Schedule

I am the type of person that thrives on schedule, routine and organization, that's just how I always have been and imagine I always will be. As a teacher I have learned some flexibility and how to "roll with the punches" but I definitely prefer to stick to a routine! That being said, these first four months we have NOT had any real type of schedule. The girls usually wake up around 7:30 and take a 45 minute nap at 9:00, but other than this, they are very hard to predict. It makes it so hard to plan my day. This is driving me crazy! I have held off forcing a schedule on them until they were "ready" and I think it is time! The girls always get tired about 90-120 minutes after awake time, and they generally nap about 45 minutes, although they have had some longer stretches lately. They also seem to be going longer between feedings, so I am hoping to stretch from every 2 hours to every 3.

I have read at least three different books about the subject of napping and feeding schedules and sought the advice of many other twin moms, as well as my own mom and sister, and have come up with my "plan." I will lay them down at 9, 12, and 3. These will be our daily nap times. They will stay in their cribs for at least an hour at each of these times, asleep or not. There may be some fussing and crying, but hopefully after a few days they will "get it." I will feed them when they wake and then approximately every three hours after, so around 7:30, 10:30, 1:30, 4:30. Of course I will be flexible with this, if they are hungry I will feed them! They have been getting baths and going to bed around 6:00/6:30 so we will keep this the same. I always nurse them just before bed and then put them down, asleep or awake.

If this works, my life will be much less chaotic and it will be much easier to plan outings. We will just have to work hard to schedule things around their naps so that they can be home in their cribs at these times. We'll give it a week and then reassess.

Wish me luck! Our next challenge after this.... sleeping through the night, ugh!

4 Month Check-Up

The girls had their 4 month check up this morning. It went well. They got 4 shots each (oww!) but thanks to Tylenol they have not been any fussier than usual. They still have plenty of smiles for Mama! They did take a pretty long morning nap this morning, not sure if it was because of the Tylenol or the shots, but I enjoyed having longer than 45 minutes to get things done.

They both weighed exactly the same and are the exact same height! Funny, especially since they are fraternal! They both weighed 13 lb. 8 oz. and are 23.25" long. This puts them at the 50% for weight and the 25% for height. They are our little shorties :)!

We will not be starting cereal until 6 months. This is what the AAP recommends and we also want to be cautious because of Candace's allergies. I am in no hurry to start solids. My milk is plenty good enough for them right now. I'm so proud to be nourishing such healthy girls!

In other news, I got my new digital camera today! I have had the same one for over 5 years, so it was time for an upgrade, lol. Sooo, LOTS of new pics to come....

Oh, and check out the montage I made Sean for his B-day present. I plan on buying it on a DVD and giving that to him as his gift. What do you think?


Sean's Birthday Present Montage

4 Months Old!!!

I know I've gotten lazy with my blogs, but I DO have a very good excuse! I have been too tired to string together coherent sentences, LOL. The girls have been going through a growth spurt and eating every 90 minutes, even at night, so I am exhausted! Thankfully it seems to have passed, so hopefully I will be a little better rested and able to write something that makes sense.

The girls turned 4 months old yesterday! I can't believe they are a third of the way through their first year. My friend Damiane' asked if I had thought about their first birthday party yet... it seems so far away and yet so close! Even with those long colicky days in the beginning, the first year really does pass so quickly. It reminds me to treasure these precious baby days while I can.

The girls are growing so fast! I went through their closet yesterday and cleared out everything that was too small... they were left with only 5 outfits a piece (down from about 20!) There were outfits they never even got to wear! So we are off to go shopping this afternoon. There is a great children's resale store that we can sell their old clothing to and get store credit so we will start there.

Here is a brief 4 month update on each of our little cuties:

Candace -

She is rolling like crazy! She still only rolls from back to tummy, but she does it all the time. She likes to roll toward Cassidy when they are playing under their playmats. She also likes to roll onto her tummy in her crib to go to sleep. She has mastered grabbing objects and pulling them to her mouth. Her favorites are the big ball on her playmat and a soft babydoll rattle.

Perhaps the best bit of news about Candace is that she seems to have completely outgrown her colic/extreme fussiness! I have a feeling she will always be our more demanding baby, that's just her personality. She likes to be the center of attention and she wants her needs met immediately. She is just a more intense child, but she is also SOOOO happy and friendly. She has been giggling quite a bit and has a huge grin for everyone!

Cassidy -

Cassidy is still not rolling and shows no interest in doing so. She has however begun flipping herself around by kicking up her feet. She is constantly contorting herself from a vertical to a horizontal position under the playmat and in her crib! She is also learning to grasp objects, not quite as much as Candace, but she definitely can reach for and grab objects. She is just more selective about what she will grab. Candace will grab at anything and everything you put in front of her and Cassidy only grabs at what she finds interesting. Cassidy still has not broken the tooth we see under her gums, and it does still seem to bother her at times, so we are hoping it emerges soon.

Cassidy is a very content baby, although she does have a little bit of a temper that flares up if I'm not quick enough in feeding her or she gets overtired. She is more cautious and watchful than her sister and will give us the biggest, cutest grins and giggles, but still pouts and crys for most strangers. Oddly, she does seem to warm up to men easier than women, and although she still loves her Mama best, she definitely adores her Daddy. She has also found her thumb and it appears she will be a thumb-sucker just like her mama!

I feel so blessed everyday to have such sweet, beautiful girls and it is so neat to watch their little personalities emerge more and more each day. They are so different and equally amazing! They have their 4 month check up tomorrow so I will post more then!

Busy Week!

It's been brought to my attention that I am beginning to slack off on my blog writing, lol. It has just been a very busy week. Lots has happened with the girls this week!

Candace is rolling over now! Today she rolled from her back to her tummy. She has been working on it for the past couple of days, but couldn't quite get all the way over. Well today she did! She is also deliberately grabbing for objects now. She loves the big ball on her play gym. She trys to pull it down and put it in her mouth. She is very coordinated (unlike her mama, lol!)

Cassidy isn't rolling or grabbing quite yet, but she has amazing head and neck strength. During tummy time she can lift herself so high! She also is strong enough to use the new exersaucer we got this week. She is fascinated with the toys on it! I think it will be a big hit when they get a little bigger.

Aidan is doing well. He has been recovering from a cold. He had to go to the Dr. this week for a temp of nearly 103 and a sore throat. Thankfully it wasn't strep and he is fine now. He is still doing wonderfully in school, but we are dealing with a bit of a back-talking problem at home. Apparently at 7 years old he knows more than us, lol! So we've had to have a discussion about respect. I thought this didn't start until they were teenagers! I am sure this is just a passing phase. Kids have to test the boundaries every now and then. I really can't complain too much since he has always been such an easy and great kid.

As for me, I'm doing well. Like I said, it was a busy week! I am getting out much more, and it feels great. One of my "twin friends" Damiane and I began getting together for weekly walks. Her boy/girl twins are a month older than the girls. The weather was beautiful for our walk this week and I really enjoyed the conversation. Both our babies were fairly well behaved too! I'm looking forward to these weekly walks!

I also went to a MoM's (mothers of multiples) meeting for new moms this morning. There were SOOO many sets of twinfants there, it was pretty amazing! I met some really nice people. There were two other sets of girl twins there that were born the same week as our girls! I am going to try to make it to more of these meetings. It is a bit of a drive, but it may be worth it!

Here's a few pics from Valentine's Day!

Haircut

As promised, here's the pics of the new cut:

Just One?

Well, today is the first time I've left the house without BOTH girls. I only took Candace with me when I went out today. I left Cassidy with Daddy. Daddy and I are both still not sure he is ready to handle both girls alone for extended periods of time (especially since they won't take a bottle), so I took Candace and he kept Cassidy. It was SO weird just having one baby with me. It was amazingly easy! No offense to all the mothers out there with one baby, but you have no idea how easy you have it, LOL! It almost felt like I was cheating or something!

Candace fussed a little, but was easy to carry and calm since it was just her. I didn't have to get 2 carseats in and out of the car, and I didn't have to use the monstrous double stroller. The only question I had to answer from strangers was, "How old is she?" and the only comments I got were about how cute she was. Also, Candace, who is usually the "fiesty" one, was SO good, it's almost as if she enjoyed the one-on-one time. Back at home, Daddy and Aidan played with Cassidy and she had a great time, no problems whatsoever!

So where did I go that I did not want to take both babies? I went to get my hair cut!! The post-partum hair loss has started and I got tired of finding long strands of my hair all over the house, as well as having the babies constantly pulling at it. Also, with the Florida humidity, I should have had my crazy, curly hair tamed long ago, so it was definitely time for a cut. I think this is the shortest I've EVER had my hair, but I LOVE it. It is so easy! I was a little worried it would be too short for Sean, but he loves it too, so YAY!

I'll post some pics of the new do as soon as I can get Sean to take some.

Twin Poem

I saw this poem today and it pretty much sums up our life with twins so I wanted to share it! Maybe if I'm feeling ambitious enough I'll write one of my own someday...

(taken from http://www.geocities.com/zoeyl_au/TwinsPoetry.html)

Twins

Listen, my friends and you will know,

how parents survive with twins on the grow.

A day of leisure, just a pleasant memory,

when our double joy was born to us, you see!

One needs changing and the other to be fed;

the laundry to be done while they're both in bed.

And a trip of any kind is a tale of it's own,

just getting them ready so we can be gone.

Do you remember when romance was once there?

Well, if I'm not too tired, tonight I might dare.

The grim I've told you, but please hear the other,

for such a wonder it is being a twin's Mother.

For along with the double trouble, it does so appear

comes plenty of double loving from those so dear.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thanks for the outfits Grandma!

XOXOXO

My Loves

Cassidy was grabbing Candace's hand, awww!

Cassidy

Candace

Cassidy

Candace

The shirts say it all! (also from Grandma!)

Daddy and Candace - he adores his girls!

No Safety Net!

Today the girls graduated out of the "safety net" in their bath tub. It was a net-type bassinet that stretched across the top of the tub and cradled them. Now they are big girls and can hold their own heads and necks up! They love the extra freedom and room they have now to kick and splash! They get so excited when I bring them in the bathroom and start to undress them. Cassidy gets particularly excited! She wiggles and kicks and flails her arms. It is adorable! I will try to have Sean record it with the camcorder. I've been taking videos of them here and there, but we want to wait until we fill up the disc before we upload them. Hopefully we will fill the 30 minutes soon! Their will be lots of cute footage!

Candace

Candace

Cassidy

Cassidy

Aidan showing Cassidy how to play Nintendo. She was quite intrigued, LOL!


Cassidy

Cassidy

Candace

Candace