Monthly Archives: June 2013

Friday Free for All

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Sara

I am finishing up my first week back at work. It wasn’t nearly as stressful as I thought it wold be. The babies were a little bit fussy with adjusting to their new schedule, but it was mostly smooth sailing. And even though I miss them, it is really nice to sit alone in my office and drink an entire cup of coffee while it is still hot.
The kids are chomping at the bit for summer vacation. 3 half days next week and they are done. I have no idea how I am going to handle having 5 kids home. Thank goodness for summer camp, I guess.
We put our garden in a few weeks ago, and for the first time, I neglected to take any pictures. We’ve had so much rain that I’ve hardly had to do anything. I have some slug be gone or something like that coming today because something is chewing my leaves, but other than that, I think it’s going well. Gardening is my favorite; I can’t wait until things start to grow!
We have 8 pacifiers in rotation here. This seems so ridiculous to me.
I am on day 5 of a gluten and dairy free diet. I’ve eaten more fruits and veggies this week than I have in a really long time. I feel generally good, if not a little bit hungry. My biggest struggle, as always, is remembering to drink enough water.
We booked our shelter for the girls’ birthday party this summer. Part of me thinks I am insane for throwing a huge family picnic with these tiny babies around.
We’re also doing a mini vacation to Hershey, PA in July. The kids are beyond excited. I am mostly excited, except for the whole 7 people in a hotel room situation.

Back in March, we were lucky enough to have 2 friends in the photography business who offered to take newborn shots of the twins. I never did newborn photos with the other kids, so I thought it would be fun to do, even though I was exhausted.

First my old friend Liz got her hands on the babies when they were about 3 weeks old. We had fun catching up and she did an amazing job. Seriously, just look.

Photos below credited to Elizabeth Lee Millen Images

The following week, our friend Donna took some photos. She was the one who also did our family photo session in February, before the twins were born. Here are just a few of my favorites:

I was so happy with both sessions, and I am so glad to have a remembrance of the babies when they were fresh and new. Time is going so fast! I can hardly remember them being so teeny.

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Thoughts on Twin Parenting–Month 3

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Sara

The babies turned 3 months old last Saturday. I went back to work today. Can someone please tell me how this is possible? On any given day, if you ask me what month it is, I am certain that it is still March. And yet, it is June. These babies are growing up.

As much as I thought they had little personalities in the previous months, they are more apparent now. Molly will fuss and cry at the drop of a hat, but…BUT she also smiles so easily. Gus is still very chill. He doesn’t fuss. He takes everything in and is kind of cautious with his smiles. You can see him really considering things before he smiles. I can easily see Mol barreling through the world with Gussy content to follow.

In any case, they are both super sweet.

The third month with them was a good one. They are consistently sleeping through the night. They don’t nap very well but I think that will come with the introduction of an actual routine, with me back at work. I think what surprises me the most is how tied they are to their schedule. Not that we have a day long regiment, but man…if they are not in bed between 8:30 and 9, they lose their collective shit. They need to be fed, burped and wrapped by 9 at the latest. We usually give them their bottles around 7/7:30 and then I nurse them just before we wrap and put them down. Those swaddling blankets, man. They are a miracle. I am Team Swaddle til College for sure.

Nursing the twins is not going as well as I would like. I’ve always sort of struggled with my supply anyway, and this time is no different. I know your body is supposed to adjust and yadda yadda, but mine does not. So, I do the best I can. They nurse 3 times a day and have formula the rest of the time, and I am ok with that. My supply always takes a dive when I go back to work as well, but I’m hoping that it will actually be the opposite, since I am home and can pump without worrying about booking a conference room that locks.

In the third month, the babies went from just lying around like blobs to really taking in their surroundings. They notice when I walk in the room. Molly really notices when I pick Gussy up instead of her. They both settle when I put their bibs on because they know the bottle is coming.

We seem to finally have Molly’s reflux in check. Prevacid twice a day is working way better than the Zantac. Prevacid has no flavor, whereas the Zantac was minty, so she sucks it right out of an extra nipple with no problem.

Month 3 Happenings: