Be sure you get my good side...

I took the babies out by myself tonight for the first time, since Russ was supposed to have a Dad's Night Out (which he skipped in favor of some alone time... can't say as I blame him!). It was fun & nervous-making at the same time, especially the driving.

I went to my favorite mall to spend time with a couple of friends, and also made an appointment at the cute photo studio there. We got some great pictures, and the babies were good through the whole thing and the hanging-out time afterwards. I planned it as a surprise for Russ, and brought home a couple of nice framed prints for his office & the house.

The kiddos just keep growing and growing, physically and mentally. They are looking at more and starting to hold on to things -- toys, me, whatever's nearby. James is enthralled by story time and watches me intently the whole time I am reading. Kathryn is really beginning to use her legs, both kicking at the ball on the new play gym, and scooting herself forward when she's on her tummy. She doesn't do that consistently, but she's made some big moves here and there

Plenty of new Month 3 photos, including highlights from tonight's photo session.

Sleep...

"Just sleep when the baby sleeps," they say.

They don't tell you the long version, for twins:

Sleep when the baby sleeps, and the other baby sleeps (This happens only when one or the other isn't eating -- 6-8 times a day -- having their diaper changed -- also 6-8 times a day -- awake and alert and ready to be stimulated and entertained in developmentally positive ways, fussing and crying over some crushing soul pain such as dropping a pacifier, or just wanting to be HELD).

AND the laundry is done (holy moley, bibs alone, nevermind poop and spit-up stained outfits (theirs and ours) and the normal stuff... yeah, I'd love to be green and use cloth diapers and all, but right now I would wear disposable pants myself if I could), and the bottles are washed, and the cabinets are stocked with diapers and formula, and the cats & dogs & fish & Mommy & Daddy are fed, and the cat box is cleaned, and the bills are paid, and your brain isn't going "HEY, it's the middle of the day! No napping, it's AWAKE TIME!" and spinning around trying to figure out which household tasks are truly essential and which of those you've forgotten altogether for the past 3 weeks (showers anyone? bathe the babies before they reek of stale formula cheese?)... you do the math.

New pictures coming soon. Right after my nap.

Two Months Old!

Today is the babies' two month birthday! To celebrate we went into the office for a while, then to the doctor for their first round of immunizations. :-(

They weren't very happy about the shots, but they've gotten over it now and are sleeping peacefully. James especially needed a lot of extra Mommy cuddling when we got through, and they've both had some Tylenol for their sore little legs.

We got great news at weighing time... Kathryn is up to 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long, and James is 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long! They're just barely onto the growth curve for two-month babies, but they're right around the 50th percentile line for full term newborns (their adjusted age). Also, their weight, length, and head circumference are all catching up to "normal" -- that is, they're not only growing well, they're getting closer and closer to where they should be for their (actual, not adjusted) age. It's hard to tell yet where they'll be developmentally, as there isn't much they're even supposed to be doing yet, but they are doing well with their tummy time and picking their heads up, and they're focusing on things more and more with their eyes, even turning their heads to look at something making noise alongside them.

I have started a Month 3 page in the online photo album. Just a few pictures in there from this morning, but plenty more to come throughout the month.

Picnic Outing

We had an outing yesterday, to the Summer Celebration Party held by out local parents of multiples club. It was at a nearby park with a nice playground and a shelter with plenty of picnic tables, and the club rented an inflatable waterslide to go along with the kiddie pools and water toys brought by members. Our two slept through most of the event, but it was fun watching and taking pictures of the dozen or so sets of twins & triplets, plus their parents and siblings. The pictures are in my online album along with a few new ones in the Month 2 album.

It's hard to believe that tomrorow starts month three! We see the doctor in the afternoon for their 2-month checkup, shots, and weight check. I can't wait to find out how much they've grown! Kathryn has already outgrown one of her "preemie" outfits, and there are several more that are getting tight on both of them. The newborn sizes are starting to fit too -- still plenty of room to grow in them but they're wearable now, at least.

Both kiddos are getting a lot more active now. They're spending even more time awake, and they're really pushing up off the floor with their arms when they are on their tummies. They love it on the Boppys, they can see a lot more of what's going on and still work on picking their heads up. They also seem to like it when I read them stories, they're paying a lot more attention to me as I read.

First two months in pictures

Eight weeks!

The babies' original due date was Tuesday, and yesterday they hit the eight week mark! Monday will be their two-month checkup, we will see how much they weigh and they'll get their first round of vaccinations.

We took them into the office for a few hours on Monday and again yesterday, and I got back to the gym yesterday for the first time in three months. Yes, I am a little sore today! I did get a nap in when we got home, which was wonderful!

The babes are doing great, but we're pretty wiped out right now. They are eating more, and more often, and are not sleeping as much in between. They don't yet know the difference between night and day, so they're just as likely to be awake and looking for attention at 3 am as any other time. We are setting a day/night routine for them -- night-time sleeping in their crib in a dark room, daytime hours spent wherever we are with more activity around them -- but I'm sure it's going to take some time for them to get the hang of it.

New pics in the Month 2 album -- bath time, office, and more.

What I need...

What I need is not a nanny, a night nurse, or a babysitter.

What I need is someone to sit next to the crib and put the %&*#! pacifiers back in when they fall out of the babies' mouths.

Shopping spree

My sister and nephew are in town visiting for a few days, and this afternoon Sis and I went shopping. She's a baaaad influence. See the new pics in the Month 2 album.

I have been wanting to find the babies some more "nice" clothes, dresses and things other than onesies and sleepers, so we went to my favorite mall where they have Gymboree, Children's Place, Janie and Jack, and Nordstrom. Almost everything we bought was on sale, much of it marked down 50% or more. The stores had their fall & winter lines out, and the summer clothes were on the sale racks... Perfect! They'll have to grow into some of the outfits, but that's happening pretty fast these days.

When I got home, James was wide awake, and Kathryn woke up not long after. Russ put a Baby Einstein video on the TV, propped them in their Boppys up close, and they both watched it intently. It was adorable! I had fun talking to them about what they were seeing on the screen. We got the OK from the pediatrician's office to use some infant Mylicon drops to help their apparent gassiness (we'd been warned at the hospital not to give them any over-the-counter medicines without checking with their doctor), and it's made a big difference, especially for Kathryn. She is much more alert and happy than she's been lately, and they've both been snoozing peacefully since we put them down affter their last feeding (I will be doing the same very shortly).

Sleep eludes us

When we reported the latest weights to the pediatrician's office on Friday, the nurse called back to tell us we no longer have to do the weekly weight checks, yaaaaaay! (That's what she said, "Yaaaaaaay!"). Our next appointment will be their 2-month check-up & vaccinations in another couple of weeks.

Most everything else is going very well. James is completely off his monitor now, and we only put Kathryn's on at night and when she's napping and we aren't in the room. She is having fewer and fewer episodes, which is great. We go back to the pulmoologist in just over a month, and she may be off the monitor even before then.

Sleep, on the other hand, is not going so well. They are fussy and awake from 10pm until 2am. Feeding times have become totally unpredictable; fortunately the medication is down to a point where we don't have to stick to quite as precise a schedule. This too shall pass, I know...

Look, Ma, no wires!

This morning's doctor visit was with the pediatric pulmonologist, and it went well. James is up to 5 lbs. 15 oz. and Kathryn is 6 lbs 1 oz. -- SIX POUNDS!

Both of them are doing much better with the bradycardia and apnea. Kathryn is still having a few episodes here and there, probably due to her reflux. James hasn't had any problems in a week or so, and we can begin weaning him off the monitor (though, as the doctor pointed out, it's the parents who need to be weaned in this case, not the babies). Kathryn will still need hers while she is sleeping, but we can take it off when we're watching her.