Twins 6-Month Update

Well, it's late, but here is my 6-month update, for those who are interested in following the lives of our twin boys.  I think everyone says this at this point, but I can't believe we are halfway through the year already!  Each month keeps getting better and better.  I sure do love these boys.

Eat

Eating actually improved this month.  After coming to terms with RJ’s eating difficulties, I started pumping and feeding him more bottles and just nursing MJ.  RJ became a champ at eating and grew a ton!  By his six month weigh-in, he was up to 15lb,3oz.  MJ continued to grow consistently as well and is a whopping 17lb, 14oz.  This definitely puts him in the 50th percentile now.  RJ also decided to come back to the breast for comfort nursing and nursing in the night.  He even did a few small feeds when we were out and about.  Hopefully this is another step forward.  A big event this month was also cutting out one of the nighttime feeds!  It is not completely consistent, but it is well on the way.  We also introduced a little bit of rice cereal before bed.  This may be the reason the nights are better.  And the boys love it!  All month they would watch me eat and move their mouths imitating me.  So when we tried cereal they were ready to go.  RJ actually took to it faster than MJ, who was a bit skeptical of this food that wasn’t quite mama’s milk, but he soon caught on too.  We feed about 2 Tbsp around dinner time before their bedtime bottle.  MJ is a fast eater and finishes the breast in about 10-15 minutes.  RJ drinks anywhere between 120-160mL from the bottle depending on how hungry he is. 

Sleep

As I mentioned, we worked down to one feed per night after we sorted out our daytime schedule.  We have a pretty consistent schedule going of two big naps (9am and 12pm) that last an hour to an hour and a half, and then a catnap before dinner.  Creating this consistency has also helped the nights go smoother.  We generally try to put the boys down by 6:45/7:00 and hold them off till 2am for a feed, and then have them sleep through till 7am (though it is often 6:30 where they really get going).  I am still pumping during the night once and sleep is a bit broken up because they don’t sleep steadily, but it is a step in the right direction.  

Play

This month was eventful for play.  The boys are so much more interactive and it was great to hang out with them and do new things.  The big thing they learned this month was rolling over!  Well, sort of learned it.  They can easily roll to their bellies, but have not mastered rolling back again.  This was fine for daytime play, but still causes some issues at night if they roll to their belly and want to get back but can’t.  MJ started sleeping on his belly but RJ panics and cries when he ends up on his belly.  They also mastered bringing objects to their mouths (and they eat everything now!), starting at their hands, and are starting to grab at their feet.  Their language has not really progressed.  MJ became a bit quieter as RJ became more talkative this month.  They both like to “sing” to music (and RJ tends to tap his feet to the beat).   They also are starting to raise their hands to be lifted “up” when they are tired of being on the ground.  They notice when we leave or enter the room and especially love to hear daddy’s voice (they stop whatever they are doing - eating, playing, etc. as soon as he speaks).  They are a  lot of fun!

Events

We did not do any major events this month, but got into a routine of taking the boys for a daily family walk at the end of the day.  They are starting to stay awake more during walks and enjoy the fresh air and looking at the trees and sky.  We enjoy the special time as a family walking down by the beach, and into town for a coffee.  We purchased a Bob double stroller and I am excited to start taking the boys for runs soon too.  Oh, we also started to attend a “Mother Goose” program at the rec center.  It is an hour of singing and nursery rhymes for babies.  It is a lot of stimulation but the boys enjoy the music a lot. 

If you wouldn't say it about a boob job...

A little humour for your morning today!

(Sorry I can't embed the video so you have to go to Vimeo to watch it)

http://vimeo.com/92651492

Happy Easter!

Twins Routine

So this post is not so much about our actual routine with twins, but about all the "extras" they don't tell you about when you have babies.  We finally have a pretty good schedule in place, so much so that I am starting to have a bit of free time (what?!?!?).  Still, at any given moment in the day, it feels like there are always tasks waiting to be done.  I have to choose to take time for myself instead of doing the tasks; or else I would never have a moment's peace.  Babies are so much work!  And when I do take time for myself, the tasks are still waiting to be done at the end of the day.  Fortunately, they have become such a part of our routine that we whiz through them and can usually find time to wind down and cuddle up on the couch with a book or TV show before bed. 

For interest's sake (if anyone cares), I thought I'd share what all these extras are that fill the time we are not interacting with the twins.  Oh, and on a side note, I realized that the reason twins are so exhausting is not just all the extra work (I'm used to that), but it is the constant interaction.  I am a true introvert at heart and all day long I am talking/singing/playing with TWO little beings.  That wears me down!  At the end of the day I look forward to the quiet time to clean up, gather my thoughts, and enjoy a cup of tea in silence.  But I do love them to bits!

So, once the kids are in bed, here is what we are doing:
- Clean up bath/towels/clothes
- Put away dinner dishes (or finish cooking/eating dinner if we haven't made it to that yet)
- Clean up toys in the play area (it's nice to have a "grown up" looking home before bed)
- Washing and sanitizing bottles from the day, then putting them back together and putting them away
- Pumping milk for the night feed that my hubby does
- Usually throwing in a load of cloth diapers (I do this every 2 days or so)
- Folding any laundry from the day and *trying* to put it away
- Stuffing cloth diapers to prepare for the next day, as well as refilling diaper baskets for the night/morning
- Finishing any other chores that were started during the day and not finished (cleaning bathroom, mopping floors, etc.)
- Pulling out/prepping any food for meals for the next day
- Finally sitting down with a snack (chocolate) and a cup of tea, celebrating that we made it through another day with twins!

During the day, while the boys are napping, or if they are actually content playing on their own, I am usually making/eating food, cleaning up dishes, prepping bottles, pumping, getting myself showered/ready, putting in laundry, sorting clothes (they grow through things so quickly!) and trying to get to any chores I can.  So you can see why I am kept busy! 

Six months!!!

Happy 6 Months to these little lovelies. 

A Redeeming Day

Today holds many memories. 

April 10th, 2012 - Our world was crushed as our ultrasound revealed that our baby was a blighted ovum and we would miscarry. 

April 10, 2013 - Exactly one year later, we were in the same office, having another ultrasound and we received the incredible news that we were going to be parents of twins. That day is unforgettable. 

April 10, 2014 - I wake up to the smiles as coos of two adorable baby boys whom I will forever be known as "mom" to.

Today has been redeemed. It is a great day to celebrate.  I love my precious boys with all my heart. 

What I Ate - Nursing Edition

I've been meaning to do this post for a while.  One thing that surprised me incredibly when I started nursing was how hungry and thirsty I was!  I am not lying when I say that I ate more than I did while I was pregnant with twins.  Fortunately, this has settled down, but for those first three months I felt like when I wasn't nursing or sleeping, I was eating. 

For anyone else in similar shoes, I thought I'd share what a typical day of eating looked like for me:

5am - First breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal to tie me over till morning and help my milk supply
8am - Second breakfast: Eggs (usually 2), toast, and fruit (or a variation of an egg muffin, french toast, etc.
10am - Snack: Fruit or nuts
1pm - Lunch: Soup, sandwich and salad
4pm - Snack: Nacho chips with cheese and an apple; crackers and cheese
6pm - Dinner: Varied - Meat, carbs and veggies
9pm - Before bed snack: Cereal and milk
1am - Midnight snack: Yogurt or nuts

You can see that I certainly ate my fill!  I tried to keep a high amount of protein in my diet to keep me going.  I also incorporated lots of foods that I have heard are good for milk supply: oatmeal, avocado, cashews, seaweed, and the occasional beer. :)

Unfortunately, after giving birth I developed a HUGE sweet tooth that still has not gone away.  I blame it on the fact that I had gestational diabetes and couldn't fulfill my cravings during pregnancy.  I didn't add it in, but every day included an indulgence of chocolate, cookies, or cake, depending on what was available.  I'm trying to curb this habit now, but it sure is hard!  

So there you have it. 

My Anxieties

I have appreciated when others have shared their struggles through the transition to new parenthood.  Lately I have found myself struggling in unexpected ways and need an outlet for some of my thoughts. 

I was surprised that I was not struck by the "baby blues" after the twins were born.  Looking back now, I see that I was in almost a shock-like state of survival, that I don't think I had time to be depressed.  It is only in the last little while that I finally have begun to process the events surrounding the twins' birth (bed rest, pregnancy complications, NICU).  While the end result was incredible, I have come to realize that a lot of my experience was traumatic.  From time to time, I find myself reliving moments of those months and playing them over and over in my mind as I reflect and try to make sense of my emotions.

While I have not been affected by a huge depression, I have lately been experiencing bouts of anxiety to an extent that I never have felt before.  I expected to be a protective mama bear, but that isn't even the type of anxiety I feel.  I don't worry too much about the boys being hurt, or getting sick, or those types of concerns that are typical of new parents.  What I worry about is the boys' development, whether they are meeting milestones, how their brains are forming, and how I can them from any sense of trauma or unhappiness in their lives.  I know this is an unrealistic expectation.  I can't shelter them from anything bad happening... but I so wish I could!  I think that since I work in the mental health field, and see a lot of kids who experienced abuse/neglect/emotional trauma and/or who have varying degrees of disorders, I have a heightened awareness of how situations can affect children.  On a daily basis I worry that one baby's crying is going to traumatize the other baby!  In reality, though, all babies cry! 

I also experience anxiety about how our lives have changed.  I know I can't go back (nor would I want to), but I have a tough time adapting to change, and this has been the HUGEST change I could ever have imagined.  There are times when I just cannot cope with how different life is, and all I want to do is ignore the babies and wash my floors and put my house back together the way I used to when I had two free arms and lots of free time.  I get flustered when I have tasks that I can't complete.  I always used to complete all my tasks... and more.  I used to keep my body in shape by exercising.  I made sleep a priority because it is so important for my emotional well-being.  All of these things are now out of my control.  And when I am not in control - I become anxious.

I get anxious about the lack of sleep.  Sleep has always been incredibly important to me, and I am the type of person who goes to bed at the same time each night, and rises early ready to go. I underestimated how much of an effect the sleep deprivation would have on me.  Some nights I go to bed in fear and trepidation, wondering when the babies will wake and worrying about how little sleep I will get.  That keeps me awake and makes me more anxious... it's a vicious circle.

Most days I can manage, but on particularly tired days, or when stressful situations arise, or when the boys cry too much - the anxiety takes over.

I spoke to my doctor about it the other day.  I don't think I need to be on a medication completely right now.  She suggested I explore some naturopathic remedies, but also gave me a prescription for an extremely low dose of adivan to take on an as-needed basis if I feel like I really need it.  It gave me a sigh of relief.  Since my normal coping mechanisms have been taken away (sleep, exercise, coffee with friends, retail therapy), it helps to have a back-up plan in place. 

All in all, I feel like I am doing fairly well, but I like to be preventative and not let things get too far gone before dealing with them.  So, that is where I am at now. 

Twin Fox's Den Post

New post up at my other blog, featuring the Twin Foxes Den.  If you want to check it out, here is the link:

http://wildislandlove.blogspot.ca/2014/04/twin-foxs-den.html

Checking In

I don't have a lot to say, but I have been meaning to check-in and say hello.  Spring is in the air, and life has seemed especially busy lately.  We are trying to get out and about more, and when we are home, I have a list of spring cleaning tasks I am attempting to get through (key word: attempting).  Still, I wanted to drop by and share a few things.

First, photos.  I managed to restore the photos I had accidentally deleted (Google Plus stores an album of all your blog photos and I didn't realize that deleting the album would delete ALL the photos from my blog...oops!  On my phone it didn't even give me a warning).  So I have all the photos in an album, but I think I have to manually go back and add them all to my blog.  With close to 200 pictures, that is not going to happen anytime soon.  My blog will likely remain photo-less apart from what I upload from now on.

Second, I went to the gym last night!  It was my first time in probably 8 months, since I was put on modified bed rest!  I am really determined to get my body back in shape and want to spend the next few months working off the rest of my pregnancy weight.  I also signed up for a yoga class once a week.  My parents will babysit so I can have the "night off."  I hope to get to the gym two additional times a week, walk the boys almost daily, and maybe run once on the weekend (that is super ambitious, but I'd rather set my sights high). 

Third, I think we have a bit of teething going on here!  MJ just hasn't been himself, has been chomping on his hands, and I can see some teeth making their way.  I don't think they will break through for a while yet, but already the battle has begun.  Yikes!

Fourth, we are still having some issues with RJ, but I have settled more into the routine of pumping and bottle feeding him.  It's not so bad and it does provide some stability knowing how much he is eating.  I am managing to nurse him at least one to two times a day too, so that feels good.  I'll write more about this another day. 

Fifth, now that we have hit the 5 month mark, it really feels like things are changing.  We have hit a bit of a stride, and even with two night feeds still (we're working on dropping one soon), we can function somewhat like normal human beings again.  We are doing our own cooking most nights (we ate so many freezer meals and takeout the first 3 months).  I am getting some chores done through the day (though still really appreciate the help from my parents and friends who pop in to get a task done a day).  I am finding time to exercise.  I have the confidence to take the boys out a lot more (though with our sleep training I am still limited).  Sleep and naps are getting MUCH better, so I have the time in the day to regroup and do normal things like shower and eat.  I love it!  And I hear it only gets better once they start eating solid foods, which won't be too much longer.  Things are feeling good.