Yes, I am in fact the laziest blogger ever. Shockingly, the kids don't give me time off to blog and I do most everything on the IPad now, which is not very blog friendly. Though I've posted some of them here, I also put together a Pinterest board of the major elements of the twins' nursery (save the original art) in case you are interested. I tried to be eco minded and it ended up being a bit of sea and sand and heavy on the elephants. I promise that someday, though probably not soon, pics of how it all came together will actually get posted... Happy long weekend!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
21 weeks old (almost 5 months!)
We had a great time up at Lake Geneva and the Grand Geneva for Mother's Day weekend. We are so looking forward to continuing to take the kids up there when they are bigger and can get more out of it.
The kids are busy...
Mari decided to give us a quick roll (from belly to back) over the weekend, but neither seem very interested in doing this on a regular basis. I think they are moving on to bigger things already.
She is quickly approaching 15 pounds and Alistair is nearly 16.
Both love to put anything and everything in their mouths. She still likes a paci and her thumb, but he's given up his paci on his own and is more of a fist in the mouth kind of guy.
They both LOVE playing with their linking rings and she likes to push them up her arm like bangles. You can't make this stuff up.
They love to sit up, though they still need to be supported. He still runs his legs like he always did inside me (a mile a minute) and it will be really interesting to see if he ever just walks or if he just starts out in a quick run.
Neither seem to be showing any signs that they have contracted the chicken pox from my shingles, thank goodness, though there is still a very small chance that they still could come down with it, since we are still not three weeks out from my rash clearing up. I credit the breastmilk for keeping them healthy, as its primary benefits are immunologic, as they were definitely exposed before I knew what we were dealing with.
They love to blow raspberries, Mari especially thinks this is hilarious.
They don't seem to be fans of the whole grain organic rice cereal I got them, but I can't really blame them. I tried it and it's pretty awful tasting. We are going to start some more tasty things at five months.
They laugh a lot now, especially when we change their clothes, which is a big change from their first few months when they would scream (one of several reasons why they just lived in their pjs).
They started noticing each other right around 4 months (she was first), but now it is so funny to watch them watch each other and interact. They can move so much now that if you lay them next to each other but far enough away that they can't touch, she'll move to where she is kicking him in the head. Or if we put them near each other, she'll have his ear or hand or whatever in hers in no time.
They are both in and quickly outgrowing their six month clothes and we are starting them in size three diapers.
They both sleep from ~7:30pm-6:30am, with a dream feed @ ~11pm. I am not sure when we will try to drop this, as they both eat a lot at that feeding. They used to take a long morning nap (his was usually shorter), but now they seem to have switched to the long nap in the afternoon, but they will still take two short naps in the morning. Apparently our four month wakeful amounted to him getting up once three nights in a row and needing to be rocked back to sleep. We'll see what happens when they start teething.
Speaking of teething, they both like their Sophie teethers. Though we could have lived so far without the big Sophies, which is kind of just an overpriced squeeky dog toy if you ask me. Thankfully we got ours as gifts.
Playing with my camera when no one's looking...
Guess who outgrew his cute outfit already?
My first Mom's Day :)
Yes, it feels like my hair will probably all fall out before we are done...
Tired after a long day...
Back @ home
Alistair has officially taken over his sister's pink chair since it's a little bigger than his purple one and he's a moose.
What Mari thinks of her mom sticking her new camera in her face instead of playing...
The kids are busy...
Mari decided to give us a quick roll (from belly to back) over the weekend, but neither seem very interested in doing this on a regular basis. I think they are moving on to bigger things already.
She is quickly approaching 15 pounds and Alistair is nearly 16.
Both love to put anything and everything in their mouths. She still likes a paci and her thumb, but he's given up his paci on his own and is more of a fist in the mouth kind of guy.
They both LOVE playing with their linking rings and she likes to push them up her arm like bangles. You can't make this stuff up.
They love to sit up, though they still need to be supported. He still runs his legs like he always did inside me (a mile a minute) and it will be really interesting to see if he ever just walks or if he just starts out in a quick run.
Neither seem to be showing any signs that they have contracted the chicken pox from my shingles, thank goodness, though there is still a very small chance that they still could come down with it, since we are still not three weeks out from my rash clearing up. I credit the breastmilk for keeping them healthy, as its primary benefits are immunologic, as they were definitely exposed before I knew what we were dealing with.
They love to blow raspberries, Mari especially thinks this is hilarious.
They don't seem to be fans of the whole grain organic rice cereal I got them, but I can't really blame them. I tried it and it's pretty awful tasting. We are going to start some more tasty things at five months.
They laugh a lot now, especially when we change their clothes, which is a big change from their first few months when they would scream (one of several reasons why they just lived in their pjs).
They started noticing each other right around 4 months (she was first), but now it is so funny to watch them watch each other and interact. They can move so much now that if you lay them next to each other but far enough away that they can't touch, she'll move to where she is kicking him in the head. Or if we put them near each other, she'll have his ear or hand or whatever in hers in no time.
They are both in and quickly outgrowing their six month clothes and we are starting them in size three diapers.
They both sleep from ~7:30pm-6:30am, with a dream feed @ ~11pm. I am not sure when we will try to drop this, as they both eat a lot at that feeding. They used to take a long morning nap (his was usually shorter), but now they seem to have switched to the long nap in the afternoon, but they will still take two short naps in the morning. Apparently our four month wakeful amounted to him getting up once three nights in a row and needing to be rocked back to sleep. We'll see what happens when they start teething.
Speaking of teething, they both like their Sophie teethers. Though we could have lived so far without the big Sophies, which is kind of just an overpriced squeeky dog toy if you ask me. Thankfully we got ours as gifts.
Playing with my camera when no one's looking...
Guess who outgrew his cute outfit already?
Love this place...
My first Mom's Day :)
Yes, it feels like my hair will probably all fall out before we are done...
Tired after a long day...
Back @ home
Alistair has officially taken over his sister's pink chair since it's a little bigger than his purple one and he's a moose.
What Mari thinks of her mom sticking her new camera in her face instead of playing...
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
So what's new?
Well lots of things as we are almost 20 weeks old, which is unbelievable to me...
Some highlights:
We have hair!
Alistair's hair is growing in pretty quickly after having what looked like a buzz cut up until now. Mari was born with and still has a ton of hair, which is very curly on top when wet, but brushes straight after her baths. His seems straight so far, which is interesting since mine is, but DH's is wavy.
We are rolling!
Alistair can go from back to front, or should I say side (he only makes it about 60% of the way over and then plants his face flat on the ground for the full turn). He's still working on it. She is not quite there yet, but if everything else is a guide, she'll be a week or two behind him.
And sadly, I have shingles. :( I started to get a rash on the back of my hand late last week, and then it didn't go away. I went to the drop in clinic on Saturday morning and was diagnosed and put on antivirals, which thankfully seem to have contained the outbreak to my left hand and arm (which I have to keep covered up to help keep from spreading it, with a glove I look like a bad parody of MJ). This wasn't even a little bit on my radar, of course. How/why this happened now, I have no idea. The kids sleep through the night. I sleep through the night. I am not anywhere near as run down as many other times in the last 27 years since I had the chicken pox (shingles is just a resurgence of the CP virus). Thankfully, you can't catch shingles, but you can spread CP to those who haven't had it. The kids are too young to get immunized against CP (it's a live vaccine) and we are just praying and waiting (it has an up to 21 day incubation) that they don't get sick. Lord help us if they do...
And not to be overlooked, Mari is also doing great. She is talking a lot more now, so much so that it is hard to determine which one of them is louder. I just love their little voices, I can't wait until they start talking for real. They really love playing with toys now. What a difference a few weeks makes.
Some highlights:
We have hair!
Alistair's hair is growing in pretty quickly after having what looked like a buzz cut up until now. Mari was born with and still has a ton of hair, which is very curly on top when wet, but brushes straight after her baths. His seems straight so far, which is interesting since mine is, but DH's is wavy.
We are rolling!
Alistair can go from back to front, or should I say side (he only makes it about 60% of the way over and then plants his face flat on the ground for the full turn). He's still working on it. She is not quite there yet, but if everything else is a guide, she'll be a week or two behind him.
And sadly, I have shingles. :( I started to get a rash on the back of my hand late last week, and then it didn't go away. I went to the drop in clinic on Saturday morning and was diagnosed and put on antivirals, which thankfully seem to have contained the outbreak to my left hand and arm (which I have to keep covered up to help keep from spreading it, with a glove I look like a bad parody of MJ). This wasn't even a little bit on my radar, of course. How/why this happened now, I have no idea. The kids sleep through the night. I sleep through the night. I am not anywhere near as run down as many other times in the last 27 years since I had the chicken pox (shingles is just a resurgence of the CP virus). Thankfully, you can't catch shingles, but you can spread CP to those who haven't had it. The kids are too young to get immunized against CP (it's a live vaccine) and we are just praying and waiting (it has an up to 21 day incubation) that they don't get sick. Lord help us if they do...
And not to be overlooked, Mari is also doing great. She is talking a lot more now, so much so that it is hard to determine which one of them is louder. I just love their little voices, I can't wait until they start talking for real. They really love playing with toys now. What a difference a few weeks makes.
Snuggling with the nugget bunny that the Easter bunny brought her...
Her jammies say "Princess of Naps", and a more accurate description of her has never been written.
.
Deer in the headlight look when my red eye reducer is on.
She has the most adorable smiles, which are really difficult to get pictures of, but I'm working on it...
Friday, April 27, 2012
One year ago...
After two years of testing, way too many doctors, IUIs, surgeries, IVF, pregnancy and loss, exhausting us and our insurance, we thawed and transferred our only two remaining embryos...
And they stuck...
And after almost four months of easy pregnancy, another four of living in fear of losing them, and then four of pure joy...
It is amazing what a difference a year makes. I couldn't be more thankful for these two little cherubs. :)
And they stuck...
And after almost four months of easy pregnancy, another four of living in fear of losing them, and then four of pure joy...
It is amazing what a difference a year makes. I couldn't be more thankful for these two little cherubs. :)
Monday, April 23, 2012
Four month well baby
We took the kids in for their four month check-up last Friday. Everything was great and our pediatrician is very happy with their growth. The rough guideline is to double birth weight by four months, which the twins exceeded, he by several pounds. They are more in line with where they would have been had they gestated those extra three weeks.
Alistair is up to 14 pounds and measured 25 inches in length. His head is 42.2 cm in circumference.
Two months: 10 lbs. 2 ozs., 22 1/2", head: 39.5 cm
Three weeks: 6 lbs. 9 ozs.
Two weeks: 5 lbs. 15 ozs. (he surpasses her for the 1st time)
One week: 5 lbs. 6 ozs.
Four days/hospital release: 5 lbs. 2 ozs.
Birth @ 36w4d (breech): 5 lbs. 7 ozs., 18.25"
Marielle is up to 12 pounds and 7 ounces and measures 24 1/2 inches. Her head is 41.2 cm around.
Two months: 9 lbs. 9 ozs., 21 3/4", head: 38.7 cm
Three weeks: 6 lbs. 7 ozs. (finally surpasses BW)
Two weeks: 5 lbs. 12 ozs.
One week: 5 lbs. 7 ozs.
Four days/hospital release: 5 lbs. 3 ozs. (unexplained 14% weight loss, day one)
Birth @ 36w4d: 6 lbs. 1 ozs., 19"
All are in the 50th percentile range, save her weight and head, which are closer to 25th and 75th, respectively.
They are not yet rolling, but move a lot by scooting, and the pedi is not concerned. We also got the green light to start introducing solids, which should be entertaining, and we plan to do this in the coming week.
We spent the weekend in WI for my niece's baptism and the twins were a huge hit. It was great to have the extended family finally get to meet them, as only my mom, dad, and step-mom have been down since they were born, as I was trying to minimize their exposure during the winter. It was also their first road trip, which went pretty well especially considering they had just gotten their shots. He really doesn't like being in his car seat for extended periods of time, but we managed to limit our stops and keep them relatively content. It took us six hours each way, when we could make it alone in 4 1/2 before, which is about what I figured it would take. Besides worrying about how they would do, I was also concerned about the logistics of our trip. Knowing that their sleep and feeding "schedule" would be upset, I was apprehensive about taking our admittedly complicated feeding regime (pumping, bottle feeding, and formula supplementing) on the road. It worked out fine, though I ended spending more time managing this than actually visiting with family.
My dad lent us his Thule car top carrier, which will be nice for future trips. We'll need the extra room to bring any of our large double strollers, as the back of the SUV fills up quickly with two pack and plays and all the other stuff we now require. Good thing we don't have a dog... ;)
Baby Power! (how/why he sleeps like this, I have no idea, but it's too cute...)
And speaking of cute...
Alistair is up to 14 pounds and measured 25 inches in length. His head is 42.2 cm in circumference.
Two months: 10 lbs. 2 ozs., 22 1/2", head: 39.5 cm
Three weeks: 6 lbs. 9 ozs.
Two weeks: 5 lbs. 15 ozs. (he surpasses her for the 1st time)
One week: 5 lbs. 6 ozs.
Four days/hospital release: 5 lbs. 2 ozs.
Birth @ 36w4d (breech): 5 lbs. 7 ozs., 18.25"
Marielle is up to 12 pounds and 7 ounces and measures 24 1/2 inches. Her head is 41.2 cm around.
Two months: 9 lbs. 9 ozs., 21 3/4", head: 38.7 cm
Three weeks: 6 lbs. 7 ozs. (finally surpasses BW)
Two weeks: 5 lbs. 12 ozs.
One week: 5 lbs. 7 ozs.
Four days/hospital release: 5 lbs. 3 ozs. (unexplained 14% weight loss, day one)
Birth @ 36w4d: 6 lbs. 1 ozs., 19"
All are in the 50th percentile range, save her weight and head, which are closer to 25th and 75th, respectively.
They are not yet rolling, but move a lot by scooting, and the pedi is not concerned. We also got the green light to start introducing solids, which should be entertaining, and we plan to do this in the coming week.
We spent the weekend in WI for my niece's baptism and the twins were a huge hit. It was great to have the extended family finally get to meet them, as only my mom, dad, and step-mom have been down since they were born, as I was trying to minimize their exposure during the winter. It was also their first road trip, which went pretty well especially considering they had just gotten their shots. He really doesn't like being in his car seat for extended periods of time, but we managed to limit our stops and keep them relatively content. It took us six hours each way, when we could make it alone in 4 1/2 before, which is about what I figured it would take. Besides worrying about how they would do, I was also concerned about the logistics of our trip. Knowing that their sleep and feeding "schedule" would be upset, I was apprehensive about taking our admittedly complicated feeding regime (pumping, bottle feeding, and formula supplementing) on the road. It worked out fine, though I ended spending more time managing this than actually visiting with family.
My dad lent us his Thule car top carrier, which will be nice for future trips. We'll need the extra room to bring any of our large double strollers, as the back of the SUV fills up quickly with two pack and plays and all the other stuff we now require. Good thing we don't have a dog... ;)
Baby Power! (how/why he sleeps like this, I have no idea, but it's too cute...)
And speaking of cute...
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
17 weeks old, a change of plans and finally meeting some goals
They are both really good babies, I know we are very lucky. Alistair often doesn't nap as much as Marielle does and sometimes not much at all, but we manage. I guess the trade off is they sleep great at night. We haven't had to do anything drastic to get them to start sleeping through the night over time. I've also just started sleeping though the night pumping, which means I'm now getting more continuous sleep than I have in many months, which is lovely, and ironically is also probably helping my milk supply.
Thankfully, the pumping routine I have set up is still working for us. Four months down, eight more to go. It's definitely tough, but I think/hope it's worth it. I am consistently getting about 40 ozs/day, so we need very little formula, but it is so nice that they are not choosy about what they eat. We are looking forward to starting to introduce them to food in the near future, when I'm sure they'll make me eat my words about them not being picky.
Things have been very busy around here. Unfortunately, due to the bride's ailing elderly grandparents, my BIL's wedding has just been moved up from December to June. Yes, like the month after next June. So sadly the twins and I will not be traveling to India to attend, as they are just too young yet, but DH and MIL will. He debated, but I insisted that he go. She will leave in late May, two months early, to help prepare and DH will go for a week in June, when the twins and I will use the time to travel up to WI to spend time with my extended family. Thankfully, my mother will be able to make the 300 mile trip with us, as she'll be on her way home from the dedication of my G-ma's memorial at her beloved Berea College.
This has also finally lit a fire under me to start screening sitter candidates, and as much as I was/am dreading the process, I am pleased that I've found several highly qualified nursing, education, and SLP undergrad and grad students, a few of which will hopefully work out. The goal is get at least one of them started while MIL is still here and get a somewhat regular weekly schedule set up and also have someone who is available for when DH and I want/need to go out.
We will be starting Babygarten classes in June (the Kindermusik class is the same day/time and will therefore have to wait until Fall), and I'd like to have a sitter to come along, if possible, since now MIL will be gone by then. I'm not sure if we'll get into the swimming class, as they will miss the six month age cut off by several days. If not, we'll just be taking them to the pool ourselves this summer and enrolling them later. Now that they are getting bigger, I'm also thinking of rejoining the gym and trying out the childcare there, since I haven't been making time for any exercise (other than carrying babies around) at home.
We are finally finalizing our new life insurance policies, which since we first got them several years ago I had forgotten how long it takes. The goal of these is not full income replacement, but to make sure that if something were to happen to one or both of us over the 20 year term (while we'll be saving for), the kid's educational opportunities would be secured. On that note, we are very happy to be ahead of our goal of saving $1K/ea/mo. for their 529 accounts. Our #2 financial goal (after fully funding our retirement and before buying a beach house) is to fully fund their college and graduate educations, or whatever they decide to pursue. The estimated cost of a private four year college, like I attended (w/my family's help, and lots of my work and loans), will be over $500K/each by the time they will attend. We're also putting together a plan for them to live with my younger sister in Brooklyn, and have visitation with BIL and family in India, if something were to happen to both of us before they are grown.
I keep trying to take decent pictures of the nursery, especially since we are already talking about separating them (he can be very loud and wakes her up) which we likely will in the next few months , but I'm running up against the limits of my camera. I had been thinking of upgrading for awhile, from the two digitals that DH has bought me since we've been together, but obviously now with the kids, we have a good reason. I am clueless about DSLRs, but there are classes offered nearby, which should help me figure out what I'm doing. So hopefully the photography around here will be better starting before too long...
To celebrate Mother's Day, we're taking the kids and MIL up to Lake Geneva (and the Grand Geneva specifically) for the weekend. We really love it there and are so excited to introduce it to them after going by ourselves the last two years.
She grabbed his hand and apparently thinks they are going to make a run for it... Until she realized they are still immobile... Oh well, back to scheming...
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
