
The boys are just starting to like this, but I can tell the boys are going to love it more and more as they grow. Love Adam's expression in this picture.















#5 - Bumbo
The boys LOVE sitting in this bumbo, but only if it is where the action is! (Like on top of the counter when I am cooking or doing dishes). Here is Matthew chewing on his Pooh toy while mommy does chores.

#4 - Walker with belt attachment

This has been a lifesiver!! The boys are too short to move the walker on their own, but with a belt attached to the top, it becomes a "mobile command chair" that can be easily wheeled around the tile. Both of the boys LOVE it. I put the other twin in the Moby wrap, and I can entertain two fussy babies without killing my back or my arms. It is wonderful!

#3 - Moby Wrap

Probably one of the best things ever invented. With a little practice, baby can be easily held hands free. I can get chores done with this thing, and I can't tell you how much the babies love it. I can also take walks with a baby (if there is another person to hold the other), or use it in the grocery store. The one huge limitation though, is that I can only hold one baby like this. (Often combined with the above walker). Here is Adam in the Moby Wrap, showing off one of his preemie outfits to show how much he has grown.

#2 = Exersaucer

This one only beats the Moby Wrap it is virtually parent free :) This is THE favorite hangout spot for both babies (aside from mommies arms of course). I have been using this and the bumbo in the kitchen so I can cook. (I had seriously been lacking in the cooking department before this)

And the #1 thing I can not live without - Grandparents!!

If I am ever overwhelmed, I can almost always call a grandparent over to help me out. Here is grandpa entertaining both babies. So sweet!

Also I would not be able to do this without my husband, but this post is about when he is at work :)