Babysitters

We just finished moving, and now we're in the process of unpacking. Crazy! I am so glad we moved though. We went from a two bedroom apartment to a three bedroom house. Much better. I'm excited for Friday, my hubby and I are going out. His department at work won the United Grocers Produce Department of the Year. So the store's owner is taking us all out to Daniel's Broiler to celebrate. Shawn's parents are coming to watch the kids. We have never hired a babysitter, excluding when I worked a few years ago, and Justin went to daycare. The only people I trust to watch our kids are their grandparents. But, if I were to hire a babysitter, I would probably check with my church first, get lots of references, and make sure they know CPR. Also, I probably have one of those nanny cams. I know, I'm a little over protective... It's just that you hear so many horror stories these days. Well, the babies are down for the night (yay), Justin will be in bed in 45 minutes, and Shawn will be shortly after that. Then I'll be off work for about three hours until it all starts over again. I wonder why the babies aren't sleeping through the night anymore. I'll think on that later. Goodnight.

Sleep? What's sleep?

I went to bed at eleven, and was woken up seven times before five thirty. Seven times! Justin didn't get a very good night's sleep either, and today was his first day back to school after mid-winter break. He had two meltdowns tonight, so I sent him to bed at seven thirty. I let him watch TV in bed until eight thirty. That brings up a good question. Should kids have TVs in their rooms? Obviously I'm OK with it, but the trick is to really monitorit, and be aware of what and how much they watch. I check out all the shows he likes, just to make sure I approve of them. I also have parental blocks set up so he can't watch anything over PG, or that has certain content. Also, we try to restrict how much he watches a day. Homework always comes first, and I like for him to play outside for as long as possible before dark. Some days I know he watches too much, but I try to make up for it by keeping him so busy the next that he doesn't watch any at all.

Co-sleeping

The babies slept fairly well last night. They both woke up midnight. I kicked Shawn out of bed,and brought the babies in with me. After that Emma woke up at three am and was up until five. Shawn got up with her at six, and Alex and I slept until seven. Much better night sleep. So, I've heard lots of different opinions about co-sleeping. I don't usually bring them to bed with me, but occasionally, (usually after a few nights with no sleep), I do. It is nice to snuggle with your baby, but there is always a risk of suffocation, so you need to make sure you don't have a bunch of blankets or pillows in the bed. Also, you could roll over on them, so be careful. I had them laying width way, and I was at their feet, because I was nervous. Anyone have an opinion about co-sleeping? Let me know!

Tired

Today I'm tired. The babies are in a growing spurt, and they're teething. That means I'm up every two hours at night with a hungry baby, and they spend most of their waking hours crying, slobbering, or chewing on everything. If they weren't so darn cute...") Orjel works great, but they hate the taste, so it takes them a few minutes to stop screaming long enough to realize that they feel better. I've also been giving them some tylenol before bed to help them fall asleep pain free. Other than that, there are teething rings, but my babies have a hard time fitting those in their mouths. A great alternative is to freeze or refridgerate binkies (pacifiers), and give them those to chew on. They also enjoy chewing on my fingers, I just make sure I've washed my hands. I can actually feel their little teeth growing. I hear a baby crying now, I think it's Emma, so I'll talk later!

Snapshot

Here's a pic of those kids I've been talking about. Cute, huh?! Yesterday went well because the babies were calm. They staggered their naps, so I didn't get much done, but I'll take that over screaming anyday. Justin (the oldest), was acting up a little after Dad got home, but I think he was just looking for attention. Sometimes I feel like I'm neglecting him. I do my best, and I guess that's all any of us can do. I wonder if my parents felt this way too. Not knowing what you're doing, but doing it anyway. Fake it til you make it.Somedays I feel like I'm just playing house... And, am I really going to be 31 in a week? I remember 2nd grade like it was yesterday, and now my oldest child is a second grader, and I'm a housewife. CRAZY! But it's good too. I wouldn't trade it. I would like to be able to take a shower whenever I want to though :).

Mid Winter Break Blues

Today went pretty with the babies until the afternoon fussies hit. My mother- in- law was here to help, so it went a little smoother than usual. However, I think my seven year old son, Justin, was a bit jealous that the babies got most of the attention from Grandma. She did a lot with him today, but he's used to her undivided attention. Plus he's got the Mid -Week, Mid -Winter Break Blues. So today I let him start his own blog for all his friends to see. That excited him. There are safety options, so not just anyone can read or access it. Only friends and family.So far its all about Pokemon, his current passion. I feel pretty comfortable with it, since he doesn't give out his real name or any personal info. You can Google blogs for kids. Some options are free, and some cost a few dollars a month, but there are quite a few geared towards kids. I think it will help with his communication skills. At least it gets him writing creativly and practicing his writing skills, like basic sentence structure, spelling etc... I'm so proud of him. I think it will be a good experience for him.

Another Crazy Day

Another crazy day at the Roberts homestead. The babies pulled a fast one on me . Emma was so great today! She hardly fussed, she napped well and she giggled and played so nice. Alex, on the other hand screamed and screamed for most of the afternoon. Turns out it was horrible gas, (no bm), and some heartburn. So I got out the pear juice. The Doc recommends one to two ounces of pear juice to get things going without creating worse cramps. A friend recommended prune juice , but since I would not drink it, I don't think a baby used to sweet tasting milk would either. So, I gave Alex a couple of warm baths, and did some gentle massage around his navel. I also tried the bicycle move.But still nothing. It's so horrible to see your child scream like that and not be able to do anything except hold them. Hopefully he'll be ok tommorrow. If not we'll have to call the Doc again for more advice. I wonder when I'll get a day where BOTH babies are happy at the same time?!

Separation/Stranger Anxiety

Experts say that some babies will have separation, or stranger anxiety around 8-10 months old. At five and a half months, Emma is experiencing it now. Most days if I'm more than a few inches away from her, she'll start crying. Horrible, tear stained cries of abandonment. Also, lately she'll start screaming if anyone else wants or tries to hold her. She screams at her Dad, her Brother, her Nana and Grandma too. It can be exhausting. But, she has a twin brother who needs me, and a big brother whose home on mid-winter break who needs me too. So, she cries. And sometimes so do I.

Should you let your baby cry?

The age old question... to let the baby cry, or not. You'd think it would be simple. Of course you don't let babies cry. But what do you do when there's two of them? At the beginning if I was alone and unable to sooth them, I was known to cry with them. This may happen to you too. It's normal. I think every parent feels their job is to keep their babies comfortable, and we feel that if they are crying then we somehow have failed.Just remember that is not true. If your spouse or older child are there, let them help. They may not do it exactly the way you would, but that's ok. If you're burned out and frustrated, you are no good for the babies anyway. And trust me the babies will live. Have them comfort one, while you tend to the needs of the other.

What if one baby is sleeping and the other is not? Should you run to the baby at every sound he makes? For me it depends on who's crying and who's sleeping, (and if there's someone here helping me). Every baby is different, even twins. Alex sleeps like a log, but Emma is a very light sleeper. So, if she's sleeping and he starts crying, I go running. Emma is incredibly grumpy without her sleep and, taking care of two babies when you are alone can be hard. However, because Alex is such a heavy sleeper, Emma is allowed to fuss a little longer. The funny thing is that she self- sooths a lot better than Alex does, and she has a better ability to fall asleep on her own. But that's a whole other topic!

Bottom line is... It depends on the baby and the circumstances.

Hello!

This is my first blog ever, and I am really hoping someone out there reads it. I'll pass on any interesting info relevent to twins I can find, and would love to hear from you about all things twins. Just email me or post a response. But first, here's a little bit about my family and me... I have five month old twins; a boy Alex and a girl Emma. They have a seven year old brother Justin. I'll post some pictures in a few days. We live in Sammamish,Washington where our family loves to spend time together. Outdoors if possible, but the kids, and my hubby Shawn are sick, so lately we've spent a lot of it inside. I've escaped unscathed. Perhaps I've just jinxed myself?
My babies were born on September 6th 2007 at 36 weeks gestation. Labor lasted 7 1/2 hours, and they were delivered the way God intended, only WITH an epidural. Alex weighed 4lbs 2 oz when we brought him home two days later, and Emma weighed 5lbs when she followed 10 days later. Having Alex home alone was good, I nursed and bottle fed him, plus I was pumping so I could take milk to the hospital. When Emma finally came home I was so excited. Then reality hit. I don't remember the first week. I slept when they slept and barely showered or ate. It was sleep, eat, poop and pump (to establish better milk supply). Over and over 24/7. I finally emerged from my fog when they were about two or three months old. My mother in law came over a lot, and my husband cleaned and handled Justin. I talked on the phone with my mom alot. Support is crucial for survival.

Now they sleep through the night, mostly. Sometimes just when it seems to get better, they get sick. But all the craziness is balanced by the wonderfulness. Like the fist time they really look at you and see you. The first smile, the first laugh... playing together. Emma rolls over now all the time. Alex has only rolled over a couple times, but then he's more interested in talking than she is. They notice each other more. They actually reach over to comfort each other if they're crying.

Alex totally outweighs Emma now, and he is calmer and quieter. He's my laid back child. She is very high maintinence, but oh so cute. Justin is a great big brother, and all around great kid ,and I love him vey much! I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your Valentine's are as great as mine. God Bless!