Sleep

Sleeping babies are a wonderful thing :) And something we definitely struggled with for months. I am happy to report that nap time & bed time are no longer a struggle, woo hoo!

The key for us was finding a good routine. I finally had Alan burn a CD of lullaby music. I play that every nap time/ bed time, read them a book, and massage their whole bodies when they are laying down in their crib. They seem to especially like the massage part :) We also used a combination of BabyWise/Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child to get their routine down.

They take two naps a day, around 10:30 and 3:30, about 1.5 hours each. Then they sleep from about 8:30pm to 7:30am.

Sleep was about the most stressful thing we dealt with for so long, and now that it is all resolved, I am almost stress free & loving being a Momma more than ever. Someday I might right a comprehensive post, but it took 10 months to get to exactly where I wanted to be with the whole sleeping thing, which is: going to sleep on their own without crying, taking 1-2 hour naps every time, and sleeping through the night. The last thing they figured out was the going to sleep without crying thing. (I gave up on that for a few months, and was taking them on a stroller ride every nap time, and nursing them to sleep at night.) I was scared how they would react when I tried to put them to bed awake again, but since I added the nice music/massage into their routine, they didn't have an issue.) Now that they have it down, I am much happier :) They sleep in separate cribs at night, but for nap times they sleep in the same crib:

They are pretty adorable sometimes :)
Did you sleep well, babies??

Our nap time massage. (The massage here suffered in quality due to me also taping ;)

Firsts

I love all of the firsts in the first year! Sitting up, crawling, pushing up to standing... the list goes on and on. Here are a few of Adam & Matthew's accomplishments while they were 10 months old.

1. Increased interest and playfulness with the cats.

Here is Adam saying hello to Lucy. Lucy is probably purring at this time.And here is Adam going in for the "kiss". Lucy is probably starting to get worried, as things usually progress downhill from here, ending up in "petting" (grabbing) and biting. Lucy is really good with the babies though, and will actually come up to them for attention. Our other cat, Hobbes, hates the babies with a fervor.

2. Climbing

We were eating dinner one night while the boys played quietly around the living room. So well behaved (we thought). I looked up and saw this:

Little hooligan,

We weren't sure how Matthew had managed it, so we watched as he climbed it again. Yep, we definitely have a climber on our hands.

3. Clapping/Signing

Actually Adam has been clapping for months, and Matthew for about 6 weeks, but they have learned one word in sign language, "all done". They either wave both hands or clap when they are in the high chair to signal they are done.

Messy Adam clapping.

Matthew clapping.

4. More Teeth & Brushing
You can see all SIX of Matthew's teeth!
And now those pearly whites are getting brushed every night with a REAL toothbrush.

5. Walking with Assistance & Standing on their own

Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the boys standing on their own. They actually stand up in the middle of the room and just hang out for a while before sitting back down.

Here they are pushing the same toy while walking around the house:
This often leads to one brother falling, then crawling as fast as he can to catch up to his twin.

Working, working, working

There are some days I really enjoy my job. Like today! I am really blessed to have my dream job of a NICU Nurse. AND I'm blessed to work only one day a week, and spend the other 6 with my precious babies. I feel having children of my own really helps me support other mothers better, especially other twin moms. I also really enjoy the interaction with the other NICU nurses (ie: adults ;)

On the downside, my frozen milk supply is completely gone :( There is no milk in my freezer for the first time since the babies were itty bitty. There is only the milk I pumped today. I am okay with supplementing with formula for the two or three shifts we have before the babies turn one. I have finally realized I am NOT super mom, and that is ok :)

We will probably breastfeed for several more months though, because we all love it. Today when I got home from work, Alan had just finished putting the boys to bed. Adam must have heard my voice though, because he started crying. I went in and nursed him, and he seemed to just melt into me. He quickly passed out, and I just stared at his sweet exhausted face for a while before putting him in his crib. :) (They go to sleep on their own really well too... I am working on a post about our experiences with sleep training.)

The NICU is a dangerous place to work though... if you are trying to wait to have children, or trying to space out your kids. I have started getting baby fever again ALREADY because of taking care of those little tykes. Especially those that are close to going home, but are still growing & learning to eat. They just sleep, eat & cuddle. So well behaved and ADORABLE. I was seriously about to come home & give my husband the, "I'm ready for another baby" talk.

Of course our babies were not so well behaved for him today (they had to pick today!), so I postponed that talk :)

Tandem Nursing

It's getting easier. Everything. Taking care of the babies without feeling overwhelmed, feeding the babies solids, nursing the babies at the same time.

I am at peace & enjoying tandem nursing. In fact, I actually prefer tandem nursing now to nursing just one baby at a time. Maybe it's because they are bigger & can latch themselves, maybe it's because I have finally figured out the perfect formula for success (two pillows behind my back, a blanket between the boys, and a fold-able chair where I place my laptop or book & that has the perfect support for my feet,), maybe it's because we are all so used to our little nursing spot in the nursery (the left half of the futon with a stand beside it where I place my food), or maybe it's because I feel so complete with both of my sons nursing so contently, touching my face, sticking their fingers in my mouth, and looking up at me with their tiny, bright hazel eyes.

Some of you may know, I had a very bad attitude about tandem nursing in the beginning. Now, I never wanted to nurse the boys' separately, I was already nursing 12 out of 24 hours in the beginning. But, I was bitter that I couldn't lie down and nurse, that I couldn't sit in the recliner and nurse, that I couldn't stand up while nursing. Well, I am OVER that. Tandem nursing is a huge blessing. It makes raising infant twins manageable. When they were tiny, I knew I at least had that weapon when all else failed, and it made both babies happen at once! It also became hands free pretty quickly.. around 2 or 3 months. I know tandem nursing saved my sanity, and I regret having a bad attitude about it. (Now, with triplets, it would be over!)

Above: Me with my Mother's Day breakfast Alan made me. I ate it as I tandem nursed.

10 Months & Best Friends (I hope!)

Matthew (blue) actually came up to Adam & gave him a hug, placing his hand on Adam's back & his head on Adam's shoulder! I got the picture just as he was turning to leave, but it looks like Adam is giving him a kiss! So cute!

Matthew crawling over Adam.

I guess Adam forgave him :)

As you can see, the boys have really started interacting more! Sometimes they will just be crawling around while I am getting stuff done, and I will hear random laughing. That is the BEST. I also will hear random crying now. That is usually when one twin has stolen something from his brother. The other day I gave each brother a carrot, left to do something and then heard a screeching cry. I hurried back in there, thinking someone had gotten hurt, and I saw Adam with one carrot in his mouth & one in his hand, and Matthew (crying) reaching out for his carrot. So the love/hate relationship has officially began.

Words the boys say:

dada

mama

nana

baba

yaya

"i do"

They are both cruising around on the furniture, and practice standing on their own for short periods.

Love my 10 month olds!

New Tooth

Last night Matthew woke up around 5am (unusual for him, as he's been sleeping soundly until 7). Alan went in to check on him, then brought him to me to nurse because he wouldn't go back to sleep. I was a little worried this might become a recurring thing, since he got to nurse. Then this morning, he woke up with his 6th tooth! So now I'm glad I gave him some comfort as the tooth was coming in :) They have been such easy teethers, this is the first wake up that I can pin point to the teething.

Current count:

Matthew: 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom)

Adam: 5 teeth (3 on top, 2 on bottom)

Side note:

It is hard to intentionally take pictures of a 10 month old's teeth.

Standing is in our Future

Adam has been practicing standing this morning.

He will have one hand on my knee while he stands up, then he will very purposely let go and stand for a second, then put his hand back on my knee.

Then he gives me a huge grin. He is so proud of his accomplishment!

Does this mean my life is almost over? (As if it weren't over already? :P)