Wednesday, July 30, 2008

As promised

Ridiculous photos...





And from the outtakes...


Sunday, July 27, 2008

Shhhhhh!

Babies are sleeping!

And sleeping and sleeping and sleeping!

The routine is kicking ass so far. We've done it every night, even those when we've been out way later than we should be, and night after night the babies fall right to sleep! We had so many nights of it taking forever to get them to sleep, but now they know the drill. Bath, food, slumber.

And the best part? Matthew has started giving us some long stints of shut-eye! The last few nights he's done anywhere between 5 and 6 hours at a time! Love it! And Sarah's been doing 8 to 9. It's just incredible.

I'm fully prepared for them to revolt, but for now I am loving life.

Also, we've been having actual FUN during playtime! Laughter, interaction, the whole works! Sarah's started reaching out for the toys dangling from the gym and on the bouncy chair, and I swear she reached out for Matthew the other day. Plus she's developed a fondness for this one particular elephant. He makes her so happy! And they laugh when I sing, make silly noises and smile at them! It has reduced me to acting quite the fool just to see those gummy grins, but hell, it's just us there, so who cares?!

We had a nice weekend. W had to work on Saturday, but our friends came over with their baby and we just hung out all day. She and I are former roommates, so it's very easy for us to hang out informally. She even took a nap at one point! Also, they live without tv, so she got good and sucked into some HGTV. Eventually W came home and we took the kidlets down to the pool. Unfortunately it was too cold for the littles, but their baby LOVED it. He's almost 6 months and has more meat on his bones, so the cool water didn't bother him. Today I played some tennis with my mom and got to have a swim on my own. GLORIOUS! (Except for the beating my mom gave me on the court. She plays almost every day, but still! It was rough.)

Ok, the laptop's dying and I'm too lazy to go get the power cord. Tomorrow I'll post these RIDICULOUS pictures I took of the babies. I dressed them up in Happy Birthday gear, popped them into the bumbos and will send a framed picture to my brother as his b-day prezzie. I never thought I'd be the type of person to give presents of my kids as gifts, but not even 3 months in, I've caved.

Last thing - I think we're going to make an offer on a house! We'll be a bit stretched, but I would LOVE to have a real house. This townhouse has done the job, but we need a yard and I really want to paint the babies' room orange.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Take Me Out to the...

BALL GAME!

Last night we got a call from my stepsis that her husband's G!ants tickets were available. We knew that we wanted to take the Littles to a game at some point this year, but we didn't think it would be so soon! We had four tickets, so my dad came along and we kept the last seat for the diaper bag.

They were perfectly well-behaved and the talk of Section 222! Sarah ate herself through the first and second inning, but after that she slept with her dad in the Bjorn, so we weren't able to get any good pictures of her. We more than made up for it with cute ones of Matthew, though!





Then tonight just before bathtime we took this picture. It's the first time I've gotten a good picture of Matthew smiling.


Speaking of bathtime tonight, we've instituted a nice routine for bedtime for the past few days. We head upstairs, they get baths, then I feed them and they go down. Not much to it, but at some point we'll incorporate a book. I was also thinking I would get a Baby E1nstein cd to play in their room while W gets them ready before and after the bath*. It's been MUCH easier to get them to sleep in the evenings, but I can't say the routine has done much for how long they sleep. Sarah had been good for 6-8 hrs lately, but then last night she was up nearly every time with her brother, which was 10, 2, 3:30 (swaddling escapage which was only corrected by bf'ing) then 5am. UGH. It's not fun. I'm so cranky by the time the morning rolls around. I just wish Matthew would show ANY teeny bit of interest in lengthening the time he sleeps. Just one 4 hour shot would make me so happy.

Oh well, they're doing great otherwise. That horribly cranky period of about a week ago seems to have passed for now. (As has any immediate thoughts of shelving the boob.) We get lots of happy times during the day. I still struggle with how to transition them from eating (tandem bf'ing) to a bit o' playtime, to naptime. So often I fall into the trap of letting them have the milk-drunk nap on the bf'ing pillow. I know it's not a good long term solution, but as long as I've got the remote, my laptop and some water, it's hard to make a case for moving them, you know? Plus, my mom (aka my only help) has been away for most of this week and won't be back until late next week, so we are just doing whatever we can to survive around here.

They will be 12 weeks old on Thursday, which just blows my mind.

Oh man, W just brought me some oatmeal choc chip cookies. Bye now!

*Bathtime - We got an infant bath at one of our showers, but it seemed like so much of their tiny nekkid bods were out of the water that they had to be freezing! So I've taken to hopping in the real bathtub and having W pass them to me one at a time. They seem to really like it, especially Sarah. I just hold her head and shoulders and she floats around so peacefully. I know I'm going to be shat on any day now, but for now I love bathtime!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

It's Official

I am in trouble.

My dad was coming over to dinner the other night and just before he arrived I rushed up to change into something "nice".

What did I choose?

Yoga pants with dog hair all over them and a hole in the crotch.

Granted, it was just my dad, but STILL. I changed into these pants to dress myself up a bit. This is how What N0t To Wear victims (aka "lucky bitches") get their start.

Seriously, Stacy and Clinton? I'm here. I'm a little busy (and pudgy) right this very minute, but in about six months, I would absolutely love you to ambush me. I'll really need it by then. Will you be mad if I want everything to have an elastic waist? Also? I only wear flip flops. Or running shoes. Is that going to be a problem?

Monday, July 14, 2008

A Teeny Tiny Favor

Dear Babies of the World,

You know when you get all yawny and droopy-looking in the evening? That gives your overtired mama the idea that you're ready for bed. It encourages her to wrap you up tight, rub your back, sing 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall (because that's the only song she can think of the words to) and put you down gently in your crib.

Well if you're not planning to fall asleep, why not let us know in THAT exact moment? Why let us creep hopefully back to my dinner or bed, audaciously (thanks Barack) hoping that we're about to get some shut eye. Why must you wait exactly as long as it takes for us to start eating or get comfortable for the exact moment that we become certain that "Oh this is the one....he's definitely going to sleep now," to begin the pathetic warbling that quickly evolves into operatic shrieking. Why?

Just let it out! Make your status known! We don't mind. We get that it might take a few tries for you to fall asleep. We just need you to let us know a little sooner.

Thanks!

Sincerely,
Moms of the World

Saturday, July 12, 2008

This just in: Twins are hard work.

This is so fucking hard. I alluded to some serious crying in my last post and let me tell you, it's getting out of hand. I don't know any way to soothe these kiddos except feeding them. Even just holding them isn't enough lately. And today I've learned that joining in on the sobfest doesn't help either.

I tend to just feed them because it is the only thing that works. Of course then that means I'm always feeding them and have no time to do anything else. My house is a disaster, I look like crap and I feel even worse.

There was a short window where I feel like I was making some headway with a schedule, but it's long gone now. Our days are total chaos.

Today, after a feeding (or so I thought) as the three of us were crying, and W was asking me what to do, I seriously considered giving up breastfeeding. I feel like maybe with bottles then I could have more control over things. They are the slowest eaters EVER, with each feed lasting 45-60 minutes, and often even more because they keep coming back for more. Sarah's a bit quicker than Matthew, but not much. And her quickness doesn't really benefit us since I'm tandem feeding. When I'm by myself I might try to get her into a boppy or bouncy when she's done, but she'll inevitably start squawking.

Right now I don't even feel like I have the brains to adequately express all my issues.

I went to the new mom's group, hoping that the babies would do ok, but, here's a shocker: they didn't. Oh the screeching. Thank god one of the women brought her mom because this lovely woman held Matthew for the entire meeting. I definitely felt like I was taking advantage of her, but since her daughter's baby never made a fucking peep for the entire two hours, I guess it was ok.

I did go get a Baby Einste1n dvd, but haven't tried it out yet. I'm a little afraid because if it works, I'd be tempted to run it on a loop all goddamn day.

Ok, now the mofo dog needs me to take her out. Ahhh, motherhood.

Friday, July 11, 2008

While I wait for CPS to get here...

Current sitch: Two babies in bouncies on the floor facing...Sesame Street. And? Complete silence. Aside from the inane singing and chattering coming from the tv, but I'm ok with that since it's not incessant crying. I don't even think the babies are looking at the tv, but there's something about the music and goofy puppet talking that seems to be working. I don't have any baby einste1ns or anything, so I'm trying this. Thanks PBS.

I KNOW 10 weeks is way too soon for tv, but the crying, OH the crying! It was getting rough this morning and I hadn't eaten, or peed, or taken my fenugreek...blah blah excuses excuses. I never imagined that this would work, but now that it has I fear for my childrens' brains.

Ok - had to relieve my guilty conscience. Now off to do all those things I was talking about...

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Two Months Old! (updated)

I cannot believe my little babies are two months old already! And then on the other hand, I can't believe that I was ever without them. This has been so much fun - even when it's absolute hell.

The babies are doing really well. We had our 8-week appointment and Matthew pulled ahead in the weight department, coming in at 9 lbs, 9 oz. Sarah is a more dainty 9-2. They're both the same height - 22 inches. This puts them both at the 10th percentile for weight. Matthew is 15th for height and Sarah is 25th. Still quite wee, but our pediatrician said they'll catch up soon enough so I'm not worried. Especially considering that they eat pretty much constantly from morning 'til night. It's just amazing. We constantly are asking ourselves, "They couldn't possibly be hungry again, could they?" And the answer is invariably, "Yes." I love my little bottomless pits. Sometimes they even look like overeaters. Check out Sarah from this angle...

YIKES! Those are some cheeks! Now, to be fair, here's a real picture of her.


We call Matthew "The Healer" because he spends a lot of time in this position. We assume he's healing the masses.


They are both smiling, and I cannot get enough! It is so damn cute. I only wish it happened more often. There are times when they're just awake and happy, but it's rare - especially when it's just me here. If there's someone else to hold one of them, then we're good, but when it's just me, it can get ugly. For instance today, Sarah was inconsolable, and I was bf'ing Matthew. He was laying across me on a b0ppy and I was holding her over my shoulder. She was so wild that she was booting him in the stomach repeatedly, but he was so intent on the grub that he didn't seem to notice. I'm sure he'll get her back for it in a couple years.

At least I could reach her, though. So often I'll be feeding one and the other will be in the crib/bouncy/knife drawer and the crying is just so sad. I try to tandem feed as much as I can, but it doesn't always work out. I can't wait until they're more entertain-able. For now there's not a ton that will get their mind off crying besides getting picked up or eating. I really want to be more independent, but for now I'm all about having someone here whenever they can be.

Luckily I've had a ton of help from my mom and for the past month my brother has been here. He works in the tv/film industry and took time between projects to come get to know his niece and nephew. Isn't that cute? I swear he did it just so that when he goes back to his swingin' single life, he'll have great anecdotes to woo the ladies with. "Oh that Sarah would never sleep unless I swaddled her just so." He knew nothing about babies when he got here, but now he is practically an expert! We call him our Manny. I honestly don't know what I would have done without him these last couple weeks. He's leaving on Sunday (back to NYC) and I can't even think how sad it will be. Look how into it he is - he even does tummy time!



The nights are going ok. Sarah had been sleeping for some decent stretches - 5, 6 and 8 hours, a couple of weeks ago, but those are a thing of the past (and hopefully the future!) Currently she and Matty are pretty much in synch. We put them to bed around 7, they wake up at 10ish, 2ish and 5:30ish. I tandem feed at night and thankfully they have been going right back to sleep. Last night I completed two of the feedings in less than 45 minutes, which for these guys is miraculous. It's not so easy during the day, so I'm very grateful that the nights are calmer. It has been pretty hard to get them down at 7, so tonight for the first time we've tried separating them. Matthew's in the crib in our room and Sarah is in their room. It's kind of sad, but so far it's been working, so I guess I'll just have to get over it! Plus, it's not like they've even noticed one another yet. Of course if we had any brains about us, we would have put Sarah in our room instead of our human video game. MAN - he makes the funniest squeaks and grunts. She sleeps pretty quietly, but I swear I'm in an arcade when Matthew is sleeping. Damn. Now I have the Super Mari0 Br0thers song in my head.

I have had so many instances of "Oh, I've got to blog about that!" but I can't even come close to remembering any of them. My brain is mush. My body, however, is coming along. I've lost another couple of pounds and have been doing pretty well with the exercise. In addition to nearly daily walks, I've gone on a couple bike rides, played tennis, played 9 holes of golf (and kicked ASS with a 46!) and today I took a spinning class. Or, I should say, a spinning class took me. Sweet jesus, that was hard. I hadn't taken a spinning class in about two years, and it had to have been one of the hardest I've ever done. I will pay for that tomorrow.

It's great that I've been able to get out, but I do feel pretty guilty about it. My friends and family, W included are so supportive and convince me that it's ok to be out there, but once I'm away from the babies I feel like such a jerk. So who cares if I have to wear my maternity jeans to their high school graduation - shouldn't I want to be here all the time? I know I need a break, but sometimes I feel like I'm getting off too easy. My mom wants me to play 18 tomorrow, but there's no way in hell. The course is over an hour away and just the golf alone would take nearly 5 hours. At least the 9 hole course is close by. I'm hoping to keep up with the spinning class though, at least a couple times a week. It's at the Mill Valley Community Center, which is so nice. And I just found out they have drop in child care. I only saw the room when it was closed, so I'll have to check it out during operating hours, but that could be a great help for when my mom can't watch them. They have to be 3 months old, so we'll see how much of a spinning habit I develop in the next month before I need to investigate any further.

I am looking forward to my next new mom's meeting with the multiples club, and I also joined a "regular" mothers' group. Our playgroup is planning it's first meeting for next week. I assume I'll have plenty to learn from and share with singleton moms and it will be nice to focus just on their baby-ness, rather than their twin-ness. Also I had great advice from another twin mom who suggested never going on a playdate w/ another set of twins. Better to befriend the singleton moms because then they can help you! Selfish? Yes. Practical? You betcha!

Alright - it's time for the adults in this house to get to bed. I kind of dread it actually. I feel like they know right when I get into a deep sleep and that's when the wailing starts. Also I've got this weird thing where when I do wake up, I'm drenched in sweat. It's not that hot in our room, but no matter what, I and my side of the bed are soaked. So I've taken to sleeping on the futon after the 2 am feeding so I don't have to go back to my clammy bed. I'm assuming it's something hormonal. And I'm kind of hoping it won't happen tonight since the spinning class wrung so much sweat out of me that I can't imagine there's any left.

Wait! I knew there was something I needed to blog about. I'm a stay at home mom. Yup. Told my boss I'm not coming back. It just wouldn't have made sense financially. Mostly I'm so glad, but it is pretty weird to be cutting myself out of the working world (and more importantly the dollar-earning world). I know what I'm doing is worth loads of dough, but that doesn't mean that anyone is actually giving us that money, you know?

Ok, I've got lots more thoughts on that, but I'm too tired for any sort of coherence.

Happy Birthday Babies. I love you!

UPDATE: Clearly Sarah didn't like me dissin' her sleeping skills. Last night she gave me a nice solid six hours straight! Matthew wasn't fazed by the dissin', though.