07.08.09
One Month
How is it possible that a full month has gone by already! On the one hand, it feels like they just got here, and on the other, it feels like they’ve been here forever! It’s amazing how much they’ve changed in a single month.
Today was their one month checkup. We knew they’d grown quite a bit (after all, Lucas is barely fitting in his newborn onsies), but we never suspected how much! Lucas weighs a whopping 9 lbs. 2 oz. and is 21.75 inches long! Kyla is 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 21 inches even. 
We’ve got some super growers on our hands! Aren’t they adorable?
Lucas
Kyla
Lucas & Kyla
07.07.09
Weekend Visitors
We had some special visitors this 4th of July weekend. 
LD and her family came to visit! We were celebrating Kyla and Lucas’s due date, along with Independence Day.
They came in late Friday night and got to come see us briefly before heading to their hotel.
On Saturday they came over about 10 AM and the kids (and D) played Rock Band while N and I cooked (and LD snuggled with babies). My MIL and her sister joined us for lunch (grilled burgers, potato salad, baked beans, chips and dip), bringing with them iced tea and dessert! Also, a present for LD’s family: Rock Band II! From what I hear, they are enjoying it to the fullest! That evening we went to N’s dad’s to play pool and hang out before heading to his grandmother’s to watch fireworks.
Sunday we went to Rainforest Cafe, the twins’ first restaurant trip!
They did amazingly well, sleeping the entire time. LOL (Of course, we paid for it the next day, as they decided to be awake all night to make up for it. :p ) Afterwards we went to my MIL’s house so the kids could swim a bit before heading back home.
I, for one, am SO glad they were able to come for a visit. And we get to see them next month too before they head off on their trip to Disney! I think I must be one of the luckiest people around. 
07.02.09
Due Date Day!
Today is Kyla and Lucas’s Due Date Day! They are doing so great.
We also had Lucas’s followup for his arm. N was very nervous because the xray showed that the bone is still at a bit of an angle, but the orthopedist said this wasn’t a problem and it would straighten over time. Yea!!! We don’t have to go back at all if we don’t want to, but he said we could do a followup in 2 months if we just wanted to check on his progress. Also, Lucas is now moving that right arm quite a bit and anyone who didn’t know he had a broken arm when he was born would never even notice.
It has been so fun getting to know their personalities. I realize, of course, that they will change as they grow, but for now we’ve noticed some distinct differences between the two of them. Lucas is much more “needy.” When he’s awake, but sleepy, he likes to be held. He can sit in his bouncy seat and stare at one spot for quite a while (he’s very focused), but soon he starts fussing just to be in someone’s arms. Forget sticking a pacifier in his mouth to sooth him. It won’t stay unless you hold it there. But hold him close and he is content (most of the time). Kyla also loves to be held, but doesn’t seem to need it as much as Lucas. She also seems to be developing her visual and motor skills a bit sooner than Lucas (makes sense, considering the arm). When she’s awake she looks all around. N was trying to get her to look at him one day and she looked everywhere but at him! LOL She’s also picking up her head pretty well and can even hold it up for a good 5-10 seconds! Lucas lifts his head, but is rarely able to keep it up for long. Kyla appears to have two volumes: off, or full-on scream. There’s no in between, so it’s hard to know if she’s just needing her pacifier back in her mouth (she can keep hers in most of the time) or if there’s a big emergency. N says she must love Shakespeare because she makes “much ado about nothing.” LOL
Oddly enough, they also do a lot of things alike. I knew that identical twins would frequently sync up there schedules with each other, but didn’t expect our little fraternal babies to do so to the extent that they do. Every now and then their feeding schedules will manage to get a little off from one another, but they always work their way back to wanting to be fed at the same time. Perhaps that’s my doing, as I try to feed them together at night (saves a little time), but during the day we try to let them dictate their own feeding times. While that one isn’t as much of a surprise, they also seem to have gotten onto the same pooping schedule! Yes, you read that right! It’s not like you can set a clock by them, as they go at various times during the day, but you can almost guarantee that if one has filled his/her diaper, the other has too! Very weird, if you ask me! Oh, and night before last they even got the hiccups at the same time!
Life has been very different in our house, that’s for sure. And even though we sometimes get frustrated because one baby or the other is wanting (no demanding) attention at a time we really would rather be doing something else (like sleep), we are loving it. These two light up our lives and every time we look into either of their faces our hearts melt all over again. We will never be able to say “Thank You” enough to God or our angle, LD, for our little miracles!
06.30.09
Ahhhh…
For those who have been praying, we have our A/C fixed!!!!
They came yesterday around noonish. I’ve been enjoying sitting in my new recliner and watching the babies sit in their bouncy seats (or rocking them in the chair when need be).
Mornings and evenings/night seem to be the rough time with the twins. That’s when they’re the most awake. They sleep a lot from about 11-6. We really need to adjust that schedule. 
06.29.09
Thoughts on caring for infant twins…
Random thoughts (in no particular order) after three weeks of parenting.
- There are times when it is way easier than I thought it would be… You know, when they’re sleeping.
- There are times when it’s every bit as hard as people try to warn… Like when they both just want to be held at the same time and there’s only one of you.
- Things that are cute at 3 in the afternoon aren’t nearly as cute at 3 in the morning.
- Twins go through a LOT of diapers! Thank goodness we got so many to start with!
- Twins also go through a LOT of formula. Time to go to Costco!
- It is inevitable that if one twin is asleep and the other is eating/getting attention/whatever, then the sleeping twin will wake and want the same.
- There is no comfortable position for feeding two infants at once. (at least, I have yet to find one. The quest continues.)
- Living in only one room of the house for a week makes a twin mommy very insane! (okay, this one is unique to me. Most others will never have to endure such torture.)
- Having one sided conversations all day long can become a bit tedious.
- At 3 in the morning, you can forget remembering who is who. Yes, even with boy/girl twins!
- Even when you think things are going great, there isa breaking point.
- Just when you get pretty good at anticipating their needs, they change.
- A Yaris is really not big enough for a family of four if two of them are infants.
- People seem to think it’s really funny to say they want to keep one or the other twin (after all, you’ve got two!). It’s not funny. It’s annoying.
- If people are wanting to come visit the twins, they have to speak up. The parents are not going to call you. They just don’t have that many brain cells left.
- While people may think it’s cool to carry both twins at once, all it does is send their mom into hyper-worry drive. Don’t do it. You can take turns.
- Jokes and teasing (particularly about the twins) are a lot less funny to the sleep-deprived parents than to the one joking/teasing.
- It’s amazing what one can do one-handed with another child screaming in the background.
- Using the restroom is a luxury a twin mommy (or any mommy?) can no longer afford.
- Watching a 60# dog leap over your kids (no matter how many times he misses) is downright scary!
- Sitting in the pink boppy or being wrapped in a pink blanket will not scar a boy for life!
- Emails, journal entries, message board posts… They all take 10x longer to write as a parent than they ever did before.
- Just when you think you can lay your head down, one of the babies will squeak.
- Babies do not pose. I don’t know how Ann Geddes does it!
- Just as you get one baby settled and think you might have a minute to go wash those bottles that have piled up throughout the day, the other will wake up wailing.
- Singing does the trick some of the time. Just enough to make you try it every time.
- This list will never end. So I’m ending it now.
06.26.09
Checking in.
Ahhh… It feels so good to be in my own house! Even if I am stuck in the bedroom because it’s the only room in the house with A/C. For whatever reason, it just feels so much nicer than carting the kids off to someone else’s house for the day.
Let’s see what I’ve accomplished today.
- Fed both kids.
- Bathed both kids.
- Showered myself and even put on makeup!
- Fed both kids (again).
- Fed myself.
- Updated Facebook (and now my blog).
Whatever will be next??? I’d thought about packing up the kids and heading to the bookstore and grocery store (they’re right next to each other, so I’d only have to park once). N doesn’t think it’s such a good idea. I’ve got it all planned out in my head! He just doesn’t want them to be among that many strangers. Which I understand. But we took them to the mall last weekend when he needed a new computer. What’s the difference? Oh, well. We’ll see how the day goes. For now, I’m content to surf the ‘net and read when they sleep.
06.24.09
Baby update!
In all the madness involving the A/C I forgot to give a baby update. They had their 2 week checkup on Monday. Kyla is now 4 oz over her birth weight (6 lbs 6 oz) and Lucas is 1 oz over his (6 lbs 14 oz). The pediatrician says that weight is the best indicator of how they’re doing, so our babies are doing great!
Lucas’s arm is healing, but it still pains him if he’s not tightly swaddled. I don’t remember if I posted about his orthopedist appointment last Thursday or not (sorry if I didn’t). The orthopedist said he’s healing just as he should and then he took off the splint he’d had on since his birthday and put him in a makeshift sling. Only problem is, that sling does not stay put well and frequently ends up around Lucas’s neck. So most of the time we leave it off and just wrap him like a burrito. I was worried about doing that last night in the heat, but he was screaming and screaming until I wrapped him up, then silence. It’s amazing what a good swaddle can do (worked on Kyla this morning too!).
Today is N’s first day back at work since the twins were born. I know he’s going to be checking in frequently throughout the day. Especially since last night and this morning they were both crying manically at the same time. I had hoped to let N sleep and not need to help so he might be a bit more rested for work. The babies had other plans. Sorry N! However, this morning I dealt with the dual crying like a champ. Got one changed and settled, then the other. Now they’re both sleeping beside me. I’m sure they’ll be waking soon to eat, but I already have their bottles ready, so it shouldn’t be too bad (knock on wood).
With the A/C out, I can’t stay here in the heat of the day, so I’m trying to figure out where I will go. I can’t decide if I want to go where I’ll have help, or go where I can be alone and get the hang of taking care of them by myself. I guess we’ll see how frazzled I get between now and when I leave!
06.22.09
Home is where the heat is…
Well, we’re back home. But we’re regulated to just the bedroom. The warrantee people won’t be here to look into the A/C problem until tomorrow, but N and I just couldn’t take not sleeping in our own bed any longer (his back is killing him). So we had the brilliant idea to rent a window unit for the bedroom. We also rented one for the living room, but it’s such a large area that it really doesn’t work all that well.
At least we’ll be able to sleep in our own bed tonight. The babies are going naked for awhile, but they don’t seem to mind. We may have to leave during the heat of the day, but at least the evenings are bearable.
Ah, the adventures of home ownership…
06.20.09
Beat the heat
Ugh! For anyone who lives in Texas, you know it’s getting hot, hot, hot. Air conditioned homes and buildings are the only relief. Being a heart patient, heat can be quite taxing on me (often causing swollen fingers and ankles). However, most of the time a cool drink and time indoors will suffice…
Until the A/C breaks. Then it’s just sitting in your brand new faux leather recliners (which arrived THAT DAY) and melting into oblivion. Add in two 11 day old infants and you’ve got some major problems going on. Oh, then there’s the fact that it’s Friday afternoon and anyone who is willing to come out to look at the problem is going to charge you “overtime” fees on top of the usual rate.
In case your wondering, yes, this is exactly the state of being at our house yesterday. The A/C guy we did get to come out took one look and said it was going to require a whole new unit and coil (or something like that) and the soonest it could get done was maybe Monday. So the babies and I packed up (along with the smaller of our two dogs) and headed to my MIL’s house. Later N and Big Dog joined us. We don’t know how long we’ll be away from home, but pray it won’t be too long. No offense to MIL, but I want my own bed and to be able to actually enjoy my new recliner that I’ve been waiting for since Mother’s Day.
06.17.09
Already??
Okay, I know it’s been a long time since I took a child development class, but I’m pretty sure that 9 days old is NOT the time frame people generally expect a child to roll from her back to her front (and don’t they generally go front to back first?). Well, today Kyla did. I laid her on the couch next to Nathan while I went to grab a drink. When I came back, she was on her stomach. And she was none too happy when I turned her back over! She’s been sleeping on her side (her choice, not ours) for the last couple of nights, and I guess she just took it to the next level?
Wish I got pics of it, but I didn’t. Instead, how about this adorable pic of the brother/sister team doing an imitation of their time in the womb?
Oh, and here’s our first walk as a family (minus Chili, because she can’t keep up. N was taking the picture, so you just can’t see him).
