The Janusz Newlyweds!

the birth of my babies

2012-01-29T16:00:00.000-06:00

It seems like it's about time that I document the birth of the twins. I was just telling David last night that I'm starting to forget things about our days in the hospital....like visiting the babies in the NICU - I really don't remember much about that. So truly - time to write it down.

Because of my "hivey" condition my doctors made the decision to deliver the babies at 35w2d. Our goal the entire pregnancy was to make it to 37 weeks. That would be full-term and anything less just felt like failing to me. At 34 weeks when the high risk doctor said "they're coming out next week," I wasn't okay with it. I had had the hives for about a month at that point and I just felt like it was selfish of me to want to be done with the hives at the potential health risks of the babies. But that wasn't it at all. The doctors weren't letting me go any longer. The babies' were at risk if they stayed in me. If my liver was indeed struggling to keep up, the babies could have died. It had nothing to do with how long I was willing to tolerate the hives.

Still, I felt like a failure. The babies would be 5 weeks premature. They weren't premature "enough" to have steroids given to speed up lung development, and were measuring around 5 pounds (as I recall). The doctors had no way of knowing if they would need to be in the NICU or not. They weighed the risks of delivering the babies against waiting, and decided there were less risks with delivering them.

We prepared our minds for the potential of visiting our babies in the hospital for days or weeks. We had taken David's COBRA insurance through the end of the year, knowing that NICU stays for twins would get very expensive for us otherwise. We also chose to only tell our parents and siblings about the scheduled delivery. Having shared so many details about the pregnancy with the world, we decided we would let this be a surprise. (here I am the day before delivery!) My doctor declared 10-11-11 as the day he would deliver them (my dad's birthday). And then said "I'll see you in a week." Like it was no big deal. We knew when our babies would be born. And that was a big freaking deal. We had a week of anticipation knowing when our lives were going to change forever. I went to work and prepared for my leave. In fact, I worked the day before the babies were born (what else was I going to do?).

The morning of their birthday I washed my stomach (as I had the night before) in preparation for surgery. We double checked the list I had put on the door for everything we needed to take to the hospital, said good bye to the dogs and headed out.

Since Kendal was still breech a c-section had been planned. There would be no contractions, just pain medicine, an incision and abdominal recovery! When we arrived at the hospital we must have looked like we were moving in. We had my overnight bag, David's backpack, our diaper bag and my nursing pillow. We went to the delivery center of the hospital and they had all of my paperwork laid out - it was as if they were all just sitting around waiting for us. It turned out this was the first day the hospital was using a new computer records system, so things were very slow and interesting. We had 2 hours before surgery and they went through all kinds of information with me, put in my IV and asked about our birth plan. Funny, that as much of a planner as I normally am, I didn't have a birth plan. As soon as we learned we were having twins I purposely set the idea of a birth plan aside. I felt like I had to just be "ok" with whatever was going to happen. It didn't mean I didn't think through lots of different scenarios and how I would handle them - I certainly did - it just meant I didn't have expectations for how it would all go. I wanted two healthy babies at the end. However they needed to come out would be fine with me.

The anesthesiologist came in and talked through the spinal block he would put in before my surgery. I think that's the moment I started crying. It was all getting VERY real. I would be numb from my chest down, be cut open, at the mercy of a bunch of strangers. All of this to have my babies that I had prayed for.

As it turned out, my surgery was scheduled for 12:00. That meant I hadn't eaten since midnight the night before (I had cereal as my last meal. So boring. I think at the time I thought the fiber would fill me up longer. But seriously, Shredded Mini Wheats!!??) My OB came in to say hello and let me know that he was waiting for the anesthesiologist who had been called away to do an epidural. So we waited and waited and waited. It was almost 1:00 before they told us it was our time to go. I walked to the operating room (which I still think is funny). And there was this tiny, white operating room PACKED with people. I had met some of them, and now met the rest. There was: My OB, another OB in his practice who was assisting the surgery, 2 baby nurses (Kim, Jean) (one for each baby), 2 additional floating nurses (Janet, Robbie), a surgical nurse (Kathy), the anesthesiologist, his nurse (Roxy).

David had to wait in the hallway until my spinal was in and ready to go. They had me climb up on the table and face the wall. I was basically naked, in a room full of strangers and about to have a needle in my back. I started crying. Janet came and held my hands while the spinal was inserted. And from there it's a blur. They spun my legs up onto the table, checked to make sure I didn't have feeling (Roxy supposedly pinched my stomach and I couldn't feel it. So that meant they were good to cut). David came in and sat by my head. They started cutting and pulling. I know this because I could feel it. It's the WEIRDEST thing. You can feel what is happening, it just doesn't hurt. I know that sounds crazy, but that's what it is. I said to David a few times "oh that kinda hurts" because I could feel so much pressure and pushing and pulling. And I know that worried him. He kept asking me if I was ok and kept telling me how amazing I was. It was really only a matter of moments and they were telling us our baby girl was out. It was 1:10 p.m. They held her over the screen so we could see her - she didn't cry. They rushed her over to the incubator in the room and told me they were taking her to the NICU. She was OK but needed oxygen.

As the doctors prepared to take Will out David started to feel sick and had to leave the room. I remember him saying, "I don't feel so good." And me telling him, "You cannot throw up in here. You should go. It's ok if you go, just don't puke on me." (haha!) Nurse Jean helped David out of the room so he could get some air in the hall. Will came out (at 1:11 p.m.) and they asked me for his name. He was SCREAMING. That was it. I was officially a mom.

What became funny to us in the days following their birth was the fact that their names were not "locked in" before they were born. The nurses asked for their names and I was the only one in the room, I blurted their names out, and that was that. We never discussed it! Funny how some of the biggest decisions of life come and go so quickly!

We were SO LUCKY to have a crew of nurses who took video for us after David left the room. We wouldn't have these memories documented without them. This is Will being checked over right after birth (with a shot of me, too).

Nurse Jean brought Will over so I could actually meet him before he went to the NICU with his sister (Will went to the NICU, too, just to be monitored.)

It was all a little strange. Kendal had been whisked away so quickly that I had barely seen her. I didn't know anything about her. I asked what she looked like, if she had any hair, if she was ok.

As we had prepared, David went to the NICU to be with the babies while I was sewn up and went to the recovery room. And then I was SO hungry! Of course all I could have was ice chips - the last thing they wanted was for me to eat and end up throwing up (after having abdominal surgery). I hung out in recovery for a little while and David went back and forth between the babies and me. And then Will came in to see me. He was acting hungry and the nurses wanted him to try to latch on. And he did! I remember crying. I had hoped I would get to try feeding them within an hour of birth, but knew that was unlikely. Once I got the go-ahead I was wheeled into the NICU to see Kendal. She was doing great and not needing the oxygen anymore, just being monitored.

Here are the first images we have of Kendal.

The doctors assured us that the babies were doing great, but that it would be good to monitor them in the NICU overnight. The pediatrician had also been in, and agreed, and so our first night would be with them down the hall. I started in on a pumping routine, and David got to label and deliver the colostrum to the babies who were fed with a syringe. Wow. This takes me right back to those first nights...pumping in the dark, rubbing lanolin on my nipples, worried I wasn't making enough colostrum, trying to get the babies to latch on while inserting the syringe in their mouth, the first time I saw my incision, the first shower I took post-surgery, the strange wraps they had around my legs that inflated and deflated to help with bloodflow.....

Anyway, back to the story.

This is me holding Kendal for the very first time. Ugh. Makes me cry!

Here we are for the first time as a family. They wheeled my bed into the NICU so that I could see Kendal (and Will). We hadn't brought the camera, only the Flip, so we have video of these moments, and not stills.

Our family visited that evening and got to see the babies in the NICU. By 9:00 the next morning the doctors cleared them to be with us in the room. It was truly a miracle. The babies were totally fine.

We spent three days in the hospital learning how to feed the babies and recovering from surgery. That was really the trickiest part -- how were we going to feed the babies? (We would soon learn that we would feed them with syringes for awhile, and then bottles all the while teaching them how to latch on properly, waiting for my milk to come in and keeping them awake (a certain William liked to fall asleep under my boob. Can you blame him? :) )

On Thursday night the babies went to the nursery for their carseat tests. (Babies born before 37 weeks are required to sit in their carseat while connected to monitors for one hour. This ensures they're fit to be in one.) And then on Friday, Will had his little boy surgery and the doctors discharged us. I said to the nurse, "So we just walk out now?" It seemed crazy that we were taking home babies that were 4+ weeks early and weighed 4 and 5 pounds. Her response, "Well you won't walk, we'll push you in a wheelchair."

And we went home. Our little family of four.

If you're just joining us, you may want to read my infertility story. We've come a long way, babies!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Sunday morning

2012-01-29T08:31:00.001-06:00

The babies always wake up earlier than I want. But then they look like this. How can I be mad?

OMG

2012-01-28T16:41:00.001-06:00

Could they be any cuter?
Seriously!

january

2012-01-26T21:00:00.003-06:00

Post-Christmas has consisted of lots of grey outside and lots of grey inside. The weather is sad, and David and I are both sick (I've had a migraine for three weeks, and as of 2 days ago David is fighting a virus. Yuck.)

We have had lots of smiles and managed to take a few pictures along the way, though!

We visited our friends

I started learning how to use my camera more.

And I got a migraine and took a day off of work.

We went for family pictures.

And loooove the mobile above the crib.

And I kept working on my camera skills!

Making it work

2012-01-26T14:32:00.000-06:00

Sick hubby means I'm home caring for the babes. And in between feedings, trying to catch up on work. Here I am, typing left-hand only while holding Will who's been fiiiiighting napping for the last hour.

(As I type this, he's finally asleep and I'm sweating my double chin off).

Maybe I can have it all??

(And....eyeballs looking at me. Go to sleep!!)

teaching love and respect

2012-01-24T12:13:00.000-06:00

The gay / straight / God conflict is something I have thought about a lot. I have always felt so conflicted. I don't like the intolerance people around me have. Whether you feel that homosexuality is "right" or "wrong," "okay" or "not okay," it's not really up to us to decide. That's for God. I believe our job is to love those that we share this earth with. And show them God's love, too.

I was moved to write this post today because of a blog I read this morning. I officially LOVE this girl (I've read 2 posts and agree with both of them. 2 rights make a LOVE.)

Now that I'm a mom, I dream about Will & Kendal as adults -- what sports will they like? How will they feel about us, their parents? Where will they go to school? What will they study? What will they be?

David and I have talked a lot lately about self-esteem. And bullying. And how we'll raise our kids to be strong, respectful, awesome people. And the importance that our children know they are worth so much more than their looks (we do a lot of saying, "you are just so cute!!" in our house.). We want them to know they are kind, respectful, smart, important people. And so we tell them that too. In fact, I think we'll make it the mantra around our house.

I already am and can't wait to feel proud of them over and over again in their lives.

I know some of my friends and readers won't agree with me on this, and others will. I'm okay with that - if I wasn't, I wouldn't post this. I can't wait to meet the people my kids fall in love with. It's a beautiful feeling. I love the way their daddy makes me feel.

So go ahead friends - read on. This lady's name is Glennon and I like her a lot. She's written a beautiful letter to her son.

A mountain I'm willing to die on

having it all

2012-01-23T11:40:00.002-06:00

I could probably post about this e-v-e-r-y day. While I feel so lucky, for my family, that David can stay home with the twins (not only are they not at daycare, but their dad is caring for them), I am jealous of the life that the three of them lead. And TRUST me, I know that the life of a stay-at-home parent is not easy. I feel that every weekend when I am home all day with the twins. It is a ton of work to be with kids all day. A TON. I am jealous of the moments they have together, though. I'm jealous of all the smiles, all the coos, just the TIME they get to spend together. I can't totally put it into words, but I feel like I am missing so much of their infancy. These months just fly by and in many ways I'm just so sleep-deprived I can't even remember yesterday. And I just want to hold on to these moments. Lock them in my brain so that I can recall them again in years to come.

I look at the babies every night when I get home and feel like they've changed so much in the 12 hours that I've been gone. And sometimes I feel like they look at me thinking "who are you, stranger?" Many days it feels like I work two full-time jobs. I get home at 5:15 and start my second shift. And I'm so tired, but I give the babies everything I have - any ounce that is left because it's my time with them. I don't want to feel cheated of those minutes.

The battle complicates further because it's not that I want to be a full-time stay-at-home mom. I know that would get very frustrating to me, too. And I do love my job. I know, from talking to my friends, that this is the never-ending battle we all face. Stay home, work, or some combination. And none are perfect or ideal. As I said to a friend last week, "we have to stop feeling unhappy/unsatisfied about what we have and stop trying to change it because in the meantime life is passing us by." It's time to make the most of the hour or two I have with the babies each night and gobble up every second on the weekend. Stop wasting mental energy thinking about what I don't have, how much my head hurts, how tired I am, and instead relish in the moments I do have, the coos I do hear, the nap I take with a baby on my chest.

There are a million articles about this subject. They at least help validate the feelings of "I'm a working mom who feels like I have nothing, when in fact, I could change perspective and feel like I have it all."

After a recent trip to the OB I saw Working Mother magazine and of course assumed, that by subscribing, I would be a better working mom. You know, the same magic that works to lose weight by simply buying the work-out video. Hey, I subscribed and my first issue just arrived - I'll give it a little more time to start seeing results :)

What I found interesting about this article from Working Mother, though, is the new perspective it showed me about dads. Because they may be feeling some similar things. We need money to make our world go round. We also need to give love and feel love. Our best child-rearing years are our money-making years, in this culture. And maybe that sucks.

I think this thought sums it up best for me:
"We want the noise and embrace of family around us; we want, at the end of our lives, to look back and see that what we have done amounts to more than a pile of pay stubs, that we have loved and been loved, and brought into this word life that will outlast us."

Alright moms - how about you - how do you feel in your working situation about the way you're raising your kids? The good, the bad, the ugly. I want to hear it!

At this moment in my life

2012-01-21T12:14:00.001-06:00

The days are just flying by. Trying to hold onto each memory but it's so hard with all of life's distractions...(I'm currently ignoring dishes, laundry and work I brought home.)

How about all the moms out there - how do you handle the battle of "it all?"

"real" family photos

2012-01-18T11:30:00.001-06:00

We took our first journey to a real photo studio this past weekend. And it may very well be out last. Honestly, the process of getting the babies dressed, PRAYING they wouldn't spit up on or poop through their outfits on the way to the studio and dealing with the crazy people in the tiny studio.

After an uneventful 20 minute session (Kendal smiled a lot, Will did not) we went over to the viewing computer. And here's where it all got ugly. The photographer started clicking through and manipulating photos faster than I could keep up. At the same time she was spouting off how pricing works. It was a mess. I can't even find the right words to describe the experience. I do know that I was so frustrated I told the woman to give me some time to think about our options and I was sweating. I also dropped the F-word at one point. I think the problem, is that for me, in a world where we have digital files that we can do whatever we want with, I am just not used to having to think ahead and plan out how many 8x10 or 5x7 to buy. In fact, there were a few minutes where we were contemplating purchasing the CD of images for $150 just so that we could leave. We were that miserable.

Thank GOD we realized that there were really only three images we liked - and they were definitely not worth $50 a piece.

And so, we quickly bundled up the babies and got the F out of there :)

And we slept through the night!

2012-01-17T08:48:00.000-06:00

After three nights of trying to "persuade" Kendal to sleep through the night (at 3 a.m. when Kendal wakes up David went in to give her a pacifier over and over again until 5:00 when I wake up and feed them) we decided that if she wakes up, I would feed her.

I know, a step backward, but after talking to their doctor yesterday (I was there for my migraines and it's just another reason why having a family doctor is so handy - we can all get consultations at once!) she felt that 4 months of age would be a good time to cut their night feeding. That we certainly don't have to wake them to eat, but if they want it, it's probably because they need it. She reassured me that at 4 months of age a baby is neurologically advanced enough that we can actually "withhold" that feeding.

So, I decided last night that if Kendal wakes up, I will feed her.

And then she slept through the night.

Amen!

the twinsies turned 3 months

2012-01-13T12:49:00.000-06:00

I'm WAY overdue posting about a million things: first smiles, first coos and just the general "how we're getting by around casa Janusz these days," but I also missed sharing the babies' 3 month photo with you!

Seriously. Does life get any better?

We're headed for our first "real" family photos tomorrow, courtesy of a JCPenney gift card. Cannot wait to see how that goes!

breakthough!

2012-01-09T08:04:00.000-06:00

The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night! The babies slept through the night!

It doesn't seem real. But they really did it! And I'm blogging about it quickly in the event that it doesn't happen again for awhile. Even though I am so hopeful that it will happen again, tonight!

I'm also trying to figure out what we did last night that caused them to sleep through the night so that I can repeat those actions again tonight! (I'm married to a scientist, what can I say. It's a constant evaluation of inputs and outcomes in our house).

Maybe it was the visit from my bff Jaime and her three kids with all of their kisses and hugs (and energy!). Maybe it was their relaxing baths (although, to be clear, they have been bathed before). Maybe it was the rocking they got from their grandma K before they had their last feeding....

And on the heals of this amazingness, tonight is our first real date night. As in, someone else, namely my parents, will be putting the babies to bed. This is obviously a big deal. I'm excited to have some time with David and also curious to see how pumping in the car goes (while he drives, of course).

I'm gonna send the babies a quick email letting them know how proud I am of them and how much I love them.

**note: I didn't get this posted last week when it happened (which was actually Thursday night). But, I am posting this anyway. And, it hasn't happened since. Crossing my fingers we'll be back to the land of sleeping longer than 4 hours soon!**

twinsies first Christmas

2011-12-31T14:43:00.002-06:00

We thoroughly enjoyed our first Christmas as parents. Since our pediatrician strongly advised we steer clear of large crowds (to avoid the babies getting sick), we skipped my big family gathering and had a low-key Christmas. It was a great time!

Family of 4! Will in his first tie and sweater and Kendal in her first dress. I think we'll have to save these outfits!

Brother and sister just hanging out!

Grandpa Janusz, who showed up with their presents!

Mom and Kendal

Dad and William

Will with his shirt/tie (made by his Aunt Emily)

Kendal in her "scrappy tutu" (also made by Aunt Emily)

it's been a whirlwind

2011-12-29T14:08:00.001-06:00

I literally have 3 posts started and haven't been able to put the finishing touches (i.e. more than 6 words) on any of them.

My life has been so consumed with going back to work and loving on the babies at night - that that's literally all I do! Every once in awhile I remind myself that I really need to shower and hop in there quickly.

For those wondering, here's what my schedule looks like during the week. It's a whirlwind, and weekends are fab. I have to say, having a stay-at-home husband has been key. He does a great job cooking, doing dishes, vacuuming, laundry and keeping the house "peaceful." I love him for it all.

5:00 - wake up and shower
5:30 - wake up the twins and feed them, put them back to bed
6:30 - drive to the bus stop
6:50 - 7:45 ride the bus into Milwaukee
8:00 - 4 work
4:10 - back on the bus
5:00 - home and hang out with the babies
5:45 - feed the babies
6 - 7:30 eat dinner, play with the babies, baths, etc.
7:45 - feed the babies and put them to bed
9:00 - bed
2:00 - feed the babies (holding out hope that they drop this feeding SOON! But really, one feeding mid-sleep isn't so bad :)

Watch the blog for posts about the twinsies' first Christmas and my end-of-the year recap. In the meantime, enjoy our Christmas card. These babies are just so cute. Can not get enough of them!

sweet daddy

2011-12-23T15:36:00.003-06:00

I just have to share these memories from the twins' first day of life. See, before 10/11/11 David had never held and infant. And then his world changed.

Here he is holding Will. I think this was while I was in recovery. Kendal had gone to the NICU to be watched for a bit because of her breathing. Will went because Kendal went--the doctors thought it wouldn't hurt to monitor him for a little while too. And while I was stuck recovering, I wanted David with the babies.

And here's a photo of him feeding Will. Maybe for the very first time. Since I'm not sure, we'll pretend it was.

Here's David changing his very first diaper. Nurse Connie walked him through it. And Will even passed gas on David's hand. Classic.

looking back on my ultrasounds

2011-12-20T10:24:00.002-06:00

I started backing up videos this week. I hadn't realized how much the nurses captured of the twins' birth day (more on that in another post). In posting some of those videos to YouTube I came back across videos I took of some of the twins' ultrasounds.

At the time the videos were neat because they captured my future kids. I will say though, I never felt super connected to the babies. Seeing them on screen there was almost a space or distance between them and me. It was surreal that that was what was in my belly. But watching the videos now is SUPER neat because I can watch them and I know that the little baby on screen is MY Kendal and MY Will. I can almost really see them now when I watch the babies moving around. It's a weird connection seeing them now in real life, and them on video--it's almost as if it takes me back and I can feel them in my belly again.

Here's a video of Kendal "Baby A, Girl" at 20 weeks.

And, of course, Will, "Baby B, Boy" at 20 weeks.

While I'm thinking of it, I am going to email them to the twins so they have them to watch some day ... (that's right, I started email accounts for Will & Kendal. As I have pictures, memories and other nuggets I want them to see some day I just email them. Seems like a cool thing to do with their ultrasounds!)

How about other moms? What did you do with your ultrasound pictures and videos?

funny funny kid photos

2011-12-15T09:54:00.000-06:00

The goal was simple - a photo of the twins + their 2 cousins (Soren-2 years and Kelton-4 months) to give my parents for Christmas.

Photo # 1. Note that Will cannot lay on the back of his head - it's not pointy, but not flat enough, so he always looks to one side or the other....

Photo #2 Thank goodness Kelton and Soren are smiling pretty. The twinsies are clueless!

Photo #3 I believe this was after Soren head-butted Will and he started screaming. Kendal is in her own world dancing...

In the end we gave my parents this photo. So. Much. Better!

working mom

2011-12-06T08:37:00.001-06:00

I wish the world ran on love. Because we'd be rich. I would be at home with my husband and my babies eating cheese curds and watching bad daytime tv.

Eight weeks ago I couldn't even think about going back to work. It seemed like a far away land. Eight weeks is a long time, after all.

And in a blink I have 8-week-old babies. I can't imagine life without them (although I can remember life before them). My husband who had never held an infant (8 weeks ago) is now a seasoned pro. He does everything I do. And most of it he does better than me.

Only being able to afford an 8 week maternity leave was disappointing, but being able to have him home with me for that time (instead of only a short paternity leave) was such a blessing. I knew that and reminded myself of it often.

Life is about transitions. We go through them constantly. And here I am at another today. I've taken on a new role - working mom. I feel so lucky to have a job that I love and a husband who can take care of our kids.

For me, the new challenge comes with being just that. A working mom. I want to take pride in my work and work my ass of while I'm here. And then forget it about it all and be the best mom when I'm with my babies. That's what I need to do - be the best worker at work and the best mom at home. And forget the opposite when I'm not there. AND forget about house chores when I'm home at night. I need to just enjoy my babies. It will be a challenge for me. All of it. But how lucky am I that I get to face this challenge? So lucky.

I sent this email to the babies this morning for them to read some day:

Dear babies,

Today is my first day back to work. I miss you already and I've been gone 20 minutes.

I know that you are safe and happy with your dad, and I am so very thankful for that. You have the best dad in the world you know.

I'm going to do my best to have energy for you every night when I get home. I'm going to put you before everything else that needs doing. You're the most important things in life.

I love you both so much.

Here's a picture of each of you from last night when you went to bed. (you are in your car seats because you are sick and sitting up helps you breathe. It's your first cold and was so sad when you got it.)

I can't wait to see you in 10.5 hours. Be good for your daddy.

Love you.

Mom

And with this, I'm walking to the bus and heading home. I'm not bringing my laptop. My work will be here tomorrow when I get here.

And I can't wait to see these adorable faces in an hour.

they'll be believers

2011-12-04T17:36:00.001-06:00

Today we took the twinsies to a party their grandparents were attending. Santa was going to be there for a couple of hours and I thought it was a good chance to have their photo taken without dealing with the mall (would have never done it).

On the way David and I talked about how excited we are for starting traditions with the babies. This Christmas won't be "that" exciting (from a kid perspective); we're not putting up a tree or getting them presents. But it will be exciting because it's their first Christmas. And next year will be exciting because we will get their first Christmas tree. And we'll be able to see their eyes sparkle at all the Christmas lights. We'll read them the story of Jesus' birth. (Heck, we might do that this year too).

We can't wait for their first ride on the boat next summer. Their first cook out at the lake. Their first walk through town with their grandpa. Their first play date with their cousins. First fourth of July parade. The list goes on and on. Next Christmas when we take them to grandma and grandpa's for Christmas morning and all eat french toast. Yum.

What about you? What family traditions have you started for your children? I'd love ideas that we could do for the twinsies!

tandem feeding

2011-11-29T15:51:00.001-06:00

I've been tandem breast feeding for 7 weeks now. Whoa. Crazy to think about it. 7 weeks ago I just wanted to try breast feeding. I had no idea if it would work for one baby, let alone two. And it has!

But, with my impending return to work 6 days away (BOO!) we're using bottles more and more for the twins.

And today - David tried tandem feeding the twins for the first time.

He did great. And so did the babies.

mommy + babies

2011-11-28T20:45:00.001-06:00

These are the moments I need to engrave on my heart. I hope I never forget them.

who needs a crib?

2011-11-28T20:36:00.001-06:00

Last night the twins slept in their car seats. And it worked for them. And by worked for them, I mean, it worked for us. It worked for everyone. I have no idea what happened between 9 and 2 a.m. I was in bed and David was dealing with fussy childen. I woke at 2 and went out to check on the babies and the daddy. Babies were a little fussy and my boobs hurt, so I fed them and sent daddy to bed. A quick diaper change and they were back in their car seats. I fell asleep on the couch next to them.

The babies woke me at 6. Another feeding and changes and back in their car seats. I woke them at 9 to eat again and officially start the day.

They slept, we slept, we all slept. Amen.

In other news - I decided to try going without dairy to see if it would help Kendal's tummy (stop her screaming). So no dairy for me today...we'll see how the night goes. So far, she ate at 6 - played until 7:30 - was put in her crib awake and swaddled and finally dozed off about 8:30. But she didn't fuss very much!!

The babies are due to eat at 9 (pumping while I type this) -- we've been giving them bottles more often -- and then it will be back to David taking the "early" shift while I sleep.

God help us all next week when I am back at work, David at school, etc.

sleep

2011-11-27T00:12:00.001-06:00

Who sleeps? Not me!

I'm about to break a Babywise rule and put the babies to sleep in a bouncer and swing.

I'm desperate for them to sleep. Here's how our night has gone:

7:30 feed. Kendal falls asleep in crib. Will wide awake.
9:00 fussy / feed both. Lay in crib.
10:00 they are both asleep
11:00 both awake and screaming
11:00 feed them
12:00 put Will in the swing; Kendal in the bouncer
2:40 Kendal awake and crying. I'm feeding her without waking Will. We'll see how this bites me later.

Quick update: I put Kendal in her car seat to sleep. It's okay. You can judge me. We all slept until 5:45. I fed both babies and they slept until 8:30. Will was ready to start the day. So I fed them again and we did start the day. In fact, I took them BY MYSELF to Buy Buy Baby to pick up some things. It was a big achievement!

Since, they ate at 12 and played (stayed awake) until 1. Kendal went in her crib and is sleeping. Will is fussy and in his swing watching the world go by. But bless his heart - he'll sleep tonight :)

the twins at 6+ weeks

2011-11-26T19:49:00.001-06:00

Haven't seen em in awhile?

Here they are!!

it's been a long/short couple a days

2011-11-26T19:13:00.001-06:00

After 2 decent sleeping nights, it seems Miss Kendal doesn't believe in sleeping when the sun goes down. And it's not that she just lays quietly, not wanting to sleep. SHE SCREAMS BLOODY MURDER.

Last night the babies ate at 9:30, and were laid down shortly after 10. She started screaming soon after and David went to rock her. We wanted to get her back to "calm," not necessarily rock her to sleep.

He rocked her until after 12 when I was awoken. She was still screaming and he needed a shift break.

She fell asleep in my arms, in the rocker soon after that. We slept until 3:45 when Will started stirring. He had sleep for 6+ hours. Bless his heart.

I fed both of the babies and they slept until 6:30.

I didn't blog about it, but Kendal did nearly the same thing the night before. So what gives?

We're trying something new tonight. They'll eat in a few minutes (7:30) and instead of waking them for a feeding at 10:30 (last of the night) we're going to leave them at 7:30. I guess we'll see how it goes!!

And....babies fussing. Time to get pjs on and start feeding!

Any other thoughts moms? I'm not talking about fussing -- this little girl screams. We've tried leaving the low light on. I've tried white noise in the room...Her diaper is clean, she's fed, no known pains or injuries.....