Happy Memorial Day!

This weekend we introduced the boys to the summer by spending every day in the pool and they LOVED it! The weather has been great and last year we didn't get out at all, so we are making up for lost time and getting some color back on our skin!

We were invited over to our friends' place for swimming and some BBQ to celebrate Memorial Day. As part of my initiative to start taking the boys out more, I said yes. We weren't sure how they would be, since they hadn't ever been in a pool, so Saturday and Sunday we made it our mission to "practice" with them. We took them to our own pool first to see if they would like it and, as expected they loved every minute.

Once we lathered them up with sunscreen (their least favorite part) and got their suits on, into their floaties they went. We got them these floaties with canopies over them which worked wonderfully and kept them out of the direct sun. We were also working on keeping their hats on as practice for our mini vacation later this month. With their light skin, and the big guy's light hair (and lack thereof), we really want them to start wearing hats when they go out. They usually leave them on for all of 5 seconds and them throw them off, but we learned that if we distract them quickly after putting it on, they'll leave it alone.

I loved being able to relax in the pool watching the boys enjoy the water. My wife and I have such a good system going that we were both able to swim, eat, and enjoy being out with the babies and our friends. The boys are so much easier now and were really good babies. They ate, played, swam and went down for their mid-afternoon naps on a blanket on the grass. Ah the life of a baby... I wish I remember what it was like!

Happy Valentines Day!

(I know, this post is sooo late!)

Valentines Day with the boys was great! We took them to the park and let them sit on and touch the grass for the second time in their lives! The big guy loved it and was trying to pluck it out! The little guy wasn't so excited about it. He would crawl to the end of the blanket and put one hand on the grass, then quickly pull it back and make the "yucky" face like he was eating green beans! It was the funniest thing! He would go to every end of the blanket like "damn its on all sides!"

We planned to spend as much time as the boys could tolerate there. It ended up being ALL DAY LONG! We left because WE were tired! We got there at 10:30am and left at 4:30pm. The boys had their breakfast and lunch there, along with 2 milk feedings. My wife bottlefed the lil guy while I nursed the big guy under a light blanket and they both took 2 pretty good naps. I was able to rock them while sitting on the ground (which worked my abs at the same time!) and then lay them to sleep on the blanket or just hold them in my arms. The weather was great, which is probably why they slept for so long.

They are getting so much easier to take out and we are really enjoying it so much more. It helps that they are really easy babies, so long as they are fed they are happy! They are also really easy to put to sleep. As soon as I see the sleepy signs, I start rocking and within minutes they are out!

The hardest part about outings is packing. They have so much stuff! We are currently in the market for a new vehicle, a much bigger vehicle, so hopefully that will make trips out a little less chaotic. We have a smaller SUV now, and its just not cutting it. The double stroller alone takes up most of our cargo space! I usually nurse while sitting in the back seat between the carseats and its very cramped to say the least. Soon we will be getting the bigger carseats, and while I can probably squeeze my butt back there, it won't be roomy enough to try and nurse the big guy!

Fridays

Now that I am back at work, Fridays are my only days alone with my boys. They are 9 months old now and a lot easier to handle on my own, however, I don't really take them anywhere on my own unless its just for a walk in their stroller. I really want to start doing more with them on my Fridays off but I don't really know where to start. Last Friday I was so tired from being back at work that we just hung out at home and didn't even go on a walk. This week I at least want to get back to that.

We live right in the middle of Los Angeles and Orange County so there are tons of places to go and sites to see, I'm trying to start with something easy like an aquarium or something where I can keep them in their stroller and just walk them around to see different things. Not sure how interested they will be at this age but I think they will enjoy a change of scenery.

What kinds of places did you or do you plan to take your baby(ies) to around this age?

9 Months

I almost didn't even realize we were here already! 9 Months... in 90 days we will be having a birthday party for TWINS, OUR twins!

So much has happened in this last month I don't even know where to start. My time as "Stay at Home Mama" has ended and though I miss them more than I ever thought possible, this has been the plan for a while now. "When the boys are 9 months old..." I'm happy that they are bigger and stronger and I think/hope that they are "ready" now. I'm still getting used to the idea of leaving them and don't know if I will ever be "ready", but I'm making the best of it. They are both adjusting ok to being left with my mom at home, and I think it will be just a matter of time before we all find our stride.

The big guy has made one very important milestone, he has said "Mama". He uses it to his advantage, and only says it now when he really wants me to get him and adds in the saddest little face to make me drop whatever it is I am doing to rescue him. He has also started waving at us. Like when he is crawling superfast in a direction he shouldn't be, I am usually calling his name and saying "no, no, no, come over HERE" he will stop and turn and wave at me! Like "bye Mama, I've got things to do over HERE!". Its really cute, though I'm sure that will wear off very soon!

The little guy has met lots of milestones in this month, took his first exam, sits up without falling over, gets on his hands and knees and tries to crawl (he will be on the move any day now), and has become the easiest, happiest baby ever. Only cries when he is hungry, plays for hours with us on the floor, goes down for nice long naps without a fuss, and sleeps through the night! He understands who "Mama" is but hasn't figured out how to say it. Its the thought that counts my lil pajarito!

They are both making their way through veggies and HATE greenbeans! They are tolerating carrots, and will be trying some peas and avocado this week. Still exclusively breastfed, they are growing nice and big and as of yesterday are about 17 pounds each. They haven't been sick not even once in their 9 months of life, and we are half way through the winter here, so just a few more months until we can ease up on the outings.

Speaking of outings, we finally got the courage to take them shopping with us, and they went to Vo.ns and Tar.get. They don't mind their carseats anymore and love going out with us. They were so good in the shopping baskets, although they are still kinda small to ride in the basket part, we used those cart covers and put a few blankets behind them. They loved being able to look around, and since we each had one in our basket, we didn't get all the "twin" oohs and aahs since we spent most of the time divided to conquer. Which is nice. I hate attention and when you go anywhere with twins, everyone wants to see, touch or ask and I'm not that person.

One thing I miss the most about my days at home with my babies is our daily walks. We would walk in our little gated community and the weather was great, everyone was at work so we were never bothered, and it was just me and my little monkeys just like when I was pregnant. Never thought I'd miss being pregnant, but at least I always had them with me.

I love you boys, all 9 months of you!

Our first Christmas...

...as a family of FOUR! I still can't believe it. Its like the new toy that never gets old.

Christmas morning my wife brought the boys, all decked out in their new Christmas jammies, to our bed while I slept. I got to wake up to two smiling, laughing, toe sucking, babbling faces! This alone was the best gift I could ever get. After several rounds of "good morning" kisses, we made our way to the opening of the Christmas stockings. My wife recorded while I helped the little guy with his stocking and then we switched so she could help the big guy. It is times like this, where having TWO babies comes in handy! As expected, the boys could care less about the gifts, and spent their entire time trying to eat every last piece of wrapping paper.

When we were done, we went over to the living room so I could pump (yup, even on Christmas), while my wife and I opened our gifts to eachother as the babies played and watched from their saucers. My favorite gifts from my wife were two web cams (one to set up at home and one to set up at work) so I can see the babies and they could see me once I'm back at work, a digital photo keychain with 50 photos of us and the boys loaded up on it, and a portable DVD player to take with me to work so that I can watch videos of the boys while I am in the lactation room pumping. Needless to say, I cried. Not just at the thoughtfulness of her gifts, but the fact that I will need all these things to stay and feel close to my babies, since I will no longer be just an arms length away. *sigh* I miss them already.

After we opened our gifts we fed the boys and got ready to go. Our first stop was my moms house. We didn't actually go in because they are all sick with colds and the flu, but we wanted to drop off their gifts and my mom wanted to come out so she could look through the car window and see the boys in their Christmas jammies. Poor grandma!

We then headed off to my mother-in-law's house and had a delicious breakfast followed by the opening of 200 gifts. Yes, there were over 200 gifts under the tree! and its not like they have a big family. Its only my wife and her brother and they have 2 kids and we have our boys. Its just that my MIL loves to shop and likes for everyone to open a ton of gifts, so she goes nuts during the holidays. If we didn't pay attention, we could have lost one of the boys in the mountains of paper and boxes that soon took over the living room. It took several hours for everybody to get through all their gifts, we even took a break to feed the boys and put them down for a short nap!

My favorite part of the day was watching our nieces and nephews play with the boys. Our nephew is 17 and niece is 13 and the boys just love them! It really is amazing that the boys don't have any problems going with them considering they don't see them that often. They are very sweet to them, and its funny to watch their whole family argue over whose turn it is to hold/play with them.

The boys had a great time and by the end of the day, they were exhausted! We tried to get them down for naps but with everything going on, they wouldn't stay asleep for long. They fell asleep in the car and when we got home, they ate and went straight to bed.

My wife and I took some time to process the events of the day and how lucky we are to have such beautiful boys. Christmas with our babies was everything I hoped it would be and more. I love being their Mama more than anything in the world and I hope they always feel how much I love them, even when they stop letting me shower them with kisses every second.

Catching up...

Today we took the boys to our local Children's Hospital so the little guy could be assessed on his developmental progress. Since the big guy wasn't on oxygen and didn't have any issues other then being born early, they only really check on the little guy. I'm fine with it since the big guy is a few steps ahead of his brother anyway, and I can use what I learn in the lil ones assessments to do my own with the big guy if I felt it were necessary.

The funny part is, they brought out this sheet of paper with different activities (crawling, standing, sitting and then crawling, etc.) that demonstrate where the boys should be by 9 months (so in about a month) and we both laughed because the big guy has been doing all these things since he was 7 months! Further demonstrating the fact that he doesn't need any physical or occupational therapy.

As for the little one, he did very well! He played with the two women as he was expected to and he passed all his assessments with good scores. They don't even want to see him for another 6-8 months! Of course we were relieved (and oh so proud of our little baby boy), because with 31 weekers, you are generally told to prepare yourself for delays and they offer lots of assistance both in-home and at the clinic. Luckily, we don't have to worry about scheduling any more appointments and can just enjoy the next few months without stressing over whether or not the little guy is where he should be.

As cheesy as it sounds my wife and I were just so proud of our little baby as we watched him play so good with complete strangers and take his first real test! One of the women even asked if he would cry if she took him from me and I wasn't even sure how to answer. I usually never hand him over to a stranger! But he wasn't phased by it at all, he just sat down and started taking her toys.

On another note, this was the longest we've been out with the boys (the appointment took about 5 hours) without any meltdowns! They didn't even cry or fuss once! They really enjoy going out now, and sit so quietly while in their carseats and stroller. At one point, I looked back as we were driving home and they were both asleep! *bliss* our babies are growing up!

Operation "Get a photo with Santa" COMPLETE!

Yes we did it! We trecked our butts off to the mall at 9am this morning to get the boys a photo with Santa. I looked up what time they open so we could get their early and avoid a line, and would you believe there were already people there! Ugh! The nerve! Luckily we only waited about 20 minutes before it was our turn and aside from the lady behind us coughing up a lung, it was pretty uneventful. I just don't get why people feel the need to spread their germs.

The little guy had a bottle and fell asleep 10 minutes into our wait so we had to wake him up for his photo shoot, and he wasn't exactly all smiles about it. The big guy wasn't sure what the heck was going on and wasn't amused by the photographer dressed like an elf and shouting his name at him. It doesn't really help that I hardly call them by their names!

All in all, the boys enjoyed their first mall experience and well, I survived it. I really hate the mall, even pre-twins, I just don't like being around so many people. Therefore, I am thankful that our yearly trip to the mall is now complete and we don't have to go back until next year, when Santa returns.

Here are the photos we bought and a few my wife took with our camera. Is it me, or did my babies turn into little boys overnight??

Baby Steps

Every year we have a Christmas dinner party with a group of about 10 of my very good friends. We started this tradition in high school (that is how long we have known eachother) and it used to be hosted by one of our moms each year. Over the last 12 years or so, we have been hosting it ourselves, every year in a different one of our homes.

For the last 2 years my wife and I hosted it in our home. We live pretty centrally to everyone and we enjoyed putting it together. This year, I decided hosting it at our place wouldn't work out for us with the boys. For several reasons, one being that 10-12 people in my house at once exceeds my germ quota (which right now -in the middle of RSV season- is about 2-3 people max - including us) and I would not be able to concentrate, and 2, the boys need to be able to go to sleep as they usually do and need quiet to do so.

Luckily, one of the girls happily took on the responsibility and offered up her place. Which brought on another issue....leaving the boys so we can BOTH go to this party. *sigh* I hate leaving the boys.

I never imagined it would be so hard...and if you've read back to "A Long Day" you will see that our first night out without the boys did not go so well.

Now that the boys are a bit older and have a pretty good routine going we decided to try again. This time, my mom offered to watch them on her own, and since they are most comfortable with her than anyone else, we agreed.

The party was last night, and while we were having a really good time, I still couldn't help but worry that the boys were not.

We expected that the little guy would fall asleep quickly, as he usually does, and the big guy would need to be in arms until I came home. He is much more of a Mama's boy and really has a hard time when I'm gone. I can just tell from the look on his face when I get home that he has missed me dearly. My mom is very aware of this and was prepared to carry him in the Mo.by for as long as he needed it. This is the only reason I went at all.

Of course, the opposite occurred. The big guy was sooo good, and the lil one, well lets just say not.so.much. I called my mom around 8pm to check on them (we left the house at 6:30pm) and she said he was shouting/squawking at her and the big guy was playing nicely with my little sister (who came along to help out). I immediately offered to come home, but she said not to, that he was fine just not ready for bed. I did my best not to call back, because I know I would want to come home, but I asked my mom to text me with status updates.

The lil one ended up fighting her to go to bed and the big guy gave her no problems at all. By 10pm (2 hours later than usual) I got a text message that the boys were asleep. Which was right before I was about to leave to come home. We ended up staying until almost 11 since we knew the boys were ok and played a few games of Ta.boo.

When we got home they were still asleep and I was able to pump and go right to bed. It was really nice to get out and we were really thankful that my mom was able to watch the boys for us, but it melts my heart to think that the lil one had such a hard time. I'm glad we don't have any other plans to go out for a while and I hope that next time, they can be asleep before we leave so that my mom can just sit there and read or something until we get home.

Its funny that I never thought I'd be THIS mom, the one who doesn't like to leave her kids, that worries every second. I'm not sure if its because I was traumatized by the two months they spent in the NICU or if I would be this way even if we had a nice full-term, non-eventful delivery and brought our babies home 3 days after birth. I guess will never know. All I do know is that alot changes when you have kids. Everyday I learn something about myself that I didn't know was there.

I know I'm over protective and I expected that before I even got pregnant. Some would say I go overboard, and sometimes (most of the time) that is probably true, but I love these boys with every piece of me and I just can't help it. When I see other moms with their day-old newborns out and about I wish for just a small piece of their obliviousness. I wish I could be care-free and not have to worry about every little detail. But, it seems like as they get older, there is always something new to fear.

Photo Shoot

Today we took the boys to a park (which had A LOT of bugs, not the point but worth mentioning- did I ever say how much I hate bugs?) for a professional photo shoot. We found a photographer and I really loved her work, so we hired her for a family photo session and to get the boys at 6 months. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be to get the boys to cooperate, but I hope she got some good shots (hopefully some where my boobs are not hanging out of my blouse).

We will get the proofs in a few weeks, so for now, here is the first shot of the day, this was actually taken by my lovely wife who is not a professional (although she thinks she is) but at least I didn't have to pay for it!

We were in the car waiting for the photographer to get there since the big guy was sleeping (see the mirror in the back seat). We do have two children, but the lil guy was outside wandering around with grandma.

Who put this hat on me??

My wife wasn't happy about the outfits the boys had on for one of our walks the other day, more specifically, she wasn't happy with the hats they had on. Apparently, they weren't very happy about them either, and here is the proof! If his jibberish could be understood, my wife swears he was telling me: "WHO put this hat on me??"

He is going to give me trouble, I just know it! He is our spunky little one!

On the other hand, Pajarito looks like he is saying: "Ok Mama, I will wear this stupid hat if you want me to...lets just go already!"

Awww my cooperative, Mama pleasing, son.

Anyhow, I am no longer allowed to take them out in their jammies, and they are never to wear those hats again!

In my defense, it was nap time and it was a test run. I did eventually change them because it was warmer than I thought outside, but I liked the hats. They have a cute little monkey on them, and it was big enough to keep their faces shaded since they are so light.



My wife is putting her foot down on this one though, so I guess I will have to add them to the yard sale pile. :(

The fun parts...

Now, after that seemingly "all work and no play" schedule, I thought I'd highlight one of the many plus sides to having twins.

When the weather permits, and the boys are fed, changed and tired of playing, we go for a walk. Now that they are older, they love to go for walks and look around. We usually walk within our gated community and always make a pit stop at my moms house. Since she has been home resting for a week, she has been having "baby withdrawals", and when I mentioned we'd be swinging by, she and Nana were outside waiting with camera in hand!

The boys were excited to see them, and were chatting up a storm. I love to see them interact with her, and they love them some grandma! Its cute to see their little faces when they recognize someone. They just stare for awhile and then it hits them like "hey, I remember you!". I love it!

Walking serves several purposes but most importantly, the sun makes them sleepy which usually means we all get a little nap when we get back. (and nap time is another one of my favorite activites!)

Here are some more pics from todays walk.


Getting ready to go!

Back home: a little sunshine always puts them in a good mood!

Heart of Hearts

Today the little one has an appointment with his cardiologist. He is going to have an echocardiogram to see if the holes in his heart have closed. We didn't even find out about these until the day he was discharged from the NICU. The doctor was taking a closer look to see if there was something else keeping him on the oxygen and he happened to see these very very small holes (PDA and PFO are the technical terms). Of course I was immediately worried, but he didn't seem too concerned and said they were very small in comparison to what he usually sees. Still not enough to make me worry any less. *sigh* the poor little guy has really had a tough time.

With his oxygen requirement, blood transfusion (he was very anemic at birth), his heart, and his umbelical hernia, he has been through ALOT. Luckily he has been improving in all these areas. His hernia has completely healed, he is off his oxygen and all his lung medications (with just one breathing treatment), and he hasn't needed any blood since his transfusion. We haven't checked his blood yet, but just from looking at him, he seems to be much much better (in the NICU he was looking really gray). Also, he isn't symptomatic of being anemic (sleepy, not eating, etc.) so we think he is doing well in that dept.

As for his heart, the doctors who have seem him have said they don't "hear" the PDA and PFO anymore. I'm not sure how accurate that can be, so I have taken it with a grain of salt. I need visual proof to believe it. Anyhow, this is the last major milestone of his recovery so I'm hoping today brings more good news.

Shots

Today we had our appointment with the boys pediatrician. So far everything is looking good and the babies are growing and developing accordingly. They also got one shot each. Since we have decided to do their vaccines on a more spread out schedule, they only get one at a time. I can barely handle the one, so I just can't imagine poking them over and over in one visit. Since our pediatrician is up the street (literally) its no big deal to just go up once a week, get a shot, and come home.

So far, we have been pretty lucky in that they don't get fussy after their shots. I don't know if its because we are not overloading them, or that they just tolerate them ok, but either way, I'm happy they don't suffer too much. The only vaccine that actually made them a little fussy was an oral one called "ro.to.viru.s". Lets hope I'm not speaking too soon!

As for stats, the big guy weighed in at 13.5 pounds and the little guy at 12.5 pounds. Their length was 23 and 22 inches, respectively.

Today we also discovered that the babies like paper! You know, that paper they put on the table for you to lay your child on, well we take it off and put receiving blankets down for them (yes I'm crazy). Anyway, as I was taking it off to lay the big guy down, he was having a cow because he was hungry and then all of a sudden was really quite just watching me crumple up the paper! So guess what we used to distract him while the doc was checking his ears? Yup. Paper!

These boys are going to be cheap for Christmas!

On another note, they didn't even make a peep when we put them in their car seats! Usually they hate their car seats but not today! Hopefully they are getting used to them and we can actually take a trip somewhere beyond a 5 mile radius soon.

TGIF

So today my mom came over to clean our house, and when she cleans, SHE CLEANS. Since the cleaners we use can smell kinda strong, I don't like to be home when she is cleaning. Usually my wife and I will pack the boys up and head out shopping until she is done. This also helps to get us out of her way.

Since my wife is back at work, I was on my own with the boys and not brave enough to take them shopping alone. Luckily, I had just ordered a Mo.by.Wrap and it came in a few days ago. This is really helpful with holding a baby while doing other things. Not so helpful with holding two babies. I decided to let my mom start on the furthest part of the house and try and stay as long as possible. I nursed the big guy while bottlefeeding the little guy, but they didn't want to go to sleep. So, we went into the nursery and the little guy had some tummy time while the big guy was practicing sitting up in one of those Bu.mb.o chair thingys. This kept them occupied for about 30 minutes. Then we went back to our bed and I entertained them with songs for a while.

Once it started to smell, I got the boys and strapped the big guy in the moby and put the little guy in the stroller and took them for a walk around our gated community. IT WAS HOT outside so that did not last long.

The big guy fell asleep, but the little guy was wide awake so instead of walking endlessly around waiting for my mom to be done we stopped by her house (she lives up the street from me) and visited Nana (my grandmother who lives with my mom). Nana held the little guy and he was very chatty. The big guy slept in the mo.by the entire time. We spent a little over an hour there and then came home.

By this time it was time for them to eat, so rather than make a bottle and dirty the nice clean kitchen, I decided to nurse them both at the same time. Since we have been practicing, this went pretty well. They both fell asleep, and I prayed that my wife would hurry up and come home before they woke up. Two babies are ehausting!

My wife came home around 2pm, and made us lunch (because I didn't have time to eat with the two of them all day) and then took the big guy and rocked him to sleep. I kept the little guy on my lap while I pumped and then put him down once he fell asleep.

I don't know how some moms do it on their own after 3 months when the second parent goes back to work. I have a friend who just had twins in July and his girlfriend has been home with them ALONE for like a month now. She is my hero. I guess when you have no other choice, you manage, and they get used to whatever routine you give them. But logistically, it is not easy! Especially when venturing out of the house!

Our boys are used to being carried and attended to 24/7 because there were two of us and we were home with them all day. Monday thru Thursday my mom is with me so we resumed our same routine, but Fridays she is off baby duty so she can clean, so that just leaves me. I can handle them just fine on my own at home, but I've never gone anywhere with them alone. Usually, you get to practice this when you have small babies that just sleep, but since ours were in the NICU during that 'honeymoon' phase, we didn't get to do that. So I'm just figuring it out now.

The boys are getting heavy together (25 pounds combined, and they are only getting heavier!) and since they are both holding up their heads and kicking when they get excited, its tiring to hold them while trying to make sure they dont head bunt eachother while moving around!

I think it went ok considering it was our first "Friday", but I'm hoping next week goes a little better. I think I spent most of the time stressed that they were about to cry that I didn't really enjoy just being with them, and they didn't even cry! Next week I plan to pack up ahead of time and maybe take them out, somewhere with A/C!

The Boys, The Pump, The Schedule

The boys did so good yesterday for their first trip to my in laws. They didn't even cry the whole way there or back!

It started off with a delicious breakfast and then the big guy and I took a nap while my wife hung out with her mom and the little guy. The weather was perfect and all in all we had a great day. When we got home we bathed the boys and then fed them. After some small battles, we finally put them to sleep.

(The boys after bath time)

We are getting closer and closer to establishing a schedule, but still can't get them to bed by 8pm! Right now we are averaging a 10pm bedtime, a 2am feeding and then they are awake by 6 or 7am. My goal is more like an 8pm bedtime with a 2am feeding and then awake by 8am. Is that too much to ask of almost 4 month old twins??

I am a schedule kinda person and would love it if the twins cooperated. It has been tough though since I just started bfeeding the big guy, he isn't eating the same as he used to. He seems to want to eat more so I feed him more since I figure maybe he isn't getting enough. Its so hard to tell how much he is taking. I still pump for the little guy but only like 3 times a day. I was worried I would start to lose my milk but so far so good. I think all the bfeeding of the big guy all day keeps my supply up.

I just hope I can maintain my milk supply for both of them for at least a year. Since I plan to be home with them until they are 9 months old, I think the last 3 months will be the hardest, since that is when I will have to pump at work.

Hopefully before then the little guy will be able to breastfeed as well and I can get a break from pumping. Finding time to pump is hard when you have two babies wanting to be held.

To Grandmas House We Go

Today we are getting ready to make a trip down to the OC to visit the boys grandma (my MIL). This is their first trip out there so she is pretty excited. She is making us breakfast and has invited her best friends (who we love) so they can finally meet our boys.

So far we are already late...which my wife isn't really happy about, but its not like we can really plan with these boys. Its their world, we just live in it! She has the car packed and now the boys are hungry, so rather than drive 40 minutes with hungry boys, we are feeding them (Which is why I have time to blog).

Let's hope the drive goes smoothly since they are fed and will hopefully be asleep. The weather should be nice and we plan on coming home in the afternoon before the boys get fussy. Wish us luck!

A Long Day

Yesterday we had a lot going on. We had a mobile groomer come to groom our overly neglected dogs, both our moms were here to help with the babies so we could go out, and I had a ton of pumping to do so the babies would have enough fresh milk (I have over 300 ounces frozen- just in case).

I also had a ton of instructions to write, just in case my mom drew a blank in the midst of chaos, oh yeah and I needed to shower and put some make-up on so I don't go smelling like sour milk!

We needed to leave by 6:00pm to make it in to our seats for the 7:30 show, and maybe grab a bite to eat before the show. I calculated (yes, I calculate everything- its what I do!) that we'd be gone for 7 hours MAX which is at least 2 feeds. I laid out diapers, extra jammies, burp cloths, boppys, pacifiers (outlining who gets which color), medications, and a tentative feeding schedule (since we don't have an exact schedule going- sometimes they sleep longer and we let them!). I also made sure the dogs were in their beds and outta the way so as not to trip the baby-carrying grandmas.

We cleaned the house and left everything in order, got ready, fed the babies before we left and out the door we went. I was so nervous! I tried not to call too much but did call about once every hour to check-in. We had a great time, but both really mised our babies...we couldn't get home fast enough!

The lil guy did Ok but the big guy had a bit of a meltdown with my MIL, and she was having a hard time giving him up (she really wanted to be the one to soothe him). Luckily, my mom took over and was there to comfort him. Her style most closely matches ours, so the babies tend to do better with her, and she spends more time with them so that relationship is more established.

It was interesting to see that my mom was able to "take charge" of the situation and handle it the way we would have wanted her to. I am not only confident in her ability to take care of them when I go back to work, but also in her ability to make decisions and do what's best for the babies even if its not the most comfortable situation for her.

She is a very passive person for the most part, and doesn't like to step on anybody's toes, but she also really loves our boys and doesn't like for them to cry. I'm sure it was hard for her to step in and take the big guy from my MIL (she didn't want to hurt her feelings) but she waited as long as she could. She knew he was tired, she could soothe him and get him to sleep, and she did. She was a little worried it would cause some friction with my MIL but I assured her that she did the right thing and we would deal with any issues my MIL may have, although we don't expect anything to come up.

There are some insecurities my MIL may have that we will need to help her through. Since she isn't going to be with them everyday like my mom, I want to help her build her own special bond with the boys as they get older.

As a new mom, its important to me to be as fair as possible but these are tough waters to navigate. I guess its just one of those things you work out as you go along.

Needless to say, I don't think we will be having another night out for a while. Its a big job to take care of twins, and the stress of leaving them is just too much for me at this point. I'd be happier going to family friendly establishments when the boys are older and coming home before dark. =)

A Night Out

For the last 3.5 months my wife and I have been on baby duty 24/7. Since the boys were born, one of us has been with them pretty much at all times. If we go anywhere, its to a medical appointment or a quick trip to run errands. Either we both go, babies in tow, or one of us goes while the other stays with the boys.

Today we are going to the No.Doubt concert just her and I. My mom and mother-in-law are going to come over and watch the boys.

As expected, I am very apprehensive about leaving them. I bought the tickets before the boys were born (as a bday gift to my wife) thinking it wouldn't be an issue to have my mom watch them. I never thought I'd be so attached that I wouldn't want to leave them! Of course I trust them both, my mom has been over almost everyday and can do everything for them, but I still worry. I worry they will cry and be fussy, that they will miss us, but mostly that I will miss them.

I am hoping I can convince myself to get in the car and try and enjoy the concert and our time alone.

Its so amazing that we've spent years together, just us, and now after only 3 months as a foursome, I already forgot how to be a twosome again.

Our First Outing

So our official first "non-medical appointment" outing was up the street to my moms July 13th when we had a power outage. We loaded the boys in their strollers and packed our ten bags and walked them up the hill. My mom set us up in her room and locked her dogs out.

We actually had a cardiology appointment for the little guy that day so we were only at my moms long enough to do the little guys breathing treatment, pump, and eat. It was a pain to lug all their stuff with no notice and proper planning but it went ok.Yesterday we actually took them on a planned outing to our local Cos.tco. Its one of the perks of having a bigger family. Usually we only buy things in small quantities, but because we spend a lot more time at home and going out is such a hassle we are venturing out to start buying in bulk.

I pumped while we fed the boys, we burped them and put them in their carseats. I quickly packed their stuff and we were off. We used their double stroller this time (we usually use the singles that match their carseats). I love this stroller! Its a massive, long stroller but you can take the seats out and snap their carseats instead, which is a nice transition from car to stroller without waking them up. Also, it makes it easier to navigate the store with just us two.

I pushed the stroller while my wife pushed the supersized shopping cart. We had about an hour to shop and get back home before they woke up for their next feeding and I had to pump. It was more than enough time to go through each isle, pay and load up the car to get home. I started preparing their bottles in the car and as soon as we got them in the door I took them to the room, changed them and then fed them while my wife unloaded the car. It was perfect timing and a great first outing!

Today we get to enjoy some fresh mango from yesterdays shopping! Yummy!