Anyone else due in June "06

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hi Everyone!!!

I am so sorry that I have not written in two months, I hope you will all forgive me! I am finally at my mothers house and the boys are both sleeping so i had a minute and even though I am sooo tired and could really use a nap I decided to write to all my friends (if you will still have me).

The boys were born on 5/26 by an emergency c-section. Baby B's heart rate kept dropping (he is fine now).

Nico was born at 1:16pm and Luca at 1:18pm. Nico was 5lbs abd Luca was 5lbs and 9oz. I nursed the boys for the first 3 weeks. As you know they were both eating 12 times a day for up to 30 minutes each. I wasn't eating, sleeping, drinking, etc. I cried all of the time. So then I decided to pump. I was only getting 2ozs every three hours and at that time the boys were already having 4oz a piece every 3 hours so I was just giving them 1oz of breast milk and the rest formula. Because I was not giving them a lot of formula I started to get lazy with pumping...and after about a week I was completely formula. At first I cried because i felt like a terrible mom but I am feeling so much better now. I don't feel so tied down to the house anymore.

My boys are really good for the most part. The hardest parts are the nights of course but my husband has been great. He works 12-16 hour days but still gets up through the night to help me feed. They are on the same scheduale for the most part but at night we get designanted a baby to feed through the night which is usually about every three hours still. My boys eat about 5-6oz at a time with an occasional 4oz here and there.

We just got back from the doctors and they both weigh and measure the same exact thing now! 11 lbs 14 oz and 22 inches long. They are in the 50th %tile for weight and the 25th %tile for height.

ia m going to try to keep up with the posting again, i missed you all so much. I am still backed up about 10 pages of reading your posts but I am going to try to catch up now and when i get home I am going to add some pictures!!!

Missed you soooo MUCH!

[qbanmom5]

Hi Danielle!!!! I am sooo happy you are o.k. and that you wrote us!!! Sounds like you all are doing great!1 I was worried... Your b/f experience sounds exactly like mine! My guilt has subsided also. We need to see pics!!

Hope everyone else is doing well. I am typing one-handed. Holding Luke-big surprise! Have more to say but I forgot. Will write when I remember and have time!

Love, Ters

[vthompson]

Daniele - I was so happy to see your post!! We have missed you!

Don't have time to respond to everyone, as usual!!

We had shots today!! The crying broke my heart!! Now, both babies are fussy and sleepy. I feel so bad for them! Corey weighs 10lbs 6oz and Kayley is 9lbs 3oz! Corey is in the 75th percentile! Little porker!! Kayley is in the 50th percentile, except for her huge head!!! Ok, just wanted to check in real quick. Hope everyone is well! Talk to you soon!

Valerie

[megzmom]

Danielle-No more AWOL, yeah! So glad that you are back and doing good. Your bf sound exactly like mine except I starting pumping after 10 days.

Well MIL is back in town. Her plane arrived real late so she slept over. Dh and her woke up for night feedings yeah. Unfortuntately I think she overstimulated the boys in the am because they are so fussy all day. Only 15-20min naps. Usually they are out all day. Luckily dh has Thur-Sat off so he is helping me.

Nobody PMd me...does anyone use Huggies diapers? I will mail out the many coupons I have. Looking for Pampers if you dont use them :)

[AndreaR]

DANIELE!! I was so happy to hear from you. We have been thinking about you every day. Glad to hear that you are all doing okay. You really had us worried. You are absolutely forgiven. Hopefully the boys will share you with us a little more. Can't wait to see pics.

Heather - Isabelle LOVES that mat that you saw in the picture. It's from BRU.

So far so good today - The E.A.S.Y method is working well, although it's mostly E.A.S. with not a lot of Y. I thank God for Ronit (our au pair). I don't know how you ladies do it alone. My hat is off to you for sure.

Gotta go - Izzy's crying.

AndreaR

[fieldingzp]

Hi guys. I am a new mommy on the August board. I gave birth 10 days ago. Maybe this is premature, but is my stomach ever going to look not pg? I didn't gain much weight, but my belly still looks 3 months pregnant, like I have this grapefruit on the front of me. I don't remember this lasting so long with my ds. Am I just being impatient or have the twins pooched my tummy out forever? They were born at 37 weeks so I was huge.

[megzmom]

Andrea-I had a poster similar with my dd and she did love it (her middle name is Isabelle :) Do you remember who made the mat? I will look online.

Thanks,

[LucasMom]

Just quick...DANIELLE!!! So glad you and the boys are ok. We were so worried about you and feeling like you were gone forever. Can't wait to see pics!

All three boys were spotted by an agent for a management company about two weeks ago, so tomorrow we go to meet with them. I will let you know how it goes. I am not too keen on them becoming future Lindsay Lohans :crazy: , but if it helps with money to put the three of them through college, so be it!

Long day, but hope you all are well. Had a mini breakdown last night, but they seem to be getting fewer and farther between, so I guess thats a good sign. I am just overtired, worked three days this week, with the boys, one day at sesame street with Luke, and the last day home trying to play catch up. I have no idea how I am going to do it in three weeks working full time again, but, I guess we'll make it happen, right. Lucky Andrea...send Ronit over here for a night or two, and I'll take her off your hands as a favor!!:rotflmbo:

Gotta go.. welcome back, Danielle, don't you leave again!!

Love,

Mindy

[AndreaR]

Heather - it's called the Busy Bee Playmat, and it's made by IQ Baby. I just tried to find it at bru.com, but I couldn't. I found this website though:
http://www.geniusbabies.com/bubeepl3bato.html

For those of you who are breastfeeding, do you ever run out of milk and your baby freaks out? I know we produce less milk in the afternoon, but I don't know what to do about it. Every once in a while Isabelle gets so angry about it. I try to offer her a bottle, but she refuses it. Tonight it seemed mostly because she was really tired, but I didn't know what to do about it.

[EBTwinz]

Daniele: You are back!!! Woo Hoo!!!:yippee:

[AndreaR]

Fielding - congratulations on your twins! As an experienced mother of twins LOL :rotflmbo: LOL.. serioulsy, I had my girls 8 weeks ago, and I still have a little belly. I stayed swollen for a good two weeks after I delivered, and since then I have slowly lost weight. I don't think I look pregnant anymore, just overweight. I gained a ton of weight during the beginning of my pregnancy, and that's what remains. You will probably see some changes real soon. Remember how large your belly was - it's going to take a little while for it to shrink back. Hang in there!!

[swineland]

Quick post to say WELCOME BACK DANIELE! Can't wait to see photos....we've really missed your support/advice/input around here....don't leave again!

Gotta run to get my 3 hours or so.

xoxo to all...
Steph

[ChastityLove]

Does anyone out there allow their babies to sleep on their tummies at night? Mine loooooove to sleep on their tummies so I let them during the day so I can watch them but I am afraid to let them at night. They both sleep in the cosleeper and we use the Swaddle Wraps so there aren't any blankets in there but I am still scared to let them. What do you ladies think? Am I being paranoid?

Chastity

[qbanmom5]

Fielding: My tummy is still big. I still have the grapefruit hanging in front and it has been almost 2 months, except its more like a canteloupe. I think it is slowly going down but its driving me crazy too!! The nurse told me it would probably take around 6 months. I really hope it goes away cause I can't stand to look at it any more. Good luck with yours! Ters

[Daniele'sTwins]

ok, I have so much to say...but I was trying to make a slide show for you and I cant seem to do it. I think i added a pic to my signature but it is so small for you to really see. I would write more but I know it is the pics you really want to see first...lol I owe it to you with my AWOL and stuff...lol. I missed you all so much. maybe if you PM me your email addresses I could send you my pics on snapfish or someone could tell me about how to make a slideshow.

Just Quick...Lisa, I read your posts and YES I have felt like that too. Thank you for coming out and saying what I have been afraid to. I get sad too. I miss my old life a lot sometimes...HOWEVER it DOES get better everyday.

[Daniele'sTwins]

ok, that ticker is soooo wrong too...UGH.

Well, I have a list of things to write about, maybe in the morning.

did I say how much I missed you guys???

Oh yeah and Mindy, I LOVE watching you on TV...I am like, "mom, there's my friend from the computer!"

XOXOXOXOXO

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hi Guys...

Look at me go with catching up over here. I hope not to go that long again without talking with all of you!

Birth Control...I didn't expect to go back on it with the whole breastfeeding thing but since I am not nursing my doc put me on Orthro-tri-lo. I took it for 4 days and then threw it away. I hate taking the pill because I swear it makes me sooo irritable! I happen to get anxiety and I think it makes it so much worse...so we are just going to "be careful"

Belly Sleeping...I let the boys belly sleep on a play mat during the day but I have never done so at night. I know that they would definately sleep better and longer if I allowed them to at night but I would NEVER forgive myself if something ever happened so I dont do it.

ID/Frat...I sent away for the swab test to see if my boys are identical. It cost $170 (that includes shipping) and all I did was swab the inside of their mouths four times twice. they say the test is 99.something accurate. I found out about it in the Twins magazine. I find out on or before Aug 3rd.

Enfamil AR...tried it but my kids cried for 3 hours straight after eating it. I guess it was too hard on their little bellies.

Heart Murmur...I am taking Luca to the pedatric cardiologist because the doc found a heart murmur on him. I think it was heather that has the same situation.

Bedtime routine...after their 6:00 bottle I give them a bath. Sing and dance with them to the saME three songs, read them a story and say prayers. After that we go upstairs to put them to bed sleepy but awake. I do all that to try to keep them up for a good while before they go down for the night. They are still waking up every three to eat but this morning went 5 hours after we were awake and downstairs on the swings.

Papasan Swings...HOLY BLESSING! The boys LOVE that swing and could be in it all day! Sometimes Nico prepers it over arms!

Godparents...I think i am going to send the godmothers floers and the God fathers cookie creations on the day before the baptism for thatnks but I dont think it is mandatory to buy gifts. I have been a godmother 3 times and I have never gotten anything. I actually think being asked is the BIGGEST gift of all!

Andrea...where in MAss do you live? I would definately get together for a play date somewhere!

[Daniele'sTwins]

I have coupons for similac and a $7.00 coupon for Enfamil AR or Gentlease if anyone needs them...just PM me your address.

[megzmom]

Belly sleeping- Chastity I have let the boys sleep on their bellies since the first week and they LOVE it, cant sleep on backs anymore. They spit up so much and its easier to get them back to sleep by patting their backs.

I was going to post that in my Publix newsletter it said the Academey of Pediatrics recommends back sleeping for full term babies but says if they were premature or have problems breathing/spitting up stomachs are better. So that made me feel much better. Eventhough I knew it was better for the boys. My dd also slept entirely on her stomach. I think that was what was recommended 8 years ago.

Godparents-Love the cookie idea. They are so unique and cute. Great idea.

Steph-I am going to have to take a rain check on Monday. I forgot that my dd is coming back that day around lunch time from AZ. My brother is getting married today. I would definately love to meet though. I dont know if Sunday afternoons are good for you? My dh works on Sunday.

Nursery-I havent gone to church since I was on bedrest and I miss it terribly. I am nervous about bringing the boys to the nursery. I totally trust the nursery workers. I am just nervous about them getting sick. I am not a sanitizing everything kind of mom. I have taken them out in public alot already but they havent been near other babies. What do you guys think?

Belly- I lost alot of weight int he beginning but I have a gross looking stomach now. Got stretch marks the last 2weeks ugh!!!! Plus the csection cut makes my flabb hang over. I was overweight before but my stomach was firmer. All the water weight from swelling, IVs and magnesium so it came off quick. I actually weigh a little less than when I got pregnant (was so sick during 1st trimester that I lost 15lbs). But staying home with the kids, cooking more and woofing down meals...I actually gained 5lbs back which I am so sad about. Hopefully I will start loosing alitlle bit more because I start back full time next week. School officially starts on the 7th for the students.

[qbanmom5]

Felisha: Just to mention about the snot, I found something out that I never knew with all my other kids. The suction alone doesn't work well for us cause I have to suck like 10 times from each nostril. Get some saline drops and drop 2 in each nostril. Wait a minute then suction. It works like a charm1 They hate it but I don't have to fight with them as long. Last night Leia was so mad that right away she blew it out on her own and all the boogies came out too. I didn't even have to suction! Good luck! Ters

[megzmom]

Belly sleeping- Chastity I have let the boys sleep on their bellies since the first week and they LOVE it, cant sleep on backs anymore. They spit up so much and its easier to get them back to sleep by patting their backs.

I was going to post that in my Publix newsletter it said the Academey of Pediatrics recommends back sleeping for full term babies but says if they were premature or have problems breathing/spitting up stomachs are better. So that made me feel much better. Eventhough I knew it was better for the boys. My dd also slept entirely on her stomach. I think that was what was recommended 8 years ago.

Godparents-Love the cookie idea. They are so unique and cute. Great idea.

Steph-I am going to have to take a rain check on Monday. I forgot that my dd is coming back that day around lunch time from AZ. My brother is getting married today. I would definately love to meet though. I dont know if Sunday afternoons are good for you? My dh works on Sunday.

Nursery-I havent gone to church since I was on bedrest and I miss it terribly. I am nervous about bringing the boys to the nursery. I totally trust the nursery workers. I am just nervous about them getting sick. I am not a sanitizing everything kind of mom. I have taken them out in public alot already but they havent been near other babies. What do you guys think?

Belly- I lost alot of weight int he beginning but I have a gross looking stomach now. Got stretch marks the last 2weeks ugh!!!! Plus the csection cut makes my flabb hang over. I was overweight before but my stomach was firmer. All the water weight from swelling, IVs and magnesium so it came off quick. I actually weigh a little less than when I got pregnant (was so sick during 1st trimester that I lost 15lbs). But staying home with the kids, cooking more and woofing down meals...I actually gained 5lbs back which I am so sad about. Hopefully I will start loosing alitlle bit more because I start back full time next week. School officially starts on the 7th for the students.

Birthcontrol-I cant remember who said they just had the Minera put in but how long did you have to weight? My dr said 12 weeks and then Id have to be on my period. IS THAT NOrmAL??? She said we could have sex soon after no waiting. I wont wait but I will use a condom for a while still just to make sure. Theyd have to put me away for a while if I got preg again. DH wants one more but I am 32 and not sure. Meg is going to be 8 and I dont thinks it fair for her. Plus I think Id have another set of twins. Meg was a twin we think bc the first sono showed two sacs.

[AndreaR]

Happy Weekend everyone!

I had a pretty rough week, topped off by a really long night. The girls weren't that bad really; they just woke up every three hours and not at the same time. I knew I shouldn't get used to them sleeping for 5-6 hours. I sure am glad the weekend is here. I got out of the house by myself for a bit this morning to run an errand, and when I got back DH and I fed the girls and then we all went out for a drive. We ended up near the ocean, so we took the girls out for a walk. They fell fast asleep, and DH and I tested our fate by going out to lunch!! With a waitress and everything!! The girls were fantastic; slept the whole time. We kept them right next to our table in their stroller. A few people came to look at them, and I was afraid they'd wake up, but they didn't! DH each had a drink (my third since they were born) and we got to finish a whole meal together! It was really nice. I am really thankful to DH for getting me out of the house and spending time as a family. He wanted to spend the day doing yardwork, so this was a big sacrifice for him (yes, he'd rather be doing yardwork - isn't that crazy??).

Birth Control - I'm not even thinking about it. Since I am breastfeeding and since we had so much trouble getting pg the first time and MOST IMPORTANTLY since we're not having sex, I'm not really that concerned. I would like to try again, but it hurt so bad two weeks ago, I am scared. Plus I am just tooooo tired.

Tummy sleeping - Isabelle does not like being on her stomach, but Madeline loves it. We put her on her stomach for her naps during the day but not at night. I just don't feel comfortable, even though that's how plenty of babies have slept for generations.

Daniele - I live on the South Shore, in Norwell. All of my relatives are from RI. My parents both grew up in Providence. Where do you live? It takes me about an hour to get to Providence - maybe we can meet at Providence Place sometime?

The girls are both sleeping in their room right now for the first time ever. Isabelle has been sleeping in there for the past few days, but not Maddie. It's so cute to see them in their cribs. I put so much effort into decorating their room, and I was beginning to wonder if they'd ever use it! Maddie has some issues spitting up through her nose and then coughing up flegm, so I am a little hesitant to put her in their for the night, but a nap is good.

I think I'll hop in the pool while they're both asleep. Gosh! What a day - I'll have to remember this when they're both screaming at the same time.

:throb:
AndreaR

[vthompson]

Hello Everyone!! Shots definitely make my babies fussy the day of and the day after!! I am glad it is over! Today, I do not feel well...very tired, nauseated and I keep getting really hot. I hope I am not getting the flu!

It is so exciting to hear that some people are able to meet! I really hope that someday we can all pick a place to meet each other!!

Belly sleeping - I am such a paranoid person so I do not let them sleep on their tummies.

Gross Tummy - CHECK!! I am at my pre pregnancy weight, which I would classify as overweight. However, my tummy is just gross with the stretch marks and it seems much more flabby then it was. DH does not even seem to notice, or he is just imagining a hot model when he looks at it (LOL). However, I am so embarrassed! Oh well, not much I can do about it now!

Andrea R - It sounds like you had such a nice day!! Isn't it amazing what a day like that can do for your mental health!!

Daniele - I would really appreciate the similac coupons so I am going to pm you after this! I hope I am not hogging all the coupons, though. If anyone else is using similac, please let me know so I can share the wealth!! :)

Ters - I am going to have to try the saline. The babies hate when I use the suction thing!

Heather - I have been using Pampers diapers, but thanks for thinking of us! Actually, we have so many packages of stage 1-2 that we have not bought any diapers in awhile! Thanks goodness for gifts!

Lisa - I received the coupons over the weekend. Thank you so much!! You do not even realize how much you are saving us!! I am definitely going to give you a call this week! Just give me a few days, as I am sure you understand!! BTW, how have you been feeling? Do you have your appt this week?

For those of you putting the babies in their cribs, are you using bumper pads? I have heard mixed thoughts on it and I was wondering what everyone was doing. Also, are you covering the babies with a blanket in the crib or just dressing them in warm clothes? I am asking because as everyone knows, I am still struggling with getting the babies to sleep without their carriers. I need to start trying it at night, so I have been thinking about all of the logistics!!

Well, I will check in later!! Good to hear from everyone!

[sgarrett]

Hello Mommies:

I am to behind to reply to all posts.


Sleeping: I have been to chicken to try the stomach sleeping, but after reading all the posts I think I will try. My 17 year son slept that way, that is what they reccomended than.

Diapers: We have not had to buy diapers yet, people were so kind at our showers. I definetly prefer the Pampers.

My nanny starts Tuesday and I go back to work the 8th. I am dreading it! I still have the grapefuit tummy too, and I do not want to go spend money on new work clothes in a bigger size! SIGH! Luckily I can work out of the house a few days a week.

I love everyone's new pics, our babies are soo cute!

Staci

[sgarrett]

Felilsha: I sent you a pm.

Staci

[swineland]

Hey all...

Will reply a longer post tomorrow for sure, but for now I'm going to bed! My inlaws are leaving first thing in the morning after a busy week here with us. I'm ready for some peace and quiet. Well, not that I'll get that with twins in the house, but you know what I mean!

Heather, no sweat on the raincheck for lunch. I have an appt. in the morning as it is and, after the having visitors the last week, I will probably come home and take a LONG nap with the boys.

Real quick...I put Bailey down for a nap today on his tummy for the first time....he fell totally asleep. His little butt was in the air...it was so cute. He really looked like a baby should look when they sleep, not stiffly swaddled in a straight jacket and staring at the ceiling. HOWEVER, my boys LOVE to be swaddled and it totally helps. I think I'll do tummy sleeping for naps here and there....assuming I'm nearby. I'm trying to counteract the little bit of the flat heads they have developed from sleeping on their backs ALL the time....

Gotta go..

xo
Steph

[LucasMom]

FELISHA......BEAUTIFUL,BEAUTIFUL FAMILY!!!!!!:throb: :throb:

Val-sorry for the delay, I put the coupons in the mail today!

Write tomorrow..

Mindy:throb: :throb:

[AndreaR]

Hello all - finally pumping after trying to get Isabelle to sleep for three hours! We took the girls to my SIL's house this afternoon for our niece's birthday party. Boy, am I regretting it - it did a number on them. Madeline just woke up, and Isabelle just went to sleep - I guess it affected them differently.

I am almost finished with the book about self-calming. I think I believe in it, but I don't think I'll be able to put it to practice. It takes A LOT of patience. The biggest thing that I've learned (or the theory that I've chosen to believe), is that the babies get overstimulated much easier than I thought. The author contends that a lot of babies with colic are victims (my word) of overstimulation. I found it very interesting, and even though I don't think I'm going to ever have two babies who self-calm, I do think that there are things that I can put into practice. I am trying to limit their activity and social interaction in the afternoons, hoping that it makes for peaceful evenings. Today was the perfect example of what NOT to do. But we had to go the party, and I couldn't shield the babies from the others (but I thought about it the whole time). I will write more about the book if you are interested, but I didn't want this post to be too long.

Valerie - Sorry you're not feeling well. I hope you're better soon. We have fabric bumpers in the girls' cribs. I know it's controversial, but I had to draw the line somewhere. If it turns out that either of my girls scoot in their sleep (and get too close to the bumpers), I will take them out of the crib. Otherwise, I think we'll be okay. Also, we swaddle the girls (but leave their arms free), but we don't put loose blankets over them. When it gets cold, I plan to use the sleeper/blanket things (do you know what I mean?).

Felisha - I looked at your pics. Thomas and Maya are beautiful. The pictures came out great. You're lucky to have such a talented photographer for a friend.

Saline - we had some drops that the pedi gave us, but we've used them all. Ican't find them in the store - where have you all bought them? What brand? I use them for Madeline because she gets all congested and ends up spitting up through her nose. They work really well. I put them in when I see her having a hard time breathing.

Steph - glad to see you survived you visit with the in-laws. It's always good to have your own space.

Diapers - we were using Pampers Swaddlers, but we just switched (because the girls outgrew their sizes and we got some other as gifts). Maddie is wearing Huggies size 1, and Izzy is wearing Pampers Baby Dry size 1.

DH went to Old Navy today to pick up a gift for his niece, and he came home with about twenty items for the girls. He said he couldn't help himself! I told him that it was fine with me, and I expect him to understand now when I can't help myself! He was so out of control that he bought blue things....for girls!! I have enough trouble getting people to realize that they're girls when I dress them all in pink!

Well, this turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. Sorry.... have a great night!

AndreaR

ps. Sherry - hope you are doing well. Thinking about you and your babies.

[mikejay519]

Hello all! This is my first time on this website. I had twin boys 10 weeks ago and just learned of this website. If anyone has twins around the same age, how are they sleeping/eating?

[megzmom]

Mikejay- Welcome to the board. Sleeping and eating seems to be getting better for mostof us. Hopefully you are surviving well.

Sleeping- I have the Zack and Ben sleep on the their bellies all the time. They didnt like the swaddle thing after the first few days. We tried but they are so strong that they punched right out. So I swaddled their bodies minus the hands. Then dh (darling husband) put them on their tummies and they slept like champs so we stuck with it.

Bumpers-I may regret asking but I not sure of the controversy. I never knew not to use bumpers. We use the cloth and the boys scoot everywhere!

AndreaR-I am not sure what book you are talking about but I definately use self calming. In the beginning it was hard. But I was loosing it trying to put the boys down for 3hrs. So they kind of taught me. One night I heard them fuss too early for a bottle so I waited a minute and it got louder so I made the 2 bottles. By the time I was finished both were already asleep. So I jumped back into bed praying for even 10 more min. They didnt wake up for a nother few hours! So I tried doing that during the day. I put them down half groggy (belly with a blanket) pat their backs for a second and put on the baby einstein cd and crack the door. In the beginning they fussed for 3-5 min. I know seems like a long time. Id go in half way and pat their backs alittle and with in a min theyd be out. Still making a grunt or two but nothing major. Now they only fuss for 1-2 min. Hopefully I dont jinx myself but its been pretty easy. The only rough day lately was the first day back with MIL and they DID get overstimulated. I totally am their with you on that.

Okay sorry wrote a book.

I lost track but if there are any more Similac coupons available let me know. I have a couple of Enfamil if anyone wants them? Does anyone use the Nutrigamen from Enfamil? I have $5 off of that brand. Pediatrician wanted me to switch Ben because he was having very loose stools for a while. Luckily before we bought it he started to get regular.

Okay wish me luck today. I am going to call another school that is closer to home for a job opening. I am really fed up. My classroom isnt even ready yet and I only have a week before kids start back to school plus take out all the inservices - entire day on Thurs... Only a man would move a new moms room when she delivered in the summer. UGH

One last thing. Survived my first long alone outing. I took the boys to church. Unfortunately I didnt get into church because the real workers were on vacation and they didnt get backup. So I stayed with them. I was a little paranoid becasue everyone wanted to touch.

okay back to bed. Havent been able to fall asleep tonight. :

[Jillmami]

Saline drops are sold in the meds section at BRU.

[sgarrett]

Felisha: Your pics are gorgeous!

Mikejay: Welcome! This board is great.

Sleep: We had our best night ever. Babies slept for 5 1/2 hours in a row. I hope this is a new trend.

Megzmom: I have the same question on bumbers. I did not know you were not suppose to use them. We have fabric bumbers as well. Of course the babies have never once slept in their cribs!

Schedules: OK I guess I never realized how much my dh and I were not on a schedule until Isabelle and Aiden came along. I am reallly struggling trying to get them on a set schedule. I hope it will be easier when I go back to work.
We are always on the go, and I have been guilty of running errands all day with the babies when I could let my DH just do it alone. The problem with that is the babies sleep in the car, then want to stay awake all night. I feel bad to b/c it is so fricken hot outside I know I should not have them out. I just absolutely go nuts in the house all day. Any suggestions????

Staci

[vthompson]

Hi everyone!! When we were in the hospital, we took the babies to a bath class and the nurse told us that bumpers have been linked to sids. She said that if god forbid, something happened, they would rule it as suffocation if there were bumpers in the crib. I am not sure how much I believe this, so I looked it up, and found mixed reactions on the Internet. Who knows...it seems like things change from year to year as it is!

Staci - What if you try and run some errands in early evening, that way they will be sleeping closer to bed time. I know what you mean about being in the house. I take the babies out, too during the day because I got so bored and antsy!

Heather - Good luck with finding another job. Keep us posted.

Saline Drops - I found them in the meds section of Walmart and Target, too.

Felisha - Your family is gorgeous!! Great pics!

Mindy - Do not apologize!! I appreciate you taking the time!! Thanks!

Mikejay - Welcome to the board and congrats! My twins are 9 weeks old. Corey still eats every 2-4 hours, even at night. Kayley will go longer at night, 5-7 hours, but eats non stop during the day and does not really nap much.

Both babies are fussy today! I swear, when I have a ton of things to do around the house, they sense it! I feel bad sometimes, because I get aggravated. But, Corey can be so trying at times. I love him so much, but he is so much fussier then Kayley. It is hard sometimes, especially when I am by myself. And, there he goes again!

Well, I better go!

Valerie

[AndreaR]

Heather - thanks for the advice on self-calming. Did they ever take longer than 5 minutes to stop fussing? Do they ever cry hard? I can tell when Izzy is just crying because she needs to fall asleep, but sometimes it turns into real crying that I'm afraid won't stop. How long do I leave her crying? I hate to listen to it, and like I said, it seems like she will never stop on her own.

[vthompson]

Andrea R - Corey is one of those babies that cries almost every night before he goes to sleep. Kayley has to self sooth once in awhile. I usually let them cry it out for 2-5 minutes. Usually, they stop just as I am about to go check on them. They will stop and then a few minutes later, the same thing. Eventually, they fall asleep. You know your babies' cries better then anyone else. If it sounds as though they really need something, then go with your instinct. My babies have a different cry when they are hungry so I will go get them when I hear that cry.

Valerie

[Daniele'sTwins]

Andrea...Yay! I will totally meet you at Providence Place. Where abouts does your family live?

Saline Drops...I have used them when my babies get congested and it works wonderfully!

Belly Sleeping...I know I said in just a few posts ago how I would not put the babies on their bellies to sleep BUT guess what I did last night!! I did and Luca slept almost 6 hours!!! I know they say not to but I am right next to their crib and any noise I jump right up. I dressed them really warm and did not put any blankets on them. I think i may try it again tonight but not until I am up in the room with them.

[AndreaR]

quick question - is anyone else still bleeding since delivery? it's been about 8 1/2 weeks, and i'm still spotting a little every day. just enough for a panty liner. it's brown, not red. should i call my OB?

[Daniele'sTwins]

Andrea...I am not still bleeding. Is it heavy? Maybe you should call your doc. They can probably answer that over the phone. I know some people do bleed a lot longer than others and I think you bleed longer if you are breastfeeding.

[swineland]

Hi everyone...

Well, today it is I who is having the mental breakdown. I just cannot for the life of me figure out how 2 chunky babies that are 9 weeks old can only eat 1 1/2-3 ounces during the night. They are up every hour forty-five to three hours to eat and I am TOTALLY at my wits end. I have no idea how to get them to eat more....I know they are not sleeping longer b/c they are hungry and it wakes them up. If I let them cry, it only gets louder. During the daytime hours they will eat upwards of 5 ounces (usually 4 though) and they take lots of naps. But at night.....it's just ridiculous. I must've fed them 4 times overnight.....they get frantic, sucking on hands, crying, etc. Then I feed them, they get that initial flood of formula which I guess makes them feel satisfied and sleepy and then they don't finish. I've tried the middle-of-the-feeding diaper change, tickling their feet, blowing on them, a cold washcloth to rouse them, clapping.....NOTHING works when they are asleep..... So, I put them back in their cribs, they sleep for 2 hours and we do it all over again. I know some of you are experiencing longer sleep periods with your babies and I am totally envious. This morning after only one hour and 45 mins had gone by since the last feeding and they both woke up again, I just cried and cried. I must've cried for an hour straight......I told them "you gotta give mommy a break here guys". They are so sweet and precious and I love them so much, but I"m just TOTALLY mommied out. Not really even the diaper changes, don't mind those. Or the baths or the holding/rocking. It's the FEEDINGS and the constant formula-making that I am OVER. If I make one more bottle, more importantly, if I throw out more unfinished formula, I'm going to scream!

Sorry about the rant, guys. Obviously, I know you all will understand. Is there anyone out there who is having this problem at night??? Babies not eating enough to get them past more than 2 hours? It's like they're newborns again......ridiculous.

Help!
Steph

[LucasMom]

Steph--here is my suggestion, and please disregard if you already did this. It takes some time and dilligence, but at night, around 8:30 as soon as the boys start to get fussy, we take them to a dark room with an 8 OZ bottle and settle in for a feed. Now, they during the day only usually take 5 oz. or so, never more than 6, but at night, even if it takes an hour to feed them, they get 7-8 oz. each. They fall asleep, but continue sucking in their sleep sometimes, and we just make sure to burp them, but they usually finish this bottle. Even if you feed them preemptively before they start to fuss sleepwise at night, just get a BIG feeding in at night, as much as they will take. We started upping the night feed, and the boys both usually go from 9-9:30 until 4:30-5:30, eat again 3-4 oz. and back to sleep until 7:00-7:30. They need to store up that night feed though. I am sure you have tried this, but you have been worried from the beginning about how much they are eating, so just stick with it for that "last" feeding and let them run wiith it.

How big are they now, BTW?

Sorry you are having a rough day. I've been there completely. Vent away, my friend.

Love,
Mindy

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hi Steph...Ok...the belly sleeping thing did not help me much last night...UGH. They were up every 2 1/2 hours each to eat and same thing! I give them a bottle of 6 oz before bed like mindy said but I dont think they will take 7-8ozs but I am going to give it a try tonight.

I HEAR YOU on the constant getting up for just 2 ozs!

[2Potato]

Tricia - madeline sleeps on me almost every night. she starts out in their crib, but she ends up crying after about an hour. i lay on my back, and she lays on her stomach. she is a total stomach sleeper, but i'm not comfortable letting her do that in the crib at night. i think we are creating a monster in letter her sleep on me (or DH), but i don't care - i just want her to sleep!!

Hi! Glad to know someone else's babies are stomach sleepers and sleeping on them. Both of ours do it most nights, although it seems sometimes I can get them to sleep in the crib for a few hours. BLISS! But, I am like you, I just want them to sleep! When my older son was born in 92 the "rule" was to put babies on their sides or tummies, and he is 14 now, so I figure the twins will be just fine sleeping on their tummies. Unless they are being held or staring at their mobile, they totally will NOT sleep on their backs. I hope yours are sleeping better - lol. Some day, nights will be normal again.

[2Potato]

Tricia: My husband is an identical twin and his mom painted his toenail so she could tell them apart. We tease him about it b/c she painted it pink! The site is great for support, ideas and just being able to communicate with people who understand what you are going through!

I understand limited time - it's been over a week since I've been able to check in. Lol about the pink! We painted Dylan's toenail blue at first, but then it looked like he had stumped his toe and people kept saying "oh no, what happened?" so now it's a nice bright red....I'm sure he'll be teased when he's older!!!!!

My recipe idea is get a crock pot and a crock pot recipe book. It's been a godsend, plus it keeps the food warm because you never know when you will be able to eat!

[vthompson]

Does anyone feel like the house "chores" are never ending! I swear, just when I get caught up, it starts all over again! UGH!!

Anyways, Steph, I am sorry you are having such a rough day/night!! I can't imagine how exhausted you must be. Hopefully, Mindy's plan works. I may try that, too.

AndreaR - I am not bleeding anymore. I think I would call your ob just to make sure it is ok.

So, we tried to put the babies in their cribs last night with no carrier...did not go well!! They were quiet for a little while and then screamed their heads off. This went on for 2 hours. Finally, we put them back in their carriers so we could get some sleep. We will try again tonight. Hopefully, they will get used to it eventually!

Gotta, go, guess who is crying........COREY!! Gotta love him!

Valerie

[2Potato]

[QUOTE=swineland]Hi everyone...

Well, today it is I who is having the mental breakdown. I just cannot for the life of me figure out how 2 chunky babies that are 9 weeks old can only eat 1 1/2-3 ounces during the night. They are up every hour forty-five to three hours to eat and I am TOTALLY at my wits end. I have no idea how to get them to eat more....I know they are not sleeping longer b/c they are hungry and it wakes them up. If I let them cry, it only gets louder.

Hi. I've had days like that. I think I only got about an hour of interupted sleep last night . Dylan has thrush in his mouth from my yeast infection (yeast loves the lactose in milk too I have found out) and he couldn't get enough to eat at each feeding because he's sore, so he pretty much cried all night. But, today he's sleeping and he has medicine now, so hopefully it will start to get better.

Unfortunately, although I totally understand getting no sleep, my boys are pigs. Daddy gives one of them a bottle 1-2 times a night so I get a rest and I breastfeed the other - otherwise, I was never sleeping. They are taking 2-4 ounces in the bottles a night (either breastmilk or formula if I have no time to pump which is often). So, I don't know how to help, I just wanted you to know today when you are going insane, that I too have had no sleep and I feel for you and with you!

[2Potato]

My boys also sleep on their bellies - there was no back sleeping for these two! Mostly they sleep on us though. ON their bellies of course.

Belly - I'm with ya. Mine looks nasty too. I didn't get too many stretch marks, but I have that "flab flap" too and I HATE it, alas, I'm told it will go away with work. I gained 49 lbs, was heavy before, but not too bad, lost 33 on delivery and have lost 37 now and I'm eating like crazy to breastfeed them both which apparently makes it hard to gain any weight and easier to lose. However, I can't wear ANYTHING I could wear before or at this weight because of the belly and hips. I hope I can find some things to wear back to work in Sept!!!! Yikes!!!!!

[2Potato]

My boys are 7 wks, 11 lbs and 12 lbs, and the poop comes out of the Pampers size 1 like crazy (they have runny breastmilk poop) because the legs aren't tight enough. We are trying Luvs today to see if it is better. We loved the pampers newborn, but I don't know. Any suggestions on diapers for this size?

My boys don't spend much time in their crib, can't wait to have them both up because they don't like to touch and they are really long. With them, and my older 14 yo son I used the bumper and had no issues. They also get a blanket tucked around them low (over legs) or I use those sleeper blanket things.

[sgarrett]

Steph: Have you tried giving the their bath before that nighttime feeding that Mindy mentioned? We are trying to start some type of routine where we bath them at about 7:30 to keep them awake long enough to eat a good bottle and go to sleep at a decent time. The few times we were organized enough to do it it worked.

Bleeding: Me too just enough for a panty liner, very irratating!

Babies crying gotta go!

Staci

[qbanmom5]

Steph: I like Mindy's idea. I am gonna try it too--mine do the same as yours do. I don;t think the AMA will encourage me on this, but get the stage 2 nipples or make the holes on yours bigger. It works for Leia but Luke doesn't like it coming out so fast. They will get more in the few minutes they suck. Let me know how it works! Ters

[qbanmom5]

Took the babies to get their shots. They screamed but have been sleeping ever since. Wish I had me some of those for nighttime.... just kidding. Luke is weighing 12 lbs 3 oz. THat is 7 more lbs than birth! Leia is 10 lb 14 oz. They are big chunkers! They are 2 months old today. I can't believe how fast they are growing.

It is hard gals, but enjoy it. Take lots of pictures and write everything down. Time flies and you think you will never forget anything but you do.. \

Love you all, Ters

[swineland]

Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and advice. Ters, I have already done the nipple switch to stage "2".....I thought I was the only one with that crazy idea :) I only do it during the nighttime feedings and when I feel they really need more than an ounce. It does come out fast, but you're right, they get a bit more before they fall asleep. Mindy, I can't even imagine my boys eating 8 oz.s.....what a dream THAT would be! We struggle to get them to eat 2...let alone 8. Of course, this afternoon when I fed them at 4pm, Bailey ate 6.5 ozs! First time ever! His brother had 4.5 ozs and then spit up everywhere....go figure. And Staci, I do like to do the baths before they go to bed, but we still do it where I am supposed to sleep from 7pm-10:30pm and then DH gives them back to me after that. Unfortunately, I hardly ever am in a position to do the baths by myself anytime before 7......always doing something else. I guess I need to make that more of a priority.

So, does everyone consider "bedtime" to be earlier, like 7-8? or later, like 10-11?? I am so confused as to when to put them to bed. Plus, after they eat at 7pm, they always fall asleep until the next feeding. Are we supposed to be keeping them awake for 3 hours???

Thanks again everyone..... :) Love you all....
Steph
and Ters, you are right.....it goes by SO fast. Glad to hear your babies are growing well and survived the shots!

[megzmom]

work-okay horrible 1st 2 days at work. Most of you know I a school teacher and the MAN principle moved my class this summer to a portable that just was ready yesterday and still has no computers or phones which means students cant occupy until phone are connected for safety reasons and students start this monday. I am a pack rat and have soooooooooooooo many boxes with NO storage anymore. Thought I lost my keys and looked everywhere and the office was already closed so had to call the secretary to come open the office meanwhile its HOT here. Guess what - yes found them in my room!!!! ugh I didnt get home until 7 and too much housework. Didnt eat dinner until after the babies baths. Still trying to keep special night ritual with dd. Poor thing-mommy guilt!!!

okay venting over...

Andrea-the crying doesnt last too long anymore and yes sometimes I let them cry for more than 5 min but every min or so I go in a pat their backs which helps then when I think they just catch themselves really dozing they get startled and cry??? Like tonight. Every 5 min or so Ben cried but I didnt pick him up. Only the first 10 min I went in every so often and patted his back then didnt go back. It wasnt a big cry tonight. But sometimes they are. I agree with Valerie, youknow your baby better than anyone. Sometimes I know something is up and sure enough spit up is in their nose. But after getting really mad I put them right back in. I usually never talk to them or turn on any lights (except in the closet and only slightly crack the door)

2 potato- back sleeper babies here too. They CANT sleep on backs at all and they only sleep in their cribs luckily lately they are skipping one feeding in the night which is such a blessing!'

Crockpot-Definately get one and on the weekend or when DH is there for a few hours... cook 3 meals at a time (get 2 crockpots) then refrigerate and have the meals ready for at least a few nights. I usually cook way too much and have left over lunches too. It has been a life saver!!!!!!

STEPH - my buddy, I am so sorry about the boys not eating well. Ben does that alot. As you know, I give the boys a bath EVERY night. I feed them a regular feeding4-5 oz and then bath them. THey cry bc they are cold afterward. After being bundled up in a sleeper I lay them on my bed where they are calm. They stare at the ceiling fan/light for a few while I do "exercises" with them and try to keep them alert. So about 30-40 min has passed. I then try to feed them another 2-3 oz. By now they are really tired but fighting it so I put them in the swing (ocean one) and they get really cranky. I give them enough cranky time (wash their bottles) then pick them up and rock thend off to BED! I know you have tried everything. I am sooo sorry. Dont loose hope though.


Nannies- how are you ladies adjusting to having nannies? Are they there with you or are you at work? Id think it would be so hard to have another person helping you ... it is for me with my MIL sometimes.

okay ...wrote a book today see what happens when I miss a few days.

PS Yes housework never ends. Dishes, laundry, spit up ...OH MY!!!! Luckily my MIL is helping with washing the boys clothes and towels which is helping ALOT.

[Daniele'sTwins]

well, I just tried to give them 8ozs but Luca took 5.5 and Nico only took 4!! They take 5-6oz during the day usually so this plan really backfired...lol

I also have them on their backs again tonight. They did not sleep much better last night and I hardly sleep when they are on their bellies because I am so scared.

As for the diapers...My boys are 12 lbs a piece and I really love the pampers SWADDLERS size 1/2. Not every store sells them. Target has them. They are not the size 1 or the size 2 but 1-2.

Steph... I have been putting my kids to bed around 10 ish. At around 7 they have a bottle then I bathe them, dance around with them (they love it) OR play a Baby einstein DVD (LOVE IT TOO) and then read a book etc. I try to keep them up for as much of those three hours as possible and then feed and put to bed sleepy. However MY kids are not sleeping through the night so maybe we should ask someone whose kids are...lol

I do not have a nanny. My mom does help me though. One thing I DO have that I find sooo worth it is a house keeper. She comes on Friday so I leave and go to my moms with the boys while she is here for 5 hours and I come home ot a clean house. I pay her $70. I used to have her every other week when I was pregnant and now I have her every week. I think it is soooo worth it, it takes away a lot of the stress! I hate to have a messy house and I am not able to keep it up as well as I used to.

I still have not heard anything on the ztgosity of the boys. I am so excited to find out.did anyone else do the test?

[megzmom]

Daniele-glad that you have your mom around alot. My mom still works fulltime and until last weekend had a foster boy that was 3. So she didnt come around very much. Seemed like someone always had a cold at her house. Plus my MIL was living with us so I think my mom felt 3 women hanging around all day was too much.

Zygosity-I had only one placenta so they told me it was identical but just to make sure I asked for them to do a pathology on the placenta. You may want to also call your OB and see if they did one as a standard procedure. That way is supposable 100%

work-Never got a call back from the other school. She emailed me and said shed call very soon that back to school is so hectic. I figured if she was in desperate need of a teacher I would have already started. So I am staying put at my school. I got to work on my room alot today. We have meet the teacher tonight. I feel so behind this year. Usually I am all set and everything is done. Now it looks like a tornado hit my room. Speaking of storms. First day of school we are expected to have rain/wind from T.S. Chris!!!! Yep and I am in a portable. Pray for only rain in the evening :)

okay off to bed...boys have stopped grunting from their feeding so I am safe:clap: :clap:

[Daniele'sTwins]

Megzmom...I cannot even imagine going back to school this year! I give you so much credit! I am also a teacher but I am taking this school year off. I met with a bunch of teachers this past weekend and they were all discusing school and I felt horrible about not going back this year but I also could not imagine all that work on top of these babies right now! I am supposed to get to my classroom to pick up all my things so the sub could set up the classroom for herself and I haven't even done that yet! I think I am going to try and go tomorrow. Today is way too hot and at least tomorrow it will be raining.

[Daniele'sTwins]

Oh yeah... I have 2 coupons for the enfamil AR or gentlease if anyone is interested just PM me your address. I would hate for them to go to waste.

[LucasMom]

:) OK, Let's discuss this further...

The babies will not automatically go to 8 oz., you have to gradually up the feedings. If they are taking 5 oz and finishing the bottle, they can do 6 with no problem. You can gradually up the a few ounces over a week or so. Also, establishing the time your kids want to go to bed, by reading their behavior. Logan and Dylan take a long nap from about 11-2 or so. They then stay awake until 6ish and take about an 30-45 minutes cap nap. This usually brings us to about 7 , when we play, run errands etc. We are back in the house in baby mode by 8:15-8:30 when they begin to show obvious signs of crankiness, hungrieness, so we bathe, and into the dark room we go. We feed them until they are done that bottle. If you have a vomiter, as both of my guys esp. Dylan are, burp often , as the throwing up may just be a sign that they are storing the formula as opposed to completely swallowing it. Add a little more formula each night, and drop the night feeds down in volume as they take more at night. If you want your kids in bed by 9- start them on that path. Lucas goes to sleep at 9 give or take 20 minutes, so we have all three kids asleep by 9:45, and they sleep until 4-5:30 take a small bottle and back to sleep. I know it's hard, but you can set the rules for this. Steph, try moving that evening nap earlier, and only trying 6 oz. at first. Even if it's at 8:00 at first, and they wake at 2, you can eventually move it back to 8:30-9, and they will fall into the routine. Please don't think I sound preachy. This is one thing I have been sucessful at with motherhood. Lucas to this day is an excellent sleeper, and still takes a three hour nap Sat and Sun.

Please let me know how it works, and it's not an overnight thing. Also, my boys sleep on their stomachs, and yes, I get worried, but they can hold their heads up, and with the reflux, I feel more comfortable with them that way. Docs all have different opinions on this, but I feel this is right for them, and you need to do whats right for you. I figure 10 years ago, they said to eat all carbs and fat was the enemy...and look where that got the world!:rotflmbo:

Love you all. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Even if you don't get them to sleep through the night right now, statistics show that many babies begin going longer stretches at 12 weeks.

MAKE THOSE BABIES EAT!!!

Love, Mindy

[sgarrett]

Steph: Bedtime: We start trying to get them to sleep at about 9:30 and they usually are asleep between 10:30 and 11:00. Last night Isabelle slept from 10:30 till 4:45, Aiden was still up every 3 hours.

Nanny: I am on day two with my Nanny, so far so good. It is hard to sit back and let someone else take care of the babies ecspecially when they are fussy. I go back to work the 8th and we had her start early so I could get to know her better. I will still work out of the house at least 3 days a week.

Isabelle stills chokes about alot when eating. Her spit up comes out of her nose sometimes too - GROSS! The choking scares the crap out of me!

Sherry: Miss you girl, I hope all is well.

Crock Pot: I bought a new bigger one last week, I have not used it yet. I have been searching for quick recipies on the net epicurious.com and foodnetwork.com are great sites.

I go back to the doc today for my 6 week check up. I should get the OK for SEX, I wonder if the doc can tell I did not wait for his OK? hee hee :-)

Bye mommies!

[vthompson]

I swear I must be getting my first period soon because I have so much aggravation inside of me for the smallest things!! Well, last night at 5pm our power went out...it was 95 degrees here!! So, we went to stay at my brother in laws...talk about a pain in the butt! It did not come back on until 7am! Can you believe that!! Then, it went back out this afternoon for about 15 minutes. Again, it is 95 here. I feel like calling the electrical company and telling them off...I guess that is why I think I am pmsing!!

Ok, just wanted to vent...oh BTW, my mom, who I love dearly, can be so overbearing sometimes! She called me last night all upset because I did not call her to tell her we were sleeping at my BIL. I am 28 freaking years old with my own family! Why do I need to call her to tell her we are sleeping somewhere else? I feel really bad for feeling this way because I know she worries, but sometimes, it is overwhelming!! Ok, I really am done venting now!

I really wanted to respond to everyone, but babies are asking for food. Gotta go!

Valerie

p.s. Don't be surprised if the power goes out again tonight that you see me on the news for blowing up the electrical company (hee, hee!!)

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hey everyone!

Valerie and Lisa you two are not have a good day. I would hate to pack up all my things and take these babies anywhere right now. And Lisa I don't know what to tell you about napping. I dont think I am a good person to ask because I do not pay too much attention to their sleeping during the day. I know they nap here and there on occasion but only in the papasan swing...they really LOVE it!. At night it is still every 3 hours for both my boys sometimes 4 if I am lucky.

Last night i gave Luca 5.5 ozs and then another 3 before bed and he still only gave me about 4 hours. Right now they are in their swing loving it as usual.

We went for our first pictures at the mall today. I spent soooo much money and I dont feel like I got many pics to prove it...lol.

For some reason I cannot see any of your signatures/pictures on my computer. It is so weird.

Also...is anyone taking Ortho Tri-cyclen Lo? My doctor gave me 3 sample packs...unopened but I decided not to take them. I will mail them to whoever wants them just PM me.

[qbanmom5]

Oh Lisa: I wish I could go over there and help you out. Of course if I did that I would have to take all 5 of my kids and we'd both need help! I have 5 kids and I still feel like I don't know what I am doing. My kids are NOT good sleepers at all. In addition to Luke being up every 2 hours in the middle of the night, they don't nap well during the day. And, like you, when I get one down, the other is getting up and I have nooooo time. By the way, I can't take birth control pills either becuase I become a B#$%ch!! Also, when I was on meds for post-partum depression in the past (Prozac & Wellbutrin- separately but loved them both) I was told I SHOULD NOT take oral contraceptives because they do affect your hormones/emotions, etc. I would definitely look into the ring or maybe an IUD? I have had the depo shot and although I bled for 6 months it didn't affect me emotionally. I am getting my tubes tied next week so luckily I don't have to do any of that but good luck!

I think I am getting my period today. Thought I saw something when I wiped but not so sure....

Mindy: Thanks for your advice. You seem so well centered. I have chaos going on over here. i don't know whos napped or eaten or pooped. I am soo o exhausted. I should write this down so I can see their pattern like you said but it is soo hard. THey seem to never sleep longer than 45 minutes--and not at the same time, ugh!

Sherry: I am sure at this moment you have a gorgeous baby on each boob, but write us when you can. We miss you!

My kids both can push up and turn their heads but I am still afraid to let them sleep on their tummys all night. Need more positive affirmations...

I got some Stater Bros. (market) generic soy formula. I read the label and it has the same ingredients as Isomil Advance--even the dha and ara or whatever. For a 2 lb can its $17.00 vs. $22.00 for Isomil (smaller can) plus they were buy one get one free so I bought 6. So far no problems....

Gotta go, will chat more later.. Ters

[vthompson]

UGGHHH...between these damn power outages and my mother and these VERY fussy babies, I am LOOSING MY MIND!!!!!!!!!!! And, to top it all off, I am here by myself this evening. I love Corey so much, but he is such an unhappy baby. Sometimes, I wonder what I am doing wrong because he is so fussy. When he is in a good mood, he is in a really good mood smiling away...on the other hand, when he is crabby, he is SO crabby!! Then, Kayley, who is usually happy as can be, is so fussy today. We tried giving her full strength formula again, and I still think she is not ready so I reduced her back down to 3/4 today. She is crying through bottles and is irritable. Then, the stupid power has gone out twice since I last wrote. I understand it is hot and everyone is running their air, but couldn't the electrical company prepare for this!! Then, my mother is out of control! She has called here 8 times today! YES, 8 TIMES!! All to ask if my power is on and if I need anything and to offer for us to come over her house. Again, I know she means well, but she is driving me insane. My dad is a chain smoker and he smokes in the house. Therefore, I refuse to bring the babies over there. It is not anything that we have talked openly about, but it is implied, so why she keeps offering for us to come over, I don't know! She just called here and asked what was wrong and why I was crabby. She is so easily offended, that I could never really tell her she is driving me crazy because then I just feel guilty and it is not worth it. I told her I am just irritable, so I was short on the phone. She hangs up acting like she is annoyed with me...agghhh!!

I am so sorry to vent! I feel bad about all the mom stuff because I am lucky to have her and I love her so much. However, I feel like she still treats me like a child. She actually called me on Monday because I had a dentist appt and she wanted to make sure I was ok...I think that may have been what set me off. I realize that she cares about all of us, but it is just too much sometimes!!

Lisa - I feel your pain!! My babies do not really nap either. At least yours sleep in their cribs, mine still cry bloody murder when they are laid flat in their cribs...in case no one noticed, this is really bothering me!! :) I just want to get rid of these darn carriers at night!

Wow, I just really shouldn't be trying to give anyone else advice at the moment. I am being a real bi***. Sorry!!

Valerie

[Daniele'sTwins]

For those of you who live in Ohio or close by the anual Twins Day Festival is August 4,5,6th. I think I would take the boys if I lived close. I guess it is the first week of August every year. Maybe next year we can all plan on going and meet each other there! The kids will all be a year old...that would be so cute!

http://www.twinsdays.org/

By the way I got the results of the zygosity test...my boys ARE identical...too cool!

[AndreaR]

wow - i missed one day on the board and i feel like it's been a year. hopefully i'll be able to finish before anyone wakes up from her nap.

heather - good luck with the first day of school. i am very impressed that you are able to get back "in business" so quickly. i feel like it's impossible to get out to a doctor's appoimtment. what are you doing with the babies during school? i can't remember how old your older daughter is - is she going back to school, too? good luck w/ everything!

lisa - sorry you were having a bad day yesterday. i hope you are feeling better today. it stinks that the medicine is making you sick. that's the last thing you need. when do you take it? i found that if i took the pill (and other medicine) before i went to bed, i didn't get as sick to my stomach. of course, those were the days when i slept for 8 hours straight. getting up during the night is probably going to make a difference. you poor thing... keep your chin up - you really are a great mother. if you weren't you wouldn't be on this board, and you wouldn't be trying all of the things you are doing to improve your situation. regarding the sleeping...i'm not sure i have any answers, but you did ask if you should feed them more. one of the books that i'm reading says that food has nothing to do with sleeping. sleeping is a brain thing, not a stomach thing.

izzy is waking up - gotta go - i'll be back (i hope).

lisa, let me know if you want to talk. i can give you a call later. we can talk more about the sleeping issues.

AndreaR

[AndreaR]

daniele - i sent you a pm!

[swineland]

Things quickly going to hell over here. I think it's the soy. Both babies are having a terrible time getting a poo out and they turn red, scream and strain. Plus, they are still a bit fussy anyway and still spit up from time to time.

Has anyone tried the Nestle GoodStart Supreme w/DHA/ARA ?? Ters, I think you may have mentioned it. I think I am going to go get some today.....

I've noticed since being on the soy that they hardly ever finish a bottle (taste?) and they can't poop. When they do poop, it's like a big glob...hard and sticky. It looks like it would hurt a baby to push it out.

We were up every 2 1/2 to 3 hours last night......ugh, another day of little sleep.

Write later...
Steph

[vthompson]

Well, I am definitely pmsing...I got my first period at around 1am! That explains alot about my recent pyscotic episodes!!

Soy - My ped told me that soy can cause constipation. Corey is currently on Isomil, and has been VERY fussy, even more then usual. We are supposed to give him a few more days of using it and if no improvement, he will be joining his sister on the Alimentum! Fun, fun, fun!!

Babies crying, gotta go!

Valerie

[swineland]

Val...

Welcome back to the world of Aunt Flo... :) Wasn't it nice to send her packin' for 10 months??

The experience we've had thus far with soy has not been pleasant. The boys are 10X fussier than usual, have a hard time napping and of course are constipated. I'd rather have blow-out diapers on my hands than see them screaming in pain b/c they can't have a good poo. Poor things.

So, I just gave them their first bottle of Nestle Goodstart Supreme...we'll see what happens. Encouragingly enough, Evan fell asleep and Bailey is happily in his swing...quite a switch from the past several days.

Gotta go unload groceries...talk soon.
Steph

[LucasMom]

Steph- I pm'd you..

[qbanmom5]

Steph: We tried the good start but Luke didn't like the taste so I stopped. Also, I don't know if its because it is easier to digest but they were grubbing like every hour. The Isomil is giving everyone here constipation for sure. I have been giving an ounce or two of prune juice every other day. I thought it was the iron, didn't realize its the soy doing it. Mine are also drinking less which is o.k with me since Luke is already 12 lbs 3 oz and I can barely carry him. I can't even use the carrier anymore cause it kills my shoulders and back.

Val: I think my period was a false alarm. Nothing yet, but I know its coming soon.

Daniele: How awesome that your babies are identical!

Are yours identical too Steph? They look the same to me! Both beautiful. How do you guys tell them apart?

Gotta run, Ters

[AndreaR]

Valerie - sorry to hear about getting your period - that stinks. I hope I never get my period AGAIN EVER! Has the heat broken at all for you? Today is the third day in the 90's for us. Our house is relatively cool with a/c, so we're just staying put.

I feel housebound BAD. I just want to be away from my babies and all their demands. I don't feel real strongly about it, and I don't feel like I don't want to be near them, I just keep thinking, "man, wouldn't it be great to have a whole day to do just stuff for me?". I have the cutest girls in the world (sorry - they are), who are generally easy, and I have an au pair for crying out loud. What am I complaining about? But....I still feel that way. I guess it's the sleep deprivation. I'm now reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" - has anyone else read it? It's very long!! I just want the quick answers - so American, aren't I? But who has time to read? If I can sneak in a page or two when Isabelle is nursing, that's it! I guess I could be reading now....but I'd rather chat w/ you all. And one last thing about reading, I feel like all day long I say, "but the book says to do this......the book says to do that". I feel like one of those mothers that people make fun of! I have used some of the information in the self-calming book, and I do see a positive difference.

Constipation - Madeline has a little problem. She poos about every 2 or 3 days. It actually seems to be a little better the past two days, but I don't know if it's a fluke. She drinks mostly formula, maybe a bottle of breastmilk once a day. We've given her two straight days of breastmilk, though, and it didnt' seem to make a difference. Her poop is really dense, and she has a hard time going. She's always really fussy for the hour or two before she goes, and then she's like a differnt kid after - so happy. I'm going to ask the pedi about it tomorrow. We go for their two month checkups. SHOTS! Yikes! Although it sounds like some of your babies did okay with their shots.

I think it's awesome that you have identical twins, Daniele. Are anyone else's identical? I ahve the same question as Ters, how do you tell them apart? Is it hard? Izzy and Maddie could not look more different.

Well, I'm wearing Isabelle in the Baby Bjorn and she's out like a light, so I'm going to put her in her crib so she can get some good sleep (without me banging on the keyboard in her face).

Sorry for the negavity - had to get it off my chest.

AndreaR

[swineland]

Hi everyone..

Yes, my boys are identical. We did IVF and the embryo split after transfer. We can pretty much tell them apart these days just by looking at them, but to be sure, we have one of Bailey's toenails painted. Sometimes we just take it day by day, meaning if one of them has scratched their cheek or something like that, we know that until the scratch is gone we can use it as an identifying mark, since they don't have moles, birthmarks, etc.

Very cool, Danielle, about Nico and Luca being idents as well.....welcome to the club!

Steph

[LucasMom]

Hey,

Logan and Dylan are also identical, and luckily Logan is still a bit heavier. Also, their head shapes are different, Logan rounder, Dylan longer and their eyes appear different to me, Dylan more slanted like mine and Logan, rounded like DH. Of course, no one but me and my best friend can tell who is who. Dh calls them "the blue one" or "the striped one" or things like that, depending on what they are wearing. I usually dress Logan in light colors and Dylan in dark colors, so L for Logan and D for Dylan, so my family won't kepp asking me "who am I holding?" !!!

Mindy

[qbanmom5]

Oh yeah Mindy! I forgot that yours are soooo identical. And they look just like you. Too cute. Now that I know about the light and dark thing I can tell whos who in your pictures. Very clever! Ters

[Daniele'sTwins]

WEll, it is 3:15 am and I just fed Luca. I really should be going ot sleep myself but I just wanted to make a quick post.

Andrea... I also at time feel housebound and that scares me a little bit because I will not be going back to work this year and the winter months are just around the corner. I was actually just talking about that with my cousin Lisa who lives in Norwood. She had a baby (just one...lol) On June 22 and she is also taking the time out of work. We are planning on meeting Sunday and discussing a day of the week that is good for the both of us and we are going to alternate back and forth with playdates. MAybe you and I caould get together as well.

As for the book Healthy sleep habit, Happy Baby...that is the book I was telling you all about months ago. I never finished reading it, it is so long and technical, maybe I will pick it up again now but I heard sooo many good things about it!

As for the boys being identical I am right there with Mindy. I almost feel like it is a hoax because to me the boys dont look alike. Luca's head is rounder and their eyes look different to me etc. Maybe it is just because I am the mom though, everyone else says how identical they look. Also, Luca has a birthmark on his left leg and Nico doesn't.

Well, I am all packed and ready to go in the morning. I am taking the boys to the Mall again with my friend. I gotta get out!

[LucasMom]

So how did everyone sleep last night?

:xfingers:


Here's hoping for a little sleep for the mommies?

Mindy

[vthompson]

Housebound - I feel all of you!! I, too, keep thinking about the winter months and how terrible it is going to be...I am sure I won't want to take the babies out in the snow and the cold!

Identicals - Congrats on all the identicals!! I give all you ladies credit being able to tell them apart!! The light and dark clothes idea is a cute one!!

Just wanted to check in real quick! These darn babies will not go to sleep right now and I am SO tired!!

Valerie

[swineland]

Well.....

Before I tell you that last night wasn't our "miracle" night, I want to say that I am doing fine and hopeful that things will get better. Not feeling "at the end of my rope" today as I do sometimes....I just have to take a deep breath and realize that, for the most part, my babies are pretty good. If I'm up every 2-3 hours right now, it's just going to have to do. Like Felisha said, Just Do It. (That would be a cool slogan for a sportswear company) :)

We gave them their baths last night at 6:30-7pm and then fed them an add'l 3 ounces before bed at 8:15. The problem is that THEY WILL NOT EAT. The bottles are functioning properly, the milk is not too hot or too cold, the babies are definitely hungry when we attempt to feed, but I'll be damned if each and every time we go to feed them they only eat 2-3 ounces and then stop. Last night, we were up every 2- 2 1/2 hours to eat b/c the previous feed was only an ounce here or an ounce and a half there. I've thrown out SO much formula it makes me sick. The pediatrician is definitely going to get an earfull about this on Wednesday....I hope he has some answers. Could it be that my boys are just truly HAPPY with 1 ounce?? I just can't believe that.....considering 2 hours later they are ravenous. It's all I can do to get them to finish a bottle. Could they have nipple confusion between pacifier and bottle? I've noticed sometimes that when they DO suck on the bottle, it's not a "I'm drinking now" suck, it's a quick "pacifier" suck.

Anyway, another sleepless night. But hey, I think that's still the case for many of us. I hate to paint such a bad picture, it's really just par for the course I guess. It's just that when I get SO overtired and sleep deprived, everything seems worse than it maybe is.

Mindy, thanks girl for the PM's.....you're the best and I really really appreciate all of your advice. :)

How was everyone else's evening??

Steph
p.s. oh yeah, my blow up bed in the nursery has a hole in it....:( I basically slept on the floor. Yeah, poor me..... Here's a quarter, right? haha

[swineland]

P.S.S. where's Monica/Victor?? And Sherry, we know where you are....but thinking about you and hoping all is well!

[Jillmami]

Steph,

My babies used to get up every 2-2 1/2 hours for the longest time. Just in the past week they have begun to sleep a 5 hour stretch and a 3-3 1/2 hour stretch at night. Even though Noah is up to 10 pounds, he still doesn't eat large amounts as other babies here do. His issue is suck/swallow/breathe coordination (or lack thereof.) His tongue is all over the place (disorganized our lactation consultant calls it) which wears him out. As he gets better with that, he is able to eat a bit more each time and sleep better. We actually do 'suck therapy' since my son sucks at sucking. :crazy: That is where I tape a small tube to my finger that is attached to a bottle of milk. He freaked out the first time we tried it but is getting better. It's a feeding tube system that is helping. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Hang in there!! It will get better. I definitely know how you feel though. For a while, I thought I was going to go crazy at nights.

[swineland]

Thank you, Jill, for the post! I am very intrigued by the feeding tube idea. I actually came across a website for how to feed your baby without the use of bottles...they mention the tube that you are using, as well as cup feeding (I believe Sherry said they do that over in Europe too), syringe feeding, etc. I just wish they would latch on! They've been really good eaters from the start, but it's lately, the last month or so that we've been having this problem. Evan has a terrible time with the suck-swallow-breathe thing and I am going to mention this to the ped on Weds. He will be drinking and you can hear the gulping, the formula going down into his tummy, wierd noises.....it just sounds terrible. Then, his eyes will get big and his eyebrows will raise, head will go back and that's my sign he's gagging. Bailey does much better once he does latch on....usually no gagging problems with him.

WEll, I just got back from my GYN appt. I had an abnormal PAP during the pregnancy, so today I had a colposcopy and another PAP. He saw one area of concern, so he did a biopsy of part of my cervix (OUCH!!) and then that was it. Of course, they gave me a big pad to wear on the way out....I thought I was DONE with those!!!!

Hope everyone is doing good today.... :)

Steph
p.s. great news, my mom decided to quit her part-time job and she is going to drive up here every week, Tues-Fri, and help me with the babies!! It's a 3 hour drive and she says she's up for it.....it will just be me and DH on the weekends, which is good. I can't wait....an extra set of hands around here will be much appreciated!!

[vthompson]

Steph - That is great about your mom!! An extra pair of hands can do wonders! I had an abnormal pap a few years ago and had to have some cells removed. I opted to be put to sleep for that procedure after experiencing the colposcopy. The colposcopy hurt like hell!! I had 2 of them. During the first one I almost fainted from the pain! I give you credit for just writing ouch!! You must have a larger pain tolerance them me. I am sorry that you are having such a frustrating time with the boys! Hopefully, the ped will be able to offer some insights.

DH was home this afternoon and I actually took a nap in our bed while he stayed downstairs with the babies. He made me go, I was so crabby I think he just wanted me to leave everyone alone (lol). I feel better now! Gotta run!!

Valerie

[naturalmom]

Hey everyone....I was wondering if I could join you from time to time? I popped in here a couple of times while preg, but mainly stuck with the July expecting since I was actually due July 4, but had the twins June 13th at 37 weeks. The July board is a ghosttown and I think I have babies closer in age to some of you anyway. Some days I need to hear that others are going through the same things as me-some wonderful and some not so great. Anyway....

I have b/g twins, Jude and Ava that are 7 1/2 weeks. Things are going really well overall, but I also have 2 toddlers, so some days are certainly difficult. We are exclusively BF, and although I have alot of BF experience with my first two and really do love it, it is alot harder BF two. Anyone else here BF? How is it going for you?

Are you guys getting out of the house much? I get out occasionally, but feel alittle closed off from the world lately, esp with this heat.....anyone travel overnight with the babies yet? Next weekend, we are going to my DH's family reunion and it will be an overnight thing-very nervous about the sleeping arrangements for all of us. We have a routine at home, sorta.

[Daniele'sTwins]

First of all steph...I hope all goes well with your results. That sucks! BUT great news on your mom that is amazing news. My mother helps me too but she only lives about 20 mins away.

Last night was again not too great but it has been worse...both boys wake up every three hours if not less and I put them on their bellies again because I know they like that better BUT I don't sleep AT ALL because I am so worried about them. They both move all around the crib when they are on their bellies and I am so scared that someones face will get pushed against the others leg or something!

I went to the mall today with my friend Lisa and let me tell you I think it was twin day or something!!! There were twins all over the place! I couldmn't believe it!

I finally can see all of your pictures! Boy these babies are beautiful!!! Boy are we blesssed! It is so cute how some of the babies look just like the momies! Valerie if your little girl is not a mini you...lol

as for my belly...everyone keeps telling me that I "look great" but I haven't lost any weight since 2 weeks after the babies were born. I gained 43 lbs when I was pregnant and I have only lost 35 lbs. I really hate my belly sometimes I think it gets bigger looking! UGH

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hi Melinda...welcome to the board. 2 boys and two girls...my dream. I can totally understand you not wanting to mess up a scheduale now. I would hate to have to do that myself. How far away is the reunion and where will you be staying, hotel, families house???

[LucasMom]

So, on a different, slightly depressing yet totally unrelated subject...

At my followup appt., my doctor noticed that my left nipple had become inverted. It never has been before, and I was not BFing, so he told me to keep an eye on it for two weeks and see if it came back out again. Long story short, I have a long history of Breast cancer in my family, and we did an ultrasound of the left breast ( too young for a mammogram to be conclusive), and it showed not a "mass" but what could be a lump behind the nipple. There is a type of breast cancer that presents this way, the lump pulling the nipple inward. Anyway, he called today and had me set up an appointment with a breast surgeon who specializes in this stuff. They are going to biopsy it. I am sure it is nothing, as so I am only telling you, my group of friends whom I never have met, because then I can keep telling myself that it's nothing.

Anyway, I'd like to say I am not a bit worried, and all that stuff, but I am jewish, so worrying is in the blood:rotflmbo: But to the outside world, I am not worried. To my internet friends, honestly, I am a little worried, even though I feel invincible!

Sorry to be whiny, I just needed to say it out loud to come to terms with what it possibly could be, but probably is not. Does that make sense?

Steph- I need to have a biopsy done too,same thing with the cells.

Danielle- I want ro see a normal sized pic of those cuties!!!
Good wishes with the sleeping tonight friends, it will get better soon.

Sorry if I sounded like a downer mommy tonight, just a little overwhelmed with the possibility right now. I am 29 years old...

:throb:
Mindy

[Daniele'sTwins]

Mindy..Ok, I have to be completely honest with you I cried while reading your post at first but I have stopped. Mindy I believe SO MUCH in the power of prayer! No matter what religion you are in my heart we are all praying to ONE GOD. When the doctors found what they thought was a brain aneurysm on me (same as my mom and two aunts) I prayed soooo hard and stayed positve. I had everyone pray for me. My friends that were Catholic, Jewish, Born Again, and Buddist all prayed ( I was not picky. A couple monyhs later we looked again and now they think it just might be a twisted blood vessel. So I am not going to cry Mindy, I know you will be alright, my prayers always work. A big thing right now is to stay positive.

I am going to try to post a bigger pic right now.

Love you all!

[Daniele'sTwins]

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=47767078/a=43272823_43272823/t_=43272823

OK, Here are some recent pics on Snapfish, see if it works. If you are not a member just sign up quick, it is free and then you can veiw.

[cbparker]

Mindy - you're in my thoughts, hang in there!

Ladies please be aware of your blood pressure! I went to the ER last week with an uncontrolled headache, was diagnosed with sleep deprivation (DUH!), and sent home with some strong drugs. When the headache didn't go away, I went to my family doctor who sent me straight to the hospital. After major blood work, I was diagnosed with pregnancy induced hypertension (eclampsia) post partum. I didn't know this, but you can get this up to one year after delivery. I was on magnesium for 24 hours which was not fun, and caused my heart rate to drop to 28 (just a little scare), and had to spend almost 3 days without my babies. Luckily I had family to take care of them. So, moral of the story...listen to your body and make sure you are taking care of yourselves! (The good news...I was overweight before I got pg, and gained 50 pounds with my pg, but when I left the hospital, I had lost 69 pounds since having the girls!)

Steph - we have used Good Start since the beginning, and other than the occasional spit up, love it.

Belly sleeping - call me an evil mother, but the girls sleep 10 times better on their bellies. At night, we put them on their bellies in their boppies and let them sleep that way. But, they have been able to lift their heads and turn them from side to side basically since birth. To each his own, you have to do what works for your kids.

Thanks for allowing me to crash your board! I love reading your posts and trying your suggestions! I can tell you are all doing a wonderful job, and your babies thank you!
Belinda

[swineland]

Mindy...
While I feel in my heart that everything is going to be JUST fine....it's definitely easier said than done to tell you not to worry. It's totally okay to be scared, it's a scary thing, and you don't have to pretend that it doesn't bother you. Anytime you need to share your *true* feelings, you know you can do so with us, even if you feel you need to "put on a happy face" to the rest of the world. We are here for you and will be supportive every step of the way. But for now, visualize that this is a non-issue, stay positive and focus on loving those 3 cute little boys of yours.... :)

The new bedtime routine is working out great. We're still getting up every 3 hours to eat, but at least we have them going to bed around 8-8:30 and they never cry.....they love the bath and the quiet nursery time with mommy and daddy.

More later...
xoxo
Steph

[AndreaR]

Mindy - what a frightening time for you. I'm glad you told us, so we can all pray for you. I agree with Daniele on the power of prayer. I'm also touched that you chose to tell us - see what a special place this is? You can tell us anything, and we will be here for you. I think it's wonderful that you feel "invincible" because that positive thinking is what is going to allow you to sail through this, whatever "this" is. Please keep us posted when you go to the surgeon. BIG, GIANT HUGS to you! :throb: :throb:
AndreaR

[LucasMom]

Thanks to all of you for your kind words. We are leaving to go to New York to see DH family and get a night out in the city to forget stuff for a minute. I appreciate that I can come here and feel like I can be open with you.

Steph- I am so glad your new routine is working out. Not only will it give you and DH some much needed quiet and alone time with them going to bed earlier, but you will have happier babies too. They really need the sleep even though they don't know it sometimes. Before you know it, they will be sleepig through the night.

Belinda- Sorry about the blood pressure. They said thats what I had the week after I came home, but mine was not that bad, I just gained 20 lbs in 2 days with fluid swelling, and headaches, but yours sounded terrible! Glad you are feeling better.

Steph- I still can't see those cuties!!

Melinda- welcome aboard! You are in a great place.

I'll write tomorrow night when I get back. After I wrote last night, I went out back on the deck and had a good cry to clear my head. I know in my heart that it will all be ok, no matter what. I have a wonderful husband and kids, and couldn't ask for better friends (you guys!). Thanks for everything!

Love,

Mindy

[naturalmom]

Thanks for the welcome!

Daniele-it is just 2 hrs away and we will stay at relative's house for 1 night. We may not get much sleep, but we will survive, I think.

Mindy-I am keeping you in my thoughts. I hope it is nothing as well.

Steph-I am jealous of your routine! We are getting there slowly.

Belinda-I answered you in July expecting-I am still on BP med for my pre-e. Hope to wean off soon-it is very frustrating, b/c normally my BP is on the low side and I am a healthy chick.

Belly sleeping-we are belly sleepers here too. I never could get my babies to back sleep comfortably. I tried for 8 weeks with my first. Once he started sleeping on his belly, he was a new baby. They do sleep in room with us at night when little.

[EBTwinz]

I only have time for a quick post.

Mindy: You are in my thoughts and prayers. I was crying by the time I got to the end of this page. I know in my heart you will be just fine. We are all here for you and you can call me anytime if you need to talk. I can PM you my info. Hang in there and think positive thoughts. You are such a strong woman!! :throb: :throb:

Val: I got your PM just now. It was nice chatting. I will be in touch soon. BTW, I decided to go home to my parents for a week in Grove City. I am leaving tomorrow. Let me know if you are able to go to the outlets one day.

AndreaR: I will be in touch w/ you soon, too. SOrry I haven't had a chance to call, yet. I have been running around like a mad woman. But, I would love to chat. :)

Steph: I am sure your health scare will turn out to be nothing, too. It sounds like a lot of people on here had the same thing. Please keep us updated (unless you already did and I missed it... sorry). I am keeping you in my prayers, too. And I am so glad you are getting some relief at night. As for the 3 hour club, I am in it too, so I don't have much advice. I have one that sleeps 7-8 hrs and the other is up every 3.

Melinda: Welcome, again. :) Glad to have you back.

Okay, sorry if I missed anyone. I need to go pack for my big week at home. It's unbelievable how much stuff you need to pack for these little guys. They get their own suitcase.

Talk to you all very soon. Love to all!

Lisa

[EBTwinz]

I am so ticked that I screwed up my slide show. I have tried many times to fix it and it won't let me delete it. ANyone know how to fix it??

Oh, Daniele: can you post the website again. I want to see pics of those gorgeous babies and I can't get on the site you posted. Also, I am soooooo glad you are back. I missed you!!!!

[christel]

Hi Ladies,

I'm Christel (31), new mom to frat girl twins, Mary Elizabeth (Emme) & Ruby. They were born April 27, but were due June 21. I was wondering if I can join you. I'm looking for some moms that have twins hitting the same milestones and dealing w/ the same issues.

My girls are 6 1/2 wks adjusted. Emme almost weighs 11 lbs and Ruby is 8 1/2 lbs. I'm BF and giving formula. Emme takes a 4 oz bottle most of the time, and up to 6oz some nights. Ruby takes 3-4 oz.

I am longing for them to sleep through the night, but understand that it may be a bit early for them. We can get a 4 hr. stretch pretty consistently.

I think those are the nitty gritty details :)

Thanks!
Christel

[vthompson]

Sorry, ladies, babies really fussy, only have time for a quick post...

Mindy - I really wanted to make sure that I posted to you. My heart sank when I read your post. Although I am sure that you will be just fine, I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers. It is perfectly normal to be scared in your situation. Do not apologize for that and always know that you can confide in us anytime. We love you and care for you!!

Welcome to the new mommies!! We are glad to have you!

Ok, babies really crying, gotta go!!

Lisa - I will pm you about this week...look for it in the next day or so!

Valerie

[megzmom]

Welcome new mommies. YOu will find th best of friends of here.
a
Steph- I cant believe how similar some of our stuff is. I had the same stuff. I actually had 3 surgeries but since dd (8yrs) I havent had any bad paps. I tried Good Start and took them off after a day. They were so cranky but it was also the day MIL came back after 2wks and kept them up all day. I have about 8 cans that I will try again later. We are also on Soy. Ben goes 2-3 days pooping and he does cry sometimes. Plus it really stinks!

identical- Mine are identical boys. They shared one placenta which was a horrible scare. Luckily Zack has a birthmark on the back of his leg. We also try to dress Ben in blueB=B In the beginning we had a small blue string around Bens leg. I cant tell them apart because Zack is so much chunkier.

Got my stinking period which has made for a horrible week. Feel like I am loosing my mind, crying all the time!

Work-Yes I am back at work. I hate my new room. They put me in a portable with NO storage and I am a pack rat. Which is good for a teacher because I have so many resources but doesnt hide well in a small portable. I also heard that I have been "labeled" high maintenence which on top of my period and stress of starting back has really hurt me. Cried alot today. Good news. I had so many parents request me and its on-ly my 3yr teaching. I have alot of really sweet students some from when I taught 2nd 2yrs ago. I teach 4th now so some have looped up with me :)

Fighting-pray for me. My mom and I are fighting again. We lay guilt trips on each other and dont talk for a week or so then we cry and are okay. She hasnt spent hardly ANY time with the boys and she only lives 10 min away. To her credit she had a foster boy who was a handful until last weekend and she also takes care of my grandma who is in a nursing home. And my MIL has been "slealing" here on Sat to help her decorate. She came by today and stormed out after 10 min because of my sarcasm. I tried to explain that between being a new mommy, starting work and starting my period I am very iritable but she just left. Okay sorry for the venting.

I know I forgot to respond to something but its 4 am and I am going to try and get back to sleep. My mind is racing with the start of school so I am barely sleeping and its not from the boys. They are sleepin pretty good at night. Tonight we put them to bed at 9 and they woke up at 2:30 and right back to bed. Cant complain.

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hi Everyone...

Megzmom...I am so sorry you are having such a hard time right now. I was also a second grade teacher and just got moved to a fourth grade for this year...HOWEVER, I am taking this year out of work. I CANNOT IMAGINE what you are going through right now with these babies and starting a new school year in a new grade in a damn portable! ALSO, I know how much I rely on my mother right now to help me out, she is my saving Grace and if she weren't around it would also hurt me terribly. So, basically I can totally understand what you are going through and I am glad you are able to vent to us. It will get better for you once you start your rountine with work again. Who will watch the boys when you are working?


Crystal...welcome, you will love it here.

My Pictures...I PROMISE within the next couple of days I am going to add some pics up there. I guess the website thing is not working...UGH I really want to do that slideshow thingy but when I tried to do it the other day it kept saying it was too big for my signature...did anyone have this problem?

Well, I have to get going because there will be 100 people at my house this afternoon for my mother's surprise birthday party BUT I have BIG news!!!!!

Last night Nico had his last bottle at 9:00 ( he only took 3.5 ounces even though I made the bottle for 8.5...lol) and he slept until 4am!!!! That is 7 hours!!!! After we fed/changed him he slept another 3 and a half hours!

NOW as for LUCA...he had his last bottle at 8:15pm and he only took 4 ozs even though I stuffed his bottle too (my babies usually drink 6ozs at a time) and he did not wake up for...are you ready for this?????? 10 hours!!!! That is right ladies he slept until 6am!!!

I was up a lot checking on them to make sure that they were breathing because they weren't waking up and they did sleep on their bellies. Nico kept moving over to Luca to cuddle him no matter how many times I would move him over to his own space! These boys just LOVE each other.

I can't say they didn't fuss, but before they would get to a scrying state I would just help them out with the binki. I am so on cloud 9!

The only thing I can say that I do is keep a very strict routine. We play, walk the neighborhood, dance around the house then BATH, Bottle, swing for a little till they get sleepy and BED. Also, don't pick them up in the crib everytime they get a little fussy give the binki, rub there back, or hold their arms by their sides and kinda rock them easy side to side.

YAY for Nico and Luca!!! 10 weeks old!

[megzmom]

Daniele-too funny about the grades we both teach I think that is why we are so strict with routines. I am not at all in the day but it always works out for the evening. My MIL will watch the boys M-W and my husband is off Th and Fri. Thanks for the encouraging words. I am nervous about being late. The boys usually wake up between 5:30-6:30 so I am not sure what time I will need to get up to take a shower and get my dd up and ready too. MY dh is already gone by 3am! My dd is going into 2nd and I am so sad. She is growing too quick.

[christel]

Thanks for the welcome!

megzmom & daniele -I'm taking the yr. off from middle school science -7th grade teacher. All my friends are back to work on Mon. and I feel this HUGE sense of relief at not having to go. On the other hand, I fear my brain may rot at home w/ these girls. I'm going to try to teach an after-school class once a week (if it makes) through the fall, though. Keep a little $ coming in.

siggy slide show stuff - getting the same message, that it's too many characters for my sig. What am I doing wrong?

sleep - for the last week, DH and I have tried to get in a routine for bedtime. At 9 pm I BF, then we bathe, diaper, jammies, cuddle. Then, we give big formula bottles (Emme get 5 oz and Ruby gets 4 :) ), then we swaddle and put them in the co-sleeper feet to feet. The first 4 nights it worked great. They slept 10:30 -4 or 4:30. I BF, we give bottles and back to bed. They sleep another 4-5 hours.

BUT LAST NIGHT, neither one took their bottle well (BF went fine, though). Ruby woke up at midnight screaming, wouldn't take a bottle, finally BF to sleep. Woke back up at 3 and slammed a 3 oz bottle. Emme woke up like clockwork at 4 and BF in bed w/ me. We both went to sleep, so no bottle. She was back up at 6, so we BF again. Errgghh! :confused: :sleepy: I think today's going to suck.

[swineland]

Quick post...more later....

Danielle! I am SOOOOO jealous of your sleeping babies!! If mine go THREE hours these days, I'm like "yes!". So ridiculous. I am going to bite the bullet and try tummy sleeping for the evening tonight. I do tummy naps in the afternoon and they seem to like it, but I've been nervous about doing them for the overnight hours. I usually put them in their cribs in the nursery, each in their own, on their backs and swaddled. However, the bigger they get the harder it is to swaddle them and when those arms get going, there's no stopping them and of course the babies wake up. I've been sleeping in the nursery on an air mattress, but it got a hole in it somewhere and now it's useless. (It was actually REALLY comfy!) Anyway, so the past 2 nights I've been in the guest room, which is right next to the nursery, with the monitor. I think what I'll do tonight is move the pack n' play into the guest room and put it right next to me, so that when I try this tummy sleeping stuff I can just lean over and see if they are okay and breathing, etc. Do you think moving them OUT of their cribs at this point would be a bad move?? I mean, do you think they would notice and it would backfire and confuse them??

Steph

[swineland]

also, for those of you having difficulty with the slide where it says "too many characters" or whatever, you will probably have to delete the HTML for your tickers. The signature can accomodate the slide HTML or the ticker HTML, but not both.

Hope that helps :)

Steph

[AndreaR]

ugh - i am so tired. too tired to post, really, but i wanted to say hello to you all and welcome to the new mommies.

sleeping - isabelle sleeps in her crib in the nursery all night, starting at around 5pm, when i give her a bath and a bottle (so i can pump for maddie). she usually wakes up around 10, and goes right back to sleep after i b/f. she wakes up again around 4ish, and then we're kind of up for the day (ugh). madeline sleeps with us in our room at night. she usually sleeps on dh while he watches tv until we go to bed (around 9), and then we try to put her in the pack 'n play in our room, but she usually ends up in our bed, sleeping on one of us. she wakes up every 3-4 hours through the night. it's a good night when they are on close to the same schedule, which happens about 50% of the time. during the day, isabelle will take a nap in her crib most of the time, unless we are out and about, then she sleeps in the car seat. madeline is not so good about taking naps in her crib. she either sleeps on one of us, or on her tummy on the couch (only if we are sitting right there with her), or in her papasan seat. i want to get them on the same schedule, because that's what i keep hearing from parents of older twins. i'm not sure how to do it. i also worry about waking them if they are sleeping. the few times we've done that, it's backfired. plus, if wake them before they're ready, they usually won't eat very much. should i wait until their older to try to get them on the same schedule? what do you think it will be like with izzy nursing and maddie taking bottles?

steph - i would try to keep them in the cribs versus the pack 'n play. i noticed that they sleep much better in their cribs (when they do finally fall asleep). it's hard to adjust to sleeping with a monitor, but you get used to it. it took me a few nights. we have really bad interference in our bedroom, and the only play the signal is clear is in the middle of the bed. i have to make sure that the monitor doesn't tip over and get muffled by the covers on our bed. anyway, i think you sleeping in the guest room is a good transition to you moving back into the bedroom with DH for when you stop taking turns (if you ever do!).

tummy sleeping - i notice that a lot of you are putting your kids to bed on their tummies. i just want to say this once, because i've been thinking a lot about all of you, and i want you to know that i worry a little... i read (i think in "what to expect the first year") that almost every baby prefers to sleep on its belly, and i've also discussed with my pedi. it's more comfortable for them if they have any gas/digestion issues, and it makes them feel more snug, since they can' really flail their arms and legs unconsciously. but just because a baby prefers to sleep on his stomach, doesn't make it safe. i know we are all just looking for more sleep for ourselves and we want to feel sane so we can take care of our babies, but i worry that something bad might happen if we let them sleep on their stomachs when we can't watch them very closely. if you're letting them sleep on their stomachs, but you are constantly checking on them, what kind of rest are you getting? i personally know two families that lost babies to sids, so i think about it a lot. please don't be angry at me for commenting on how you are taking care of your children. i just care so much about all of you and your babies, and i want everyone to be safe and sound. i would love to let maddie sleep on her tummy at night, but i am too afraid. do you guys have different information?

i'm going to try to make dinner while both girls are asleep. i'll try to post later.

andrea

[megzmom]

Steph-I agree with Andrea about the pack n play. I think you should keep them in their own cribs not the pack n play. Especially if you want to see if sleepign on their bellies is better. That way you only have one variable. If they have a bad night it might be the playpen not the belly. Id also try to take the monitor back into your bedroom soon. Your relationship with dh is very important. You guys probably need some "old times" back.??...

As for the belly issue. Yes I have both boys on their tummies since the 2 week and they sleep 6-8hr almost every night but that is just my boys. Everyone is different. I really disagree with the SIDS issue though. Thousands of babies sleep on their belly. Plus I read that sids is an issue for the first 2mths. Plus I know many of us have babies with bad relux. For that issue they do encourage belly sleeping. My babies are strong enough to move their head from side to side and are holding their heads in a push up position. I really am NOT worried about that. I am more worried when they were on their back for aspirating the spit up. I can also tell when Zack has spit up in his nose. I pick him up and clean it out then lay him right back down and he is out.

Question, how do you all heat up your bottles at home? Traveling? And how long does it take you to feed both babies at night? My boys are typically pretty good about eating changing, eating and go right back to sleep. But every so often one wants to stay up for 1/2hr. I try not to talk with them so I just keep rocking or put him in the swing while I do the bottles. Overall they are really easy which is going to be what keeps me going when I start teaching tomorrow!

Please pray for me tomorrow that I get to school on time and finish the loose ends. Plus that I survive the 1st day back. I love teaching but I really feel like I need more time with the boys. I only had 3wks by myself with them and just now starting to bond.

Boys are STILL not really smiling. SHould I be worried?

[swineland]

Hi all...

Mindy, did you have a nice relaxing weekend in NY?? I sure hope you and DH were able to get out in the city a little bit and have some fun. NYC is one of my favorite places.

Felisha, you continue to amaze me.....I don't know how you manage to handle everything on your own. I know you "just do it", but still, a lot of other people would be having a breakdown.....you go girl.

Andrea, thanks for the words of concern re: sids and belly sleeping. I suppose with an issue like this it truly is 'to each his own'. I have been putting the boys to sleep on their backs since day one, but now that they are breaking out of their swaddles and getting more and more annoyed with being wrapped up, I have found that they too actually sleep better on their tummies. Also, as I think someone else mentioned, both of them have a flat spot on the backs of their heads now and that really concerns me. Since we all have TWO babies and it's not easy to carry them both around at the same time, at least one of them is always laying somewhere....crib, swing, car seat, etc. Just some tummy time here and there is not doing the trick with keeping the flat spots away. Anyway, I monitor the boys like crazy when they sleep on their tummies and won't look away until I'm satisfied that they are okay with it long-term....ie. turning their heads.

Last night was awful! See, we have the going to bed routine down good.....we do the bath, bottle, bed routine. They go down without a peep and fall fast asleep. The problem is, they wake up 3 hours later to eat and after that, it's an all-night feeding marathon. I saw the clock on the stove last night 12 something, 1 something, 2 something, 3 something, 4 something, and 5:30. That's right, I was up EVERY damn hour with one of them. So, at 5:30 I had HAD it and I put them on their tummies, forced myself to stay awake so I could watch them and sat in the rocker reading books. They slept until 7am when I had to get them up so we could take dad over to drop his car off at the VW dealer. Tonight I am going to try them on their tummy for the whole night...... (sorry Andrea!)

Heather, I am thinking about you today and wishing you MUCHO luck on your first day of school in your new crappy classroom! Sorry you are in a portable and things haven't gone too smoothly with the transition. Let us know how it goes today with the kiddies....

Danielle, how did the boys do last night?? Same thing??? Are you on to a trend now? A new phase?? I sure hope so :)

Well, I gotta run....more later
Steph
P.S. new pics on my slide....see below!! :)

[AndreaR]

We had a rough night last night, too. Madeline would not go to sleep, not even on top of me. Just when she would fall asleep, I would hear Isabelle stirring and have to go feed her, so I would have to move Maddie to DH (of course, I tried to put her in the pack 'n play, but she screamed). She's kind of cranky this morning, too. Hopefully she'll go down for a good nap and get it out of her system. I was so tired that I started crying at 4:00am. Ugh.

Steph - I noticed your new pics. They are so cute! My favorite one is still the one of you hugging them both. It's such a beautiful picture.

Felisha - Good luck with the paternity test results (well, the discussion of them - you know he's the father). At least you will have that behind you soon. Sorry that work is so tough right now. I can't believe how much you do. It's no wonder you nodded off. I'm with Steph, "you go girl!" I have not thought about giving them food yet. I have had many friends/family try to make their own, and they all say it's a lot of work. I guess I'll consider it when the time comes. I wonder if it's any more efficient when you're doing it for twins. I can TOTALLY see Sherry as you described her.

Speaking of Sherry.....WE MISS YOU! I'm about to book a flight to Belgium so I can see how you all are doing.

Heather - Happy first day of school! Good luck! I'll be thinking of you. I bet your students want to talk about the babies all day. We heat bottles by letting them sit in a cup of hot tap water for a few minutes. We use ready to drink formula (not powder), and only heat up bottles if the formula was in the refridgerator. We only heat to take the chill out. If Maddie is really screaming to eat, she'll even drink it a little cool. Since she has issues sucking, she takes a long time to drink a bottle. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes for her to drink 3 ounces. Isabelle nurses VERY fast. She's usually done with both boobs in 15 minutes. Of course, she usually chokes at least once per feeding because she is sucking so hard.

Smiling - Isabelle smiles a lot, Maddie smiles less. I think that Madeline is just more serious, because she will smile if she has a reason (my or DH face). Isabelle seems to smile for no reason. She'll sit in her car seat and make noises and smile. Maddie just looks around, taking it all in. Heather- I wouldn't worry about your boys too much. They all have their own timeline and their own personalities. Neither of my girls can do "push ups" like your boys can.

Standing up - Both of my girls will stand on my stomach if I hold them up. Not every time, but once in a while. I guess it won't be long before they're "jumping" in our arms. I love when babies do that.

Gotta go - Have a nice day y'all.

AndreaR

[swineland]

Andrea...I think it was around 4am that I was crying too! I know it was later in the morning, around the time I shouted "you have GOT to be kidding me!"...then the tears came ....so, you were not alone :)

Steph

[swineland]

bottle heating: I have 2 plastic tumbler cups that I put a small amount of water in, microwave for a minute and then set the bottle in the cup. My avent, playtex and other bottles fit right in perfectly, so it only takes a tiny bit of water and the weight of the bottle makes the water go right up to the neck. Only takes 2-3 mins to warm them. (Of course, when the boys are wailing, that seems like an eternity!)

Steph

[LucasMom]

Thanks again to everyone for your good wishes. We met in Manhattan 8 years ago, and DH grew up there, I moved there after college, so we try to go back once a month or so to unwind. DH family is in brooklyn, so they love when we come and we get the royal treatment there! We went out to dinner at a little Spanish place in the village and stayed out until 4 am! MIL watched the babes,and they behaved very well for her. I put them to sleep b4 we left and they slept until 4:30 and 5:30, and she fed them! It was fun and took my mind off of stuff.

belly sleeping- As I said before, different docs have different opinions on this. I have done alot of research on it. Luke slept on his back until he rolled over. These guys, partly due to the reflux. partly due to sleep deprivation have slept on the belly since about 4 weeks. To each her own, and the trend is turning again, so most likely in a few years, it will be back to tummy sleeping again. They have never found actual proof that Sids death is caused by this action alone. Do what makes you feel safe. But, a sidenote, your baby sleeping on your chest holds just as high, if not higher a risk, for suffocation...

Steph-I love the new pics! You may want to talk to your doc about the fact that E and B may be waking because they know you will feed them...at this weight, they do not NEED the feeds at night, so I would address with him and get his thoughts. It may be more of a conditioned response than a need to eat.

Felisha-good news. Take a pic of his face for us!

Lisa- Glad you have some relief this week! Relax and enjoy it.

I am back to work full time in two weeks. Feeling mixed on it. Love my job, make good money, miss the boys, worried about getting backed up on responsibilities.

taking the boys to get their first photos done. write later.

:throb: Mindy

[christel]

Good Morning Ladies,

Work -I'm feeling a little blue b/c it's the first day of staff development week and all my friends are back at school/work. On the other hand, I'm sitting here in my pj's w/ my coffee and they're back at work :yippee: So conflicted!

Sleep -Ruby had the screamy meanies last night, I think it was gas. I finally got her settled down and in bed by 10:30 (we started at 8:45). Emme was an angel. At least they alternate the undesirable behavior.

Bottles - we were warming them in a tub of hot tap water and then I just gave up. I gave them a cold from the fridge bottle one day, they took it and we've never gone back. They do seem ticked when they get bottles after BF because of the big temp difference, but they eat none the less.

Food - we're thinking about making our own baby food. A friend does it and swears it's not anymore time or effort than cooking for the rest of the family. We'll give it a try b/c it will save $$

Temps - we were told in the NICU to not mess w/ the ear therm. We have a 3 way thermometer - mouth, arm or rectal. The arm temp is pretty accurate if you make sure you hold their arm down while it's checking.

Errands - Anyone running errands w/ the twins, yet? How's it going? How do you do it?

[swineland]

If anyone cares and wants to see.....there are more photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wineland

[vthompson]

I really want to respond to everyone, but these babies are driving me CRAZY today! Kayley has been up since 6:30am and WILL NOT GO BACK TO SLEEP!! I have so much to do and she is so cranky! Anyways, we slept in our cribs last night without our carriers, but it was HORRIBLE. They were both up every 3 hours and as I said, Kayley is a ball of fun today! Well, she will not stop screaming so I better go. I hope I do not loose my mind today!

Valerie

[swineland]

got some of these...they are ADORABLE and are my new favorite baby "accessory" :)

http://www.trumpette.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=98&CFID=6530526&CFTOKEN=474f89845b14ed12-E95C495C-BCEE-453E-79E97C680AB172C4

I'm in a posting mood, I guess :crazy:
Steph

[vthompson]

Steph - I had a chance to look at your pics...they are adorable!! Evan makes the funniest faces!!

Heather - I am thinking about you today. I used to teach ( I have taught 1st and 3rd grades) and I cannot imagine putting together a classroom on top of having the twins. Hang in there!!

This is the week from hell for me. We have company coming in for the weekend, DH's college roommate. Also, I am becoming state certified for day care and the social worker is coming on Thursday to inspect the home. That means I have some major cleaning to do this week, not sure when I am going to get it done, but that is life!! Also, the other job I have, the admin duties, the organization I work for is having a booth up at this local festival. I have to go up there on Friday and help set up. I guess you could say I am feeling really overwhelmed this week!

Lisa - Needless to say, I do not think I am going to be able to meet you this week. I am really disappointed...I was really looking forward to it! I hope you understand. If you go back, please let me know. I could really use the company!!

Agghh...I really thought I would have time to respond to everyone...but babies crying!

[christel]

Steph -

We have the mary jane socks and LOVE them! This is the first time they wore them...
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/snelsonc6896/DSC00126.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/snelsonc6896/DSC00161.jpg
They were hand-me-downs from a friend and I didn't know they made others. I just looked at the website... CUTE!

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hi!....ok well the boys did not do the GREAT sleeping last night but we definately did not follow our routine. It was my mom's surprise party at my house and there was 100 people at my house! The boys were in arms all day and I never fed them myself so the bottles never got finished...UGH so needless to say they were hungry all night! Maybe tonight will be better.

Felisha...our twins have the same birthday!! I also have to say you are an amazing person...keep up the great work mommy!

Bottles...Room temp/powder all the way. My pedi told me that whatever we give the babies will "prefer" so if you always heat it they will always want it heated. I like to get out of the house a lot so I do not want to have to worry about heating their food so it is room temp for me.

Lisa...I have coupons for the gentlease so PM me your address if you want me to send them.

Steph...i love those socks...they are on backorder but I am going to order them anyway, thanks!

[LucasMom]

If you want to see the pics from todays sitting with the twins, go to kiddiekandids.com, sitting number 560013623 sitting code acc8e9x.

Only if you are interested!! The pics were hellish to take with all three boys. I was literally sweating, and I don't think the boys were yet old enough to get really cute pics, but oh well...

write tomorrow.

Mindy

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hey Mindy...your boys are beautiful and SOOOO identical! And that includes Lucas! He just looks like a bigger version of those cuties!

I am so tired and the bys just fell asleep in their swings. I am going to take them to bed now and see if they will sleep like they did Saturday night. Keep your fingers crossed! I will be on like always wduring my feedings tonight. I hope everyone has an awesome night. Come on babies...Sleep until 7am!

Sherry, I miss you so much...I am having withdrawals over here! I hope you are doing well.

[vthompson]

Mindy - Those pics are adorable!! I agree with Daniele, they are definitely identical...all 3 of them!! Too cute!

Daniele - I hope you had a better night...we did not!

Christel - You girls look adorable in those pics!!

Gotta go, I hear babies!

Sherry - We miss you!

Valerie

[swineland]

Good morning everyone....

Mindy, I tried going to the kiddiekandids website, but it was not loading...i'll try again later. I can't wait to see the photos!

Heather, still wondering how yesterday went....no news is good news???

Well, I mentioned that we had to take DH's car into the dealer...he has a 2000 Passat that has been nothing but trouble. They called yesterday and said it's going to be $1300!! Nevermind that formula is $23 a can and I go through a can every 2 days...... SO, I bought Publix brand formula yesterday and compared the can with what I'm currently using (goodstart supreme) and it's basically the same. Has the DHA/ARA, etc. It was $11 a can. Nothing but the best for my boys :)

SO, last night we put them to bed at 9:30, after they had half a bottle, a bath and then the other half of the bottle. They slept on their tummies and I stayed up pretty much all night making sure they did okay and observing, etc. They did BEAUTIFULLY! They woke at 1:45 for a quick bottle and back to sleep..then again at 5:30. I wasnt' ready to be up yet, so I put them back down for another 2 hours and we "got up" officially at 7:30. I know eventually we'll eliminate that 2am feeding, but for now, I am happy with how it went. It sure beats being up every hour warming up bottles.....plus, the quality of sleep they got last night had to be better than what they are used to....arms flailing, crying, etc. Of course, I take things day by day and I know that as soon as I think "aha! this is the ticket!", it can change and not work anymore. So, it worked for last night, tonight we'll try again :)

Gotta run!
Steph

[LucasMom]

YEAH STEPH!!!!!!:yippee: :yippee: It's a start, right?? I am so glad you had a decent night! The ingredients in those things are almost identical, so I am sure they will be fine on whatever you give them.

Heather- How did yesterday go? I am getting nervous about going back to work full time in 2 weeks. I work pretty long hours, and DH is about to start a new job. I must brag, although he would kill me for talking about it...He will be the Executive Chef of the Philadelphia Museum of Art! He is very excited. It is basically his dream job, and if he is happy, I am happy!


Dan- How did last night go?

I love the sneaker socks, but they are on backorder. I saw a website on the may board called cafepress.com. Type in twins under the search, and they have some really funny onesies for the twins, and some tshirts for grownups. I am not a fan of the printed tshirt, but some of these are tempting:)

Babies crying...

[sgarrett]

Sorry will not be able to reply to all posts, that is what I get for not logging on in a while.

Steph your babes are cuties and I am glad you got better sleep!

Formula: We switched to Simalac Isomel and PEEE UUU! It stinks, it makes there spit smell worse, their farts and their dirty diapers. I hope it helps their gas b/c it is NASTY!

Sleeping: Sat night and Sun night they slept from about 11:00 to 4:45 am! Of course today is my 1st day back to work so Aiden was up every 3 hours last night!

Guess what my hubby did?? Friday he told me be ready by 6:00 but would not tell me why. At 6:00 my bro in law and wife showed up to babysit, we left and he took me to a very nice restaurant, he had reserved the best table in the house. On the table was a HUGE bouquet of flowers, he had pre ordered a bottle of wine I like so they poured it as we sat down. Then with dessert the waiter brought out a 6 1/2 carat tennis bracelet!!!!!!!! I cried like a hundred times, he never does romantic stuff ever, I could not believe it! I told him if I get bling like that I will have babies all the time!

Today has been OK, I am very blessed that I can work out of the house. The nanny has been wonderful!

BTW did you know if you stick your tounge out at the babies they will do it back? My sis told me about it and I have gotten them both to do it! Aiden will do it every time, it is so funny!

Recipies: The crock pot has been great, we also bought a pressure cooker and it has been wonderful too. I made homemade beef stew in like 30 minutes and it was great!

Take care all!

Staci

[vthompson]

Staci - That is so nice what your DH did!! That is great that you get to work from home!

Mindy - What an awesome job your DH got!! It sounds like you two have the coolest jobs!

Steph - Congrats on the great night! I hope they keep it up for you! I feel like I am the only one who still gets up every 3-4 hours!! Boo hoo!!

Is anyone else's Boppy "shedding"? It seems like the filling is coming out of the material...it is really stringy and small but it won't stop. Both boppies that I have are doing it. It is really annoying because it gets on their pacifiers and on them.

Gotta run!

Valerie

[LucasMom]

Staci- I am going to tell my husband how nice YOUR husband is!! Maybe it will rub off in the gift giving department!

Val- Can I say how really cute your kiddies are? They look like little munchkins!

I know every board says this, But I really think we have the cutest kids on the board! They are all sooo cute. Every last set of twins on the june board is cute, cute, cute!

Lisa- My Due Date Partner- How is your week of "helpitude" going? I made that word up myself, it is the opposite of solitude, and just what every twin mommy needs, extra hands galore. I hope you are relaxing and having fun.

Well, I just got the boys down, so I am off to spend time with Lucas, and then with my boyfriend House MD. I love that man. He is so bitter and caustic, and I think I would have sex with him right in the middle of the street if I saw him there:) Do any of you watch this show? I love it.

I think I may be delerious, because I just said love and cute 50 times in 20 sentences. Please excuse me!

Heres wishing you all a sleep filled night.

:throb: Mindy

[swineland]

Note to self: Publix brand formula = :cry: babies....way to go, Steph.

[megzmom]

Hi ladies. Quick note...class is very good behavior besides a couple of talkers but unfortunately I have a huge split in ability. Hard to play because I have alot of early finishers.

Of course on Sunday night boys didnt sleep hardly at all!!!!! First time since they were first home. Luckily last night they went to bed at 9 up at 3 and right back down until I left for work.

The hardest thing is since I became a crockpot cook :) I am now all of a sudden making my husbands, my dd and my lunch plus all the bottles. My night time routine is soooo long preparing for the next day. That has been the hardest not being able to unwind at all.


Steph-I didnt know you switched to Good Start now Publix? Let me know. I need to save money bad. Havent gotten a real pay check since end of May and that was small because I was in the hospital and on bedrest. I tried mixining a little of the Good Start with Isomil.

FOod-I made my veggies for my dd for a while and I am glad I did. I am not sure I have time this time around. I probably will try since I will be on vacation some in Nov and Dec when school is out.

Juice-did someone say they give their kids juice already? How did that go?

Cereal-when do we get to spike their formula???? :)

okay so not so short post...nite ladies

[Daniele'sTwins]

It's 3:30 am and I just finished Feeding Nico. It is my turn with him tonight. I read posts and surf the net during feedings this helps. I get bored with all these feedings and the waiting for the burp just kills me so when I surf the web it makes time go by faster! However I just bought 2 new pairs of sneakers on zappos.com! I love that website! I just felt like I need sneakers to go with all the sweatsuits I have been buying...lol

Staci...that is so wonderful about your husband! It is so nice he appreciates all that you do for your family!

Christmas Shopping...I don't want to scare you guys but I want you to know that I have already started my Christmas shopping. I have a big family and I have a lot of gifts to buy so I have already begun. I feel like I am going to buy a litle here and there so I do not feel overwhelmed when it gets to be November etc. I am also doing this all on line, including ordering the wrapping pare on line.
Current.com for wrapping paper
Lakeside.com is great for inexpensive gifts.

Well, off to bed

[qbanmom5]

Hi!

Just to let you all know I have been reading but no time to reply. I got about an hour and a half sleep last night. They tag teamed me and I have been up since 4:45. Don't know what to do. DH and I decided I am going to start working on Monday Aug 14. I am really excited since its a new job and a new field. The older kids start school that day too so it will work great. I thought I wanted to stay home with the twins but I just can't. I am a better mom when I work outside the home. Its not so much the twins either, its the housework and meals that I can't stand. I would rather pay someone else to do it. Problem is that I can't possibly go to work on 2-3 hours sleep night after night. It sucks so bad. Even though dh helps with the night feedings I always wake up anyway and usually just as the other twin is waking and I end up feeding and/or burping someone anyway. I am so jealous of all you sleepers. My question is: do yours pretty much sleep and wake at around the same time? Mine at this time are on totally different schedules. Even though I try a routine of bath and quiet in the evening, someone will fall asleep while the other stays up. Just as that one drifts off the other wakes for a feeding. It is killing me!! My eyes look like Ren or Stimpy. Whichever has the bloodshot eyes.

Anyway, my mom is still here and desparate to go home. She is virtually no help except sometimes when my hands are tied up I will take her one of the babies and she will either feed or put him/her to sleep. She hardly ever comes out of the room and I find myself making extra meals cause she either doesn't like what I make the kids or not hungry at the time. Needless to say, workforce here I come! I am sooo ready. Hope you guys don't think I am a heartless bi*&*h but I just am not cut out for this. I found a really good lady with excellent references, fingerprinted and CPR cert. If I don't do this, I will end up in a PSych ward in a straightjacket.

Gotta go, Leia is sleeping on my left arm and its getting numb. It has been going well for us with the stater bros soy formula. I am thinking about spiking the bottles with cereal at night but I did that with the others and it didn't make a difference with the sleeping. Only gave them constipation and a stomach ache.

Well I am off, TTFN Ters

[LucasMom]

Ters- Wanting to have a career does not make you a "heartless B***h". Just because you are a woman, does not mean it is assumed that you should stayhome with the kids. I have the ultimate respect for SAHM's who juggle the kids all day long, because this in itself has been a trying and hard time for me for the last three months. It is quite a job to be a mom to twins ( 3 for me) and more for you! People judge me all of the time for working and not staying home. My son(s) are more loved and more taken care of than they could ever want. I would drive them NUTS if I stayed home with them all day. Work is my creative outlet, and I love what I do. It also provides us the ability to give the boys things we didn't have as kids. I do feel sad sometimes that I am going back in two weeks, just when they are about to get fun, but at the end of the day, it's me kissing them, feeding them and putting them to bed, and then doing all of the stuff I didn't get to do during the day!!:crazy: Be proud of who you are, and your kids will be proud of you too. Sorry about the sleeping issues. When they wake up, are they hungry, or just hanging out?

Lisa- So cute!! You are a skinny little thing now! Your face looks so different from when you were pregnant, but I have to say, your pregnant belly was so cute! Doesn't it seem so long ago?

Steph- the formula made them cry?? Stick to the goodstart, it seemed to be working for you, maybe?

My sweet grandfather wants to buy us a case of formula, so he is coming over tonight to see the kids. I am just home from a day of work, and going a bit ebay crazy, bidding on work clothes. I won a pair of Banana Republic pants (New with tags) for 17.25, and a pair of pants from the limited for 19.00, also new! I love me a shopping deal! It's either ebay or target these days, and even Target seems too expensive these days.

Write more later,

Love,
Mindy

[qbanmom5]

Thanks Mindy! I didn't mention in my last post that you are in my prayers. I am sure that you will come out of this unscathed. I love reading your posts because you are sooo knowledgeable. I wish that we could all meet in person, I really do. About the sleeping, Leia will wake, drink like 2 oz then crash out again (after burping and sometimes pooping).Luke will sometimes keep sleeping and most of the time only drink 1 oz or 2. 50% of the time, though, once I change his diaper he is awake and won't finish the bottle. He just keeps squirming and squirming and fussing and I am like burping him for what seems like an eternity. With Leia, I use a #2 nipple for night feedings cause she gets more in less time and can keep sleeping-even through the diaper change. Luke hates the #2 nipple and won't drink from it and keeps crying cause its too fast. He gets the #1 nipple and the feeding takes forever. We have the TV on 24/7 but at night its the only light in the room. I have kind of bright lighting in my room so that is why I don't turn on a light instead of the tv. Maybe I can get a bulb with less wattage! Thanks, maybe I will try that.

I just tried on my clothes that I will be wearing for work and i look like a cow. My pants are tight and my tops are too snug. I reallly need to lose weight fast cause I refuse to buy bigger clothes. I thought the weight was going to just melt away like it did with the other kids! I have at least 15 pounds to lose to fit into those clothes and look normal. And even those are my fat clothes cause my ideal weight is about 10 pounds lighter than that. Anyone know how I can lose 25 pounds fast?

I gotta go, Hi Sherry!!! We miss you!!!

[swineland]

Hey guys...
Ters, so glad to see your post, I was wondering last night...hmmm, where has Ters been?? And good for you for going back to work....I think it's great. You are super mom :) As for the frequent night wakings and falling asleep after 1 or 2 oz's....I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. I think you and I may be the only one's on here with this particular problem. I guess the only thing that keeps me sane is repeating over and over "this is only temporary, this is only temporary".

So, today we had our 2 month checkup and 4 shots each. Poor babies! My mom went with and she and the nurse held them down....I couldn't watch. Of course, I cried....never thought I would, but when I heard the inital scream the tears just came. Especially b/c for the 5 minutes preceding the shots, the boys were being SO CUTE...giggling, cooing, smiling.....just lovin' life. They're probably thinking...what the hell was THAT??

Evan weighs 11lbs 12 ozs and Bailey weighs 11lbs 10 ozs. They've doubled their birthweight in two months and gained 3 lbs in a month. Dr. says that is too much, they should be 4-6 months along before they double their birthweight. Sure enough I look it up online and yeah, at 2 months they should not be this big. Also, I told him how frustrated I get that they won't eat their entire bottles, that I try to give them a 6 ozs or so and he was like, oh that's too much. They should be eating no more than 4 ozs....5 is too much. I'm thinking, ,ooookay, I guess that explains why they rarely eat past 4 ounces. I said, also, they are still waking every 2-3 hours through the night to eat...is this normal? He said, babies don't sleep through the night until 9 months! Uh, are you kidding me? If so, sh*&! Anyway, other than all of that malarky, they are doing great and got a clean bill o' health.

Very very curious to hear what you all think about what the ped said, especially you Mindy as you have real experience with your boys. I mean, he's been a ped for a long time and is super super nice....I really like him, I just was surprised to hear that I was feeding them too much. I guess it will keep me from making/wasting too much excess formula.

I am exhausted....gotta run :)

Love to all,
Steph
P.S. Lisa....have fun!!

[sgarrett]

Hello Mommies!

Danielle: I cannot beleive your are Xmas shopping already! You rock, I wish I was that prepared!

Valerie, Steph and Ters: My cuties wake up every 3 to 4 hours still as well. Every once in a while they will sleep more but it is far and few between.

Lisa: I have the Rock Star onsies too! I love it, I want to get a pic of Aiden wearing it with his hair in a mohawk.

Ters: I chose to go back to work as well. I am blessed that I can work out of the house most of the time and we hired a Nanny. If I stayed home with babies all day I would be super b#$%*y and what kind of mother would that make me?? Do not feel guilty you are a wonderful mommy!

gotta go babies crying!

[LucasMom]

Oh boy Steph... You don't want to hear what I have to say!! I have to type fast beause Dh isn't home and I have all three kids. In short, that is a bunch of bull poop. L and D double birthweight by 7 weeks, and doc thought they were great. Also, how much they eat is how much they want to eat! Babies know how much they need. If yours want to eat 4 oz., they should eat 4 oz. But no doc should be telling you a baby gained TOO MUCh weight! I have never heard of that unless they are big old fatties and off the chart, which frankly, Lucas was a 95%er his whole babyhood, and is tall and 60 percent weight now. This infuriates me, that he said that to you! As if twin moms don't have enough to worry about. Don't you listen to him! I am going to find medical research on line to prove to you that he is wrong! Honestly, I have NEVER heard this before!

Oh boy, am I mad!

Off to find you research! I'll be back!

Mindy

[christel]

Hi Ladies,

We tried the generic formula, too and it has produced the nastiest diapers I've ever seen :eek: They are green, watery and will peel the paint off the walls. Plus, the gas is BAD and stinky! I love a bargain, but not at that price. We ran screaming back to Enfamil. In 36 hours, everything was back to normal in those diapers :)

My last bit of help left today. My sister is heading back to college :(. So, it's just me and the girls until DH gets home. To tell the truth, today was easier because I didn't have to explain how to do anything. It just got done. Plus, I don't have to talk if I don't feel like it. On the other hand, my sista was doing major household stuff like dishes and laundry and playing with the dogs... so in about 24 hours I am going to miss her BAD!

Question... Anyone's DH showing a preference for one baby over the other? I'm not sure, but he seems to be gravitating towards Ruby and not paying as much attention to Emme. It really bothers me. I'm not sure if I should say anything or wait a while and see if it's really true. But if I wait, will Emme get less and less daddy time? I know it's not on purpose, but still...

[Daniele'sTwins]

AMen Mindy...Steph, i have never heard such nonsess. My boys were born at 5lbs and 5 lbs 9 ozs and at their 2 mo appt were 11lbs 14 oz each. My doc thought it was great. And my kids eat 6oz bottles and have been for some time.

[LucasMom]

real quick

A baby who weighs 11 lbs 12 oz is in the 33rd percentile for growth at 2 months old! Hardly weighing too much! Check the growth calculator! I am so annoyed at this doctor!

more later, time for boys bed...:throb: mindy

[swineland]

Thanks Mindy and Daniele for your support and for making me feel better about the whole thing. DH and I are like, say wha? They're too big?? They are the cutest little things, totally proportioned and all. They are going to be tall, but almost everyone in our family is......our thinking is: someone who is 5'9" tall has different caloric needs than someone who is 6'9". Who's to say our babies don't need exactly what they're getting? I just can't believe that they are too big......long, yes...but weigh too much? I don't know. And the amount of formula we give them doesn't make them taller does it??

It's been a long day and I have had 2 BIG glasses of Sauvignon Blanc...so I'm going to bed while mom stays up to watch the boys as they TUMMY SLEEP...another no-no that I"m sure my doc would frown upon. Mindy, they are on Enfamil Gentlease now and that is what they are staying on. I know I may have switched them one too many times, but they are totally great on this new formula....I have absolutely no complaints.

G'night...I'll check in in the morning....

xo
Steph

[qbanmom5]

Hi girls, thought I would chime in to say that at our 2 month appt Luke was 12 lb 3 oz which is 7 lbs more than the 5 lbs he was at birth. The dr. said it was great and that he had gained 4 pounds since the month before which was really good. Leia was 10 lb 14 oz and exactly 5 lbs more than her birth weight and the doc said she was good too. The only thing she did say that was like your doctor is that 4 oz is o.k. but they should not have more than that because their stomachs are the size of their fists. Mine have been drinking 4 oz forever but most of the time they drink 2 or 3 which makes me insane. Lately Leia has been drinking 5 or even 6. She is gonna pass up her brother it looks like.

So do yours wake up at the same time or do you guys wake the other or do you tag team like me? Here's to a better night tonight....

[Daniele'sTwins]

Another day done...wow is this summer flying by! The boys had a playdate today and another one tomorrow.

My boys noticed each other for the first time yesterday. Yes, they cuddle and love to be next to each other but whenever we faced them before they would look right past each other...that is until yesterday. I almost cried! They were smiling and taking turns laughing at each other it was the absolute cutest thing!!! Today we had them in their bumbos (a musat buy) and they faced each other for a little bit and then me for story time. They love to be read to!

OK, so i still have about 10 more lbs to loose and I really want to get rid of it seeing that i is my 10 year class reunion in November but for some reason I am not as motivated to eat as well as I used to. It is like I ma using hte excuse that I just had twins and it is ok to not be back this soon. Does anyone else feel like this?

Cristel...as for your DH...YES at one point (even before birth) I noticed that my DH was favoring Nico. At first I think it was solely that he just liked the name better....lol but I DID call it to his attention and now he is much better.

Christmas Shopping....

www.personalcreations.com is a great place for personal gifts

[LucasMom]

Danielle- You are crazy!! Even 9 months pregnant, you looked better than I look on a good day!I hardly think you have ANYTHING to worry about going to a reunion looking exactly as you do right now, and people will be shocked to find out you just had twins! You really think the bumbo seats are worht the $, because I keep hedging on buying them, because I hear different things...

Ters- The boys are on essentially the same schedule, that is, they go to sleep at the same time at night, and wake up usually at the same time also. During the day, they sometimes differ, which actually makes it easier and harder at times. Easier to spend on on one time, harder to get stuff done around the house and at work.

Dh can't really show a preference, because most of the time, he has no idea who he is holding:crazy: I find this out when I go upstairs and Logan is in Dylans crib or vice versa!

The boys have been doing 9-10 hours for the past week--further proof that they don't need to be 9 months old to sleep through the night. Lucas slept through at 8 weeks or so, but he was born at almost 10 lbs., so at that point, he was about 14.5 lbs already. I think Steph and Ters, when they start to eat more, they will sleep more. I also want to stress that you shouldn't force feed the, , but feed them what they want to eat. Every Ped I have ever spoken to said that if they finish a bottle and are still sucking, it's time to up the bottle. So on the occasions you can get them awake and interested enough to eat a 5 oz. one, let them.

Steph- Also, the gentlease has very good reviews from docs and moms. I am very pleased with the AR, and I think you should stick with this one, because they will probably like it alot. You should call enfamil, and tell them that the babies switched to gentlease, and have been on it for a week to two weeks, and they will send you two free cases of 12.9 oz. cans. I did it, and they lasted me almost three weeks. They require them to be on the formula for at least a week, so they know you will stick with it. Did you guys know about Enfamils multiple program? I have gotten 19 free cans of formula from them, and get the standard 1$ coupons plus the 7 and 4 $ off coupons twice a month. Very worth it to call if you are using Enfamil.

Ok, enough from Mindy's peanut gallery for the day!! Let me know at any time if my overload of information is annoying you all yet!


Write later..
Mindy

[Daniele'sTwins]

Well...it was a good night last night. Bath at 8:30, bottle @9, swing until 10 and then bed. I tried back again at first. I always do this but they cry within 5 mins to get put on their bellies. They slept on their bellies until 4am and then both got up at the same time to eat 6 ozs each. then back to bed until 7...they woke up but not to eat and are in the swings right in front of me happy as can be! The ONLY thing I can complain about is that Luca (you are going to flip out here) often likes to lay face down! He did it the other night too. I actually think he prefers this position but it scares the H3LL out of mommy!!! He did it twice in the night and both times I just moved his head to one side. Well actually the first time i practically threw him over I was so scared. I asked my cousin and she said that her friends baby sleeps like that. But her baby is 6 months old! My little guy is 11 weeks!

Ok everyone, have a fielday with me today!

Heating Bottles...my boys spit up A LOT! We even switched them to AR but they cried so much on it so we are back to reg lipil. BUT I have always given them room temp bottles. I always boil the water and put it to the side BUT the nurse from my pedi's office who happens to be my neighbor was telling me two nights ago that I do not have to boil the tap water here in RI because the water here is very good. So last night I gave them tap for the first time and i gave it warm and they never spit up once!

Bumbos... they are pricey, $40 at BRU but $30 at BJ's (like a sams or cosco). I like them because they sit in a different position, and it helps develop neck muscles (needed for belly sleepin...lol) and helps teach back support in sitting. ALSO because it was so cute how they can look right into each other's eyes AND how I can play school (already missing work i guess) and read to them and they are so cute sitting up looking right at me...lol So I guess it is not that necessary I just like them a lot.

How about the high alert today at the airport. I get so obsessed with this, I will probably watch MSNBC all day long. i am crying and nothing has even happened. My brother in law and sister in law are flying to CA this weekend with my little nephew. I hate this! I am always a worry wart!

[LucasMom]

How about my family is in England, and my cousin was supposed to come and help with the babies for a month, as I went back to work, and no deal now.:( She is bummed out. The world gets crazier and crazier...makes me sad. We lived in Manhattan when 9/11 happened, and moved here 3 months later.

Dan- no lecture, just be careful. Give them alot of tummy time during the day, so they are getting used to holding their heads up if needed. Glad you got some sleep last night.

Off to do some shopping with my mom and the boys. Only one week left until I return to work. Getting nervous...

:throb: Mindy

[swineland]

Hey all!

After much thought and discussion with DH and you guys, we've decided to just stay the course with how we feed our boys. We just think they are doing so good and aren't getting too big too fast at all. It is TOTALLY comforting to hear you all say that your babies doubled their weights @ 2 months AND that your peds were happy about it. I will continue to feed them 4 ozs during the day and at night I'll do the 5-6 oz bottle.

The terror thing is crazy. As a flight attendant myself, I can tell you I am VERY happy to now be a SAHM. It's just not worth it.

crap, will post more in a bit....Evan's crying....(He feels awful today from his shots yesterday....fever and irritable)

Steph

[christel]

I am so enjoying reading your posts about your twins accomplishments. My girls are right on target w/ their adjusted age, if y'all are anything go by :) and I think you are. In some respects, they're hitting some 3 mo. milestones, but as far as feeds and sleep go, I think I need to measure them by adjusted age.

Last night we fed them at 10 and they woke up at 5:30 this morning! I actually feel human :yippee: We started swaddling them again and it makes all the difference for Ruby. And when Ruby sleeps, Emme sleeps ;)

I got on the bathroom scale w/ the girls to estimate their weight. Emme is almost 12 lbs now and Ruby is 9 lbs. We are power feeding Ruby :)... she gets AR formula spiked w/ Enfacare 22 cal to make each feeding 24 cal.

Tummy sleeping - Emme likes to sleep face down, too. It's horrible. I constantly move her face to the side. Then, she'll put her hands over her nose and mouth.

Tummy time - my girls HATE it! They like sleeping on their tummys but get so mad when they're awake. They push up and try to roll over and just get furious. When they were smaller, they actually flipped themselves over. But now, they're so much heavier and it takes a lot more effort to flip, so they just stay mad.

Bumbos - we bought one and also bought a Bebe Pod to try out.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/snelsonc6896/DSC00168.jpg
The Bumbo rocks and the Pod went back to the store. I think we'll get another Bumbo. If there's a craigslist for your town, you might find them cheaper.

[qbanmom5]

Leia slept from 7:30 till 1:30! then from 2:00 to 7:00!! Yeah!! Luke, on the other hand, went down at 9:30, up at 2:00, up at 3:45, 4:45, 5:45 then 7:00.I dont know what the problem is. He cried, looked hungry, would drink an ounce or 2 then keep sleeping. I would wake him, burp him, talk to him so he would finish his bottle but nothing. A couple of the times he did not go back to sleep right away he would cry and cry and fuss. I am going to be a zombie at work!! A couple of times when he woke up I couldn't believe he could be hungry so I would adjust him, make him comfy, belly down, belly up, sideways, with paci, without paci, but he just kept crying so I would make a bottle.

I am soo frustrated and tired. Now he will sleep all day no doubt. I am going to be pissed if I am paying the sitter $250 a week for them to sleep all day and eat once while i am up all night. Needless to say I watched the terror stuff on t.v. all night and morning. Not that I wanted to, I couldn't find the remote and too lazy to get up. I am sorry but I am really tired of the U.S. I wonder how much we are told regarding what is going on and whether what we are told is true. Our soldiers are dying defending our "freedom" and I just feel that the military is used as a pawn toward Bush's cause whatever that really is. We attacked Iraq because they had nuclear weapons (whatever) meanwhile Bin Laden is still missing? Why aren't we looking for him? What is really going on? I don't even pay attention anymore because it is too upsetting. Now they have us drinking breast milk at the airport because of a "thwarted plot". Whos to say that this isn't a distractionary technique and they really have something else planned?

Anyway, sorry if I offend anyone especially those with family in the military. My deepest respect and admiration goes out to those soldiers who risk their lives for us. I just think the military is lied to and it sucks cause they may not know what is really going on.

Gotta go, Ters

[mmzill]

Hey Ladies!

I've been gone so long.....sorry about that. My stepdad passed away, so I was at my mom's for about three weeks. It's good to be back home now though.

I tried to catch up on all the posts, but gave up, I just got too far behind. Steph, glad you are going to keep giving your babies as much food as they want. What your dr said sounded rediculous to me!

We are doing well. Still bf!!!! It seems like that is all I do. But it is getting better. Anthony goes to sleep around 9:30 or so and will sleep until 4 - so that's great. Nathan goes down about the same time, but wakes by 1 or so.

I'm very thankful to have all the frozen milk in my freezer. It has come in very handy. I don't think I could handle it with out that back up.

Well - just wanted to check in with everyone. I've missed you all so much, but just seem so busy. Have a good day!
~Monica

[AndreaR]

hey y'all -

seems like every time i have the time to post, i decide to take a nap instead! some days i am just so tired.

my girls do not sleep through the night. they will each sleep for a 5 hour stretch, but it's usually not the middle of the night. it's usually late afternoon or early evening. then they're up to eat every 3 or 4 hours over night. and it's not at the same time, so some nights i feel like i am up all night long. dh is really great, though. most nights he takes charge of madeline's feedings. he can't help w/ isabelle, since i am b/f her. the hardest part of my day is the (very) early morning. both girls usually eat somewhere between 3-5. dh helps, and then goes to work by 5:30. then the girls are up for the day! that's way too early for me - i can never seem to wake up.

i am really starting to love breastfeeding, and i feel like isabelle and i now have this wonderful bond, but i'm starting to feel guilty about not having that same bond with madeline. i know it's probably crazy, but i can't help but feel that way. once in a while i wonder if i should just switch izzy over to bottles.

steph - i agree with what everyone else has said about your babies' weights. trust your instincts.....

lisa - you sound like you are having a wonderful time! i'm glad that you are doing so well.

ters - sorry about luke's backward schedule. i hope it resolves itself by the time you have to go back to work.

christel - my isabelle hated tummy time up until yesterday. i don't know if it's because she is stronger now or what, but she would scream when we put her down. my pedi (and the vna nurse) told me that putting her face down on your chest counts as tummy time, too. that's what i had to do w/ izzy. we are feeding madeline a 24 cal diet, too.

early intervention was here this week to evaluate madeline (she qualifies...). they said that at 2 months, a baby should be able to hold it's head up for 2 minutes. i don't know if it's because my girls are so small (now they're 8 and 9.5 pounds), but there's no way either of them can do it for that long. izzy can hold it longer than maddie, but not for 2 minutes. do you think your babies can? i feel like my girls are so much smaller than most of your babies... but i guess they're not that far off.
gotta go

[qbanmom5]

Andrea: I am so proud of you and Monica with the bf. It is soo hard. And Monica, I can't believe you still have pumped frozen milk. I couldn't even make enough to feed both in a day much less stored! Kudos to you both. About the head holding up thing, mine don't really do it for that long. I am pretty sure Leia can because she is strong (and her head is lighter than her brohters). I don't think Luke can though. His cheeks are like a pound each though (lol). He holds it up for a little then it starts to wobble and he puts it down for a rest. Is that 2 months adjusted or 2 months from birth even if they were early? We shouldn't stress over it, they will get there. You're a great mom!

Later, Ters

[mmzill]

Ters - I have alot of frozen milk because of the time they were in NICU - at that time I could pump 4 to 6 oz per time and they only needed less than half an oz. so it was easy to get ahead of them. Now, I generally bf all day, but at night top them off with additional milk so they sleep longer. If I don't, Anthony will want to nurse from like 8 pm to 12am - straight.....that is exhausting. :)

Oh, I did read some of the discussion on putting them down on their bellies for sleep. Here's my two cents worth.... I do put the boys on their bellies to sleep. The NICU nurses told me that they digest their food better that way, and the hospital would put them that way all the time, so it was next to impossible to change their habbit. It is also really hard to get all the burps up from these guys, and if I lay them on their backs sometimes they gag and gasp for air, which scares me alto because when my dd was 4 mos old, she aspirated on some spit up, got a terrible case of pneumonia, and we almost lost her. So - needless to say, my boys go down on their bellies for the most part. They are in our bedroom with us (in a co-sleeper) NOt sure what I'll do when they move to their own beds.

[Daniele'sTwins]

Christel... Congrats on a good night of sleep! BIG question...how doid you get a pic in your post? I want to show you all my little chubbas but i can't figure out the slideshow.

Ters...I am glad Leia is being a good girl for you, I hope your other little sweet pea will sleep for you soon too.

Monica...Welcome back! We missed you. I am sorry to hear about your stepdad.

Breastfeeding...I ENVY THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE DOING IT SOOOOO MUCH! I really wanted to do it. I NEver pictured myself as a bottle feeding mom, not that there is anything wrong with it it is just that I wanted that bonding etc. I do plan on doing it with my next baby though. LOL YES I am already thinking of the next one.......I would love a big family like SHERRY's....where are you Sherry? My OBGYN said I can't get preggo again until one year. I am planning on trying again in September 2007.

Dinner tonight is salmon...very easy, I order from Omaha Steaks. I got it marinated already and everything, just defrost in the day and then pop in a 400 degree oven for 15 mins! Yay for me.

The boys slept through their entire play date today! Before my cousin left I asked her to help me with the feeding. The boys even slept through us feeding them although they both ate the entire 6.5 oz bottle! Then after they woke up for about 10 mins and back to sleep again! They better sleep tonight!!!

[AndreaR]

okay, i was posting over four hours ago, and i had to go because izzy was crying, even though she was supposed to be taking a nap. she would not go to sleep. ronit took them on a one hour walk, she still wouldn't go to sleep. so by the time she got home she was so overtired she was screaming like a banshee. this has happened three days in a row. any ideas? after she finally went to sleep (at 6:00!), madeline decided that she was miserable and started doing the banshee thing. thank god for ronit, because dh had to go our for work tonight, and i am at my wit's end.

daniele - you feed them while they are sleeping? and they eat? that's great. it kind of answers my question on whether or not you wake them to eat. lol.

i'm wondering what everyone else does. do you keep your kids on the same schedule? if one wakes up, do you wake the other? do you wake them to eat? do you ever wake them when they are sleeping?

for the past two days madeline has been sleeping for a really long time during the day (and night). like 4-5 hours at a time. do you think it's okay that she goes that long between feedings? she takes more of the bottle, so i think at the end of the day she's getting the same amount. i'm just wondering if there's any need for concern. i always ask you guys before i call the pedi.

thanks for the kudos on breastfeeding. it's not that hard for me, because i'm only doing one baby, and i have ronit here to help give maddie her bottle if the girls need to eat at the same time. i don't know if i would have made it trying to b/f both. i was ready to give up many, many times, but i kept remembering monica's advice to try to do it for one more day (THANKS MONICA!). i actually still try to get maddie to latch on every day, but i don't think she ever will (although the LC says never say never). what she likes to do is bury her head in my boob and suck away on her pacifier. it's pretty cute and it gives us good skin-to-skin bonding time. we only do it about once a day though.

i am thinking that i'd like to have one more baby, too. i just don't know if i want to be pregnant again! lol... i'm hoping that a singleton pg is much easier. if so, then i'm all for it. of course, we have to see how the next several months go. but in general, i'm up for it. i'd really like to try for a boy, since dh is an only son. you know, carry on the name...

ters - about the goal for holding up their heads...it's for two months, not adjusted. that's how they judge for early intervention. they did tell me not to really worry because she was a preemie. it just seemed like she was SO far away from the 2 minute goal! isabelle is much stronger, but she has a big head, so i think it's a little tougher for her. i think that's why she didn't like tummy time for so long, because it was hard to move her big head. one of her nicknames is actually "meatball" because her head is so big and round. one day, i looked at her, and she looked just like a meatball! it's very, very funny. i hope it doesn't stick for too long though...

well, i'm done pumping, so i'd better go relieve ronit of the screaming mimi - although it's quiet now. maybe maddie finally went down. ahhhhhh maybe i can take a shower!

have a good night - hope you all get some sleep. wow! long post...thanks for listening to me!

andrear

[AndreaR]

ps. monica - i'm sorry about your stepdad passing away. i hope your mom is doing okay.

[christel]

Daniele - I can't get the slideshow figured out either... keeps telling me I have too many characters (and I don't think it means my kids :) ). To post a pic, have it on a photo sharing site, like photobucket.com. Then, copy the image link (not the html or tag, but the img) and paste it in the post. You can preview the post to see if it worked.
Mmmmm... Salmon. It's leftover pizza here tonight :D


Andrea - lol :rotflmbo: ... meatball! And, fewer feedings w/ more food is fine as long as it all adds up at the end of the day. Oh, and have you tried a nipple shield w/ Maddie? It might fake her out and help her latch. I had to start that way w/ both my girls. It took a few weeks, but then they latched w/out it and we never looked back.

Feeding schdules - I keep the girls on the same schedule. They usually wake up hungry about the same times, but if not, I wake the sleepyhead up. I tandem BF first and then give formula bottles. Usually, I make the hungry cry baby wait, change the sleepy one's diaper & let her wake up to all the noise, pour bottles, fill up my water bottle, get us all situated on the bed, on the boppy and by that time sleepy head is awake and hungry. After they BF, I give bottles to both at the same time. God I'm exhausted just typing that out :)

DH is playing w/ Emme right now and Ruby is asleep. I guess I'm just paranoid about the favoritism thing. He's having a wonderful time w/ her.

[Daniele'sTwins]

Well, I am off to bed, Wish me LUCK seeing htat these kids have pretty much slept all day long!

Andrea...I try to keep them on the same scheduale all day but through the night I NEVER wake the other one up. If just one is getting used to sleeping through the night I have to let them do it. I dont want to mess with that. As for feeding them in their sleep, I just really did that today so I could have the help of my cousin feeding, or else I would have let them sleep.

[swineland]

wow....quiet day on the board....where is everyone??

The boys just went down for a nap and I had a few mins to check in. Last night was pretty status quo....down at 9:30, fed every 3 hours. They only took in their usual 2 oz's, tho, so I know that's why they kept waking up. As I said earlier, the tummy sleeping is just SO much better. They love it. So peaceful and they get good continuous sleep whereas before they kept waking themselves up.

Heating bottles: I hate to be the first to admit it, but I do use the microwave. It's only to get them to a lukewarm temp, not to make them warm. I always invert the bottles several times and swirl the formula to even out any hotspots and of course, test on wrist. Saves SO much time. I only started doing this last week when I had absolutely had it with standing in the kitchen at 3am waiting for the heated h20 to warm the bottle....both babies crying for food.

Daytime routine: what's yours?? How long do your babies sleep during the day? Do they sleep when they want or do you put them down for naps? How long in one continuous stretch do they stay awake? When they are awake, what types of things do you do to occupy them?? I only ask this b/c aside from feeding and maybe 30 mins of playtime, mine start to get cranky and tired all over again...they sleep quite a bit during the day. Usually in the morning from 10-12 and then maybe from 2-4 or 5.

I did a rectal temp the other day for the first time! (THEM, not ME! :) ) It wasn't bad at all and I think I got an accurate reading. I just made sure to lube up the end with some petroleum jelly before I "went in". haha.

Curious: does anyone on here actually subscribe to the Twins Magazine that hosts this message board?? If so, is it any good?

Twins noticing each other: mine have just starting doing it too...and they both grin at each other, it is the cutest thing. Like yours, it just melts my heart.

Bumbo seat: went to Target yesterday and bought one. Was thinking about it anyway, but reading your posts, especially yours Daniele about reading to them and how they look at each other, made me want one pronto. They only had one left. We tried it out and I'm thinking in maybe 2 more weeks they'll be perfect for it. We still have a little head wobble going on.... :) But it sure looks cute to see your baby sitting up like that.....like a little toddler!

Hope you all have a terrific weekend......
Steph

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hey there Steph...first of all I have been starting to heat my bottles for 20 seconds in the microwave too. The only reason they say not to is because of hot spots but like you I just do it so it is lukewarm and I shake it really good after and test on my wrist.

As for my daytime routine...I kinda let them sleep when they want to sleep. I have been wanting to put them in their cribs for a nap but I haven't yet because I let them sleep on their bellies and I dont want them that far from me/. I either let them sleep on the floor on a blanket or in the swings. For fun I read to them, dance with them, sing to them or just talk to them they love it! My boys sleep a lot during the day too. they are up for a couple of hours at a time but take lots of naps.\

Today we went to visit my DH at work and now a couple of my friends from college are headed over. I am soooooo tired I just want to lay on the couch and sleep but time to entertain again.

Last night wa not too good. THey slept so much in the day that last night they were so restless. I know someone said at one point that what kind of sleep do you get when the babies are on their bellies, well the answer to that is NOT GOOD AT ALL. I am like a hawk and every time they make any noise I am up and hanging over the crib. SOOOO TIRED now, but the boys love it.

[qbanmom5]

O.K., I'll fess up. I am a microwaver too. I have been doing it for weeks already cause I couldn't stand that bottle warmer anymore. It took forever. I nuke the water for 15 seconds then add powder. Yes, I shake and shake and test-even though sometimes I cheat cause I can't get a darn drop out fast enough with those tiny holes! Luke still wont take a size 2 nipple. Which reminds me, what do you guys think I should do to make the bottle issue easier for the sitter? Should I premake the bottles and leave them in the fridge? Or should I do like a lot of you and make a pitcher of formula that she can pour as needed? Or should I teach her how to make a bottle (assuming she doesn't already know but I am pretty sure she does cause she has worked in a daycare). It is tough because I usually make 4 sometimes Leia wants more so I make 2 more of which she will drink 1 but I am not comfortable making 1 oz because then its half a scoop and I am afraid of not making it exact. Anyway, what do you guys do? Are you guys still sterilizing everything. I sterilize everything every couple of days and in between wash with hot water and detergent and rinse really well. I was sterilizing after every single use for the first month but I am over it.

Fowl mood for me today. Maybe I am finally getting my period... BTW the kids did a little better last night. Luke slept like all afternoon so I thought he wouldn't sleep at night. But, he went to sleep at like 10:00 then woke up at 1:30 then at 5:45. Big milestone.
gotta run, ters

[Daniele'sTwins]

Ters...I am in a mood today myself.

As for those bottles...I have no patience to wash all of those bottles and nipples so I put it all in the dishwasher.

I am sooo tired.

[swineland]

hahahah.... I KNEW I wasn't the only one on here zapping the bottles :)

[TMoT]

Hello, Ladies!! Can you believe it?! I've actually read almost ALL the posts since my last "visit" -- weeks and weeks ago...!! I've REALLY missed you all :'-) and am SO touched that you were thinking of me too while I was away! So MUCH has happened... And, to make up for all the "lost" time, I'm probably going to make the longest post EVER on this thread -- just to show you that I really have been paying attention, even though I was MIA...! ;-)

First of all: Mindy, my sister (if you'll let me call you that? :throb:) I'm so sad about your news. :'-( You have been such a lovely, radiant light on this thread. The depth and warmth of your posts have always been so uplifting for all of us... I'm so sorry you have to go through this, and SO glad we can (hopefully) be here for you, like you have been for us. xx ...My mom is a breast-cancer survivor, and she is actually working now as an online (phone) counsellor on yme.org for women going through the same thing. If you might ever want to get advice, support or just some love/comfort from someone you kinda "know," I'm sure she would love to be there for you, a "virtual daughter"... :'-) And, btw, I lived in NYC for four years, after college, and it was so nice to hear about your visit there. It makes me homesick...

Heather/Daniele - how are the heart murmur problems going? I hope everything has been diagnosed and treated (?), and/or that your babies' conditions are improving, or stable, at least. I'm sorry if I missed something, but I really hope everything is going okay for you all now. :throb:

Daniele (speaking of which!), it's so awesome to see you "back"!!! :yippee: I was starting to worry that I'd never get the recipe for Brazilian Panty Droppers at our reunion next year! ;-) ...What a story about your delivery and your two babes. Congrats on everything working out so well!! And isn't that sweet that your babies are noticing eachother now!?? Can't wait till D&A do that too... ...And I'm so happy you're having salmon for dinner! We still need that fish to fight post-partum 'baby blues'... Ask me. I'm feeling it!! (!?!) ;-) xox

Heather, didn't you ask about baby "boners"???! DS1 and 3 (Darius) both had/have that A LOT. Just normal. And so cute!! Btw, don't know how the spot under your baby's chin is doing, but it can be yeast. As someone posted, you can use cornstarch and/or powder to keep it dry and even use some stuff against yeast (tea tree/melaleuca balm) to make it go away... Btw, I'm really sorry about all the drama with your job this year and SO impressed about how you're managing it all! You (and Felisha!) are AMAZING!!! I hope a routine is starting to manifest and that it's getting easier by the day, but I sure know how that goes. Take good care of yourself, girl!!!!

Hi, AndreaR! I've been thinking about and missing you, too! :-) Curious to know what happened with your spotting afterall...? I'd say at 8.5 weeks (later now?), that's pretty far along to still be bleeding though. I hope you called your gynie in the meantime??? ...And how are the babies' tummy troubles going? Artemis has had constipation too, but only going every couple of days (or more) is totally normal for bf babies. I've used glycerine suppositories (!) on her a couple of times when I thought it was getting extreme though. They (the suppos) are gentle and natural, and effective. ;-) But just so you know, the more you feed Maddie breastmilk, and the older she gets, the farther apart her bms can get, so don't worry about it too much. ;-) ...About your hairless armpits ;-) (yippee!), I would say that's hormones, and count your blessings!! :-) I had less body hair during pg, but now it's coming back with a vengeance. :-( Oh, and if your milk is low in the late-daytime, try the fennel tea everyone was writing about before. I've been drinking that lately and it really works for boosting "production"! ...I also read your "calm baby" posts with interest. I know everybodies' babies are getting really big, but I find that the sling keeps babies calm and well protected in "busy" environments but still lets me get out of the house, to fight that cabin-fever feeling (Staci too), when I need it... Artemis REALLY wants constant "skin-on-skin," too, so I can do a bit more "hands-free" when she's in the sling...

"Housebound" feeling: Btw, my first OB suggested I get out with DS1 _every_ day, if possible -- to fight the baby blues and to avoid me just crawling the walls. I don't get out every single day now (with TWO babies!), but I really try. My little sister, Abby, is here for the moment :yippee:, so we take the babies out in the slings, or we all go out together when dh is home. It's worked pretty well. I am also trying to keep up on my fish/omega-3 (and, btw, the "dha/ara" stuff in babies' formula is the same as this! See: Good for Babies. Good for Mommy!!! ;-)), but haven't been as diligent as I was during pg. And I AM feeling a bit more weepy these days, so it shows... :-((

Steph: You said you had some constipation problems (with the babies!) too?? I think you were using soy formula at the time, but maybe not anymore? Well, soy is a good alternative for babies who can't handle milk-based formula, but it's also a MAJOR allergen of it's own and might be why it didn't agree with your babes. Well, hope it's all going better now in any case!

...Btw, I LOVED MINDY's nighttime routine approach (and looks like everyone else did too!)! Someone on the June thread had posted about "cluster feedings" (lots of small feedings over a long period of time, usually at night), like you seemed to be suffering, Steph, and for which Mindy's idea is great! I'm also going to try Monica's "extra milk" idea (THANKS, MONICA!) for the evenings, so I can try to get D&A out of the nasty night-time cluster feeding mode they're in... Anyway, if anyone's interested in that link, here it is:

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussy-evening.html

Steph, I'm also going to try to order the Bumbo seats. I've been looking for something like that for the babies, and these look perfect. Just need to find someone who'll ship to Belgium cheaply... Hmmm.

Sleeping at night: D&A sleep on and off all day and are up all night!! That's been pretty much since Day One, and I let it go because we were having a heatwave then and we all just slept through the heat that way. Now, I'm kinda struggling to get them on more of a "normal" schedule, and I read (in case it might interest anyone) that exposure to daylight in the early afternoon improves babies' night-time sleeping patterns. I also found the swaddling (tip I got from you gals!) to work with Artemis because she has tummy troubles, and has always been more of a busy-body (even in utero, as I always said!) and this "settles" her lots more.

Tummy sleeping: As you all know, I conventionally throw convention to the wind (ar ar) and have let the babies tummy sleep since the beginning. It helps a lot with their gas, burps, etc.; and, yes, it helps them to sleep better/longer. I used to even _nurse_ ds1&2 on their tummies in the night-time when they were bigger babies. They would "self-burp" when finished and fall back to sleep faster afterwards.... (?!) Btw, the bf books say that most gassiness comes from babies needing to burp better after feedings. That's for b/f babies, at least. Don't know if it's the same for formula-fed...

Lisa, so fantastic to hear that you're in La La Land now!! You DESERVE it!!! You have been through SO MUCH with this pg and your boys. Time with your family and the babies being good little guys is just what you need! Whew. A-men! Hope it lasts a good, long time!!! :-D

Felisha, you continue to be a wonder! :-) I can't imagine how you do it all. I am in awe. And, btw, YES! In Belgium they tend to make/mix -fresh- baby food themselves! LOL I'll probably do that for a while when babies start on solids -- but not before they're six months old or so, I suppose -- then go to organic baby food in jars. ;-) A friend of mine just told me about letting babies feed themselves _whole_ food though -- like a whole cooked piece of cauliflower or something -- by hand, one at a time, when they're ready... I might just try that this time around to see how it goes... ;-) ...Can't wait to hear the story about the paternity issue. And, YES (again)! I just got on "myspace" too!! I asked for you to make me a "friend" already, and I was thinking of starting a blog there eventually... ;-)

Anyone else have a myspace profile??? Why don't we ALL get one so we can share pics, etc. in the myspace forums? It's so cool - true! And (like this forum) SO addictive, like Felisha wrote!!! ;-)

*sigh*

Staci, cool to read about your lovely dinner and gift from dh! I got my --two crowns/rings that fit into eachother -- gift for the twins :-D, but I could really use a little more romance these days... :-( Salmon is one thing for fighting the baby blues, but there's nothing like a little "quantity time" with your lover-man to get/keep your spirits up. Haven't had much of that here lately, unfortunately. DH is at least as excited as me about my teenage sister being here, though, I swear. They spend the nights/evenings watching movies, playing on the playstation and drinking/smoking -- all stuff I'm not interested in/CAN'T do, and/or too busy (bf-ing) to do!! ...Do I sound bitter? Neglected? Jealous??? Hmm... I guess I AM...!! (!?!) :cool: ...Btw, Staci, my babes have been imitating my mouth movements (and even an 'ahh' sound -- although it comes out like more of a grunt!) since the first day. We did it to try to get the bf latch right. My mom says they can mimick just about everything with the mouth from very early on -- even "spit-bubbles," which they especially enjoy! ;-)

Mirena: I used this about four years ago and had a HORRIBLE experience! :-( I know everyone is different, but my 'device' ended up getting wedged way up high in the uterus and made me bleed. I also still had 'pms' symptoms even tho my period eventually stopped, and I just became more and more irritable over time (basically once the hormones had passed through the kidneys and entered my blood). No periods but all the rest. It was not good.

Gross Tummy: Check. :-( I lost about 33 pounds with the delivery and another ten since then, but I've still got 25 or so to go till my pre-pg weight... Can't wait till I've shrunk as much as Andrea -- as I expected with the b/f -- but it's not going nearly as quickly as I'd like. :-( Even if all the blub goes away, these stretch marks are for life! Was thinking that maybe a tan would help, but who dares expose that grotesque mass to the world?!! We're supposed to be going on a small vacation next week, and if the weather is good, I might risk wearing a bikini!! :eek: We'll be in Germany, though, where everyone is white, overweight and not so lovely to look at in skimpy swimwear, so I'll just blend right in...!!! hee hee.

Saline for noses: This is a really typical solution for kiddy-congestion in Europe. I still use it on my big boys -- to fight off impending colds, etc. -- and it helps to short-circuit infections which would otherwise need antibiotics. If you can't find it in the stores, you can always mix your own (salt and water, ahem ;-)), as long as you don't make it stronger than, say, tears... ;-)

Well, this has certainly ended up being a long post, but I also wanted to make sure I said "hi" and "welcome" to all the new mommies/daddies (?)!! And, Christel, I especially thought "screaming meanies" was very funny! Artemis (my baby girl) is THE PICTURE of that when she's mad (and she's has very few "gears" between sleeping and screaming, so)...! I am bf-ing exclusively, too, and I also wanted to know if you use a special pillow (the ez2nurse one?) or something when you tandem, or what??

Ters (!!) :-D - I also wanted to write that "tag team-ing" as a verb is a new usage that I REALLY appreciated! It's funny, but I'm really LIVING it now (almost every night!), so I found it even painfully accurate for what these little ones do to their mommies...! Also great to be back in touch with you!! :-)

Valerie :-D - Thanks for asking after me! I've been thinking about you too and glad to see you all seem to be doing well! :-)

Belinda & Melinda: Cool to see you here from the June board! I would almost suggest we all just migrate to this thread since it IS so quiet over there, and all our babies are so close in age... Besides, it would make my life easier for one! ;-)

Monica - you're my inspiration! Can't believe how great you're doing with the bf, and what a super idea with the frozen b/m. I think I'm going to try to pump now just to start putting a supply together so I can do the big evening feed -- like you and Mindy suggest. You're such incredible mommies!!! :-)) Very sorry about your step-dad too. I wish you and your family lots of strength and courage in dealing with his passing... :-(

...Well, there's still TONS I would like to write -- of course! And to say "hi" to Jill, RACHEL??!?, Stacey, Andrea, et al.... I'm SURE I've missed lots and that I've probably mixed up some of the posts/posters, but I hope you'll all understand...?? (It's taken me HOURS, literally, to make this post, so...!!) I'll write again, SOON -- I promise! -- to actually let you all know more about what's going on with us, specifically, but the biggest news is basically that the babes have both grown two pounds beyond their birthweights (in 5.5 weeks) and are doing fantastic (praise the Lord!), so I am very proud of us! ...Mommy is tired, but I've got LOTS of love and support from DH, and, now, from my little sister too. So it could be a lot worse! We're also trying to keep up our rock star life as much as possible ;-) -- day-tripping, going to concerts and sightseeing -- but with some obvious constraints, as you can all imagine. ;-)

I'll write more about it later and will hopefully have a chance to add more recent pics to my siggy sometime soon too... Till then, though: Much love to all of you, and of course, I'll be thinking of everyone till I have the chance to catch up again!! xoxox

[AndreaR]

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who's tired...

For the past four evenings, one or both of the girls have been so irritable. They make "fussy" look appealing. Right now I have a huge knot in between my shoulder blades. My only saving grace is that they take turns. Isabelle goes first and then Madeline. I'm too tired to give the details, but I'm really bummed out at DH right now. I feel like he doesn't really know how I feel.

Bottle washing - we leave a big bowl in our sink and we dump the dirty bottles in there. When the bowl is full (or if I feel like it), we wash everthing with soap and water and then throw it all in one of those microwave sterilizers. We only have one kid drinking from a bottle though..

Routines - I do not wake anyone who is sleeping, night or day. I am desperate for a routine, but I don't know what is best. This late day craziness is wearing on me quickly. It feels like I'm doing something wrong during the day with their schedule, but I don't know what. I am grateful that once they go down for the night (usually by 7:00), they sleep for 3 -5 hours at a time and they wake up eat and go right back to sleep. Until 4am, which seems to be when they want to be up for the day. Does anyone else have trouble with evening fussiness? I guess I should count my blessings. It really could be worse.

I just ate 10 Snackwell creme sandwich cookies. TEN! And I was good all day too. Oh well.

Does anyone use a video monitor? We have one, but that means we can only watch one baby. I don't think it will work if we get another set, because the signals will interfere with eachother, right? Right now we use the one we have for Isabelle at night, because Madeline sleeps in the room with us. But I want to get her in their room soon, before it's too late! hahaha

Steph - I don't subscribe to the magazine. I, too, wonder if it's good. Though I dont' really have any time to read these days. It's all I can do to keep up with "What to Expect The First Year."

Christel - Thanks for the tip on the nipple shield. I have tried it a few times with no luck, but I should keep trying.

The girls have been noticing eachother more and more. Today was the first time when they were doing it at the same time. Usually one of them will be enthralled with the other, but the other wants nothing to do with it. Today they were very cute. Got lots of video footage. They were 10 weeks yesterday. I had them both on the activity mat/gym this morning. They were on their backs, and for the first time they were kicking and punching the hanging things. It's so awesome to watch them do new things.

Now I'd like to watch them sleep through the night. LOL!

Does anyone have anything romantic planned for the weekend? I wish I weren't so tired.........

AndreaR

[AndreaR]

OMG SHERRY!!! I jsut saw your post. It looks like a book. I can't wait to read it!

[LucasMom]

Quickly, as Dh and I are about to have a romantic dinner on the deck by candlelight to celebrate his new job offer coming through today!!

Sherry-Welcome back, Lady!! I missed you! Your kiddies are as radiant and beautiful as their mommy! I love the smiles! Thank you for your well wishes, and I am maintaining a positive vibe that all will come out fine, and this will just be a scare. Please, my boobs are one of the only attractive and relatively unscathed parts of my body at this point! Someone has to cut Mommy a break over here!:rotflmbo:

OK, all of you with the microwaving are so cute, but I have to go with my girl Felisha here...the kiddies do not know the difference between tap and microwaved warm water, besides the fact that I now use a Pampered Chef powdered drink pitcher (love it, great buy!!) and make up 3 qts. of water to 48 scoops of powder which gives me 4 quarts, and I just pour it straight from the pitcher and feed them. So I guess I am the evil mommy who gives the kids cold formula, however they are not complaining... I will say with Lucas, I was a microwaver, but after awhile, it's like the sterilizing thing, you realize what is and isn't necessary. I use the dishwasher and a nipple holder thingy in there.

Schedules- On days that I am home all day or roughly. They wake 7-8, eat, playtime with mommy or in bouncy chairs, floormats, cat nap in crib for about an hour from 9:30-10:15, eat, play again, put down for a nap bewteen 12 and 1 and they sleep for a three hour nap. Up at 4ish, feed, play, do errands, hang with the family while we eat dinner, eat at 6ish again (small bottle), cat nap from 6:30-7:30, play for an hour or so, bath (alternate nights) baby rubdown, into dark room, feed big bottle (8 oz for Logan, 7 for Dylan) and sleep at 9-9:30.

This is an approximate...I take them to work with me two days a week right now. I hold my meetings in my Starbucks , so on those days I go in right after the AM feed and they are awake from like 8-2. They sleep on the way home, and I change them and put them right to sleep and they will sleep from 2-5:30, and then follow the rest of the nighttime routine.


Ters- Glad you got a bit of rest.
Lisa- Glad you are feeling so relaxed these days!
Val- where are you?
Steph-How is the new formula going? How do you like the bumbo? The only reason I am holding out is that a lady on Craiglist told me her son grew out of it by 5 months because he had chubby legs. Well, have you seen my little chubby monkeys?!!
Monica-You continue to amaze me!
Heather-How is work in your new, yucky room?
Felisha-Twin moms should come with a warning sign for work "don't mess with me, I have twins and I'll kick your A@@!":rotflmbo: You also rock, with your Mom power! I love the Bday idea for your daughter. I always worry about Lucas feeling left out. I worried so much, they made a TV show about me worrying!!!:crazy:
AndreaR-You sound like you found a good helper in Ronit-still offering to take her off of your hands whenever you need it!!!
Jill- Where are you?
Danielle- Hope your day got better and you had fun with your college friends. My 10 year reunion was last year, and I had the same feelings all of you guys were talking about, and no one I went to school with and was friends with has kids yet !! Slackers!

Ok, that was not a quick post!! I am sure I forgot someone, but I was having June board withdrawl, being at work today and so busy that I didn't talk to you guys today! Tomorrow, Dh is golfing while I do some shopping, and Sunday, entertaining 15 family members from NY for the day whom have not seen the house or the babies yet!! Fun!! Next week is my last week home, and then back to work for me!! Boo Hoo (sniffle). I miss my little peanuts already!!

OK!!! Enough from me. Time for some salmon, a glass of wine, and maybe some lovin' if I can stay awake long enough!!:rotflmbo: Love to all, write tomorrow!

:throb: Mindy

[christel]

Have to chime in on the bottle thing...

Mindy - I'm mean mommy, too... it's cold from the fridge every time. We microwaved before that and did the hot water baths before that. Not anymore!

Cleaning - I'm the biggest slacker! I put the bottles in the fridge as SOON as they finish and reuse them 1-2 more times. If it's okay for pump parts, it's okay for bottles. Then, they go in the dishwasher. I rarely sterilize anymore. And I don't handwash unless it's an emergency. Well, except for the Podee bottle tubes.

Sherri - I use a boppy pillow for tandem nursing. However, the girls are quickly outgrowing it, so I'll have to suck it up and get an EZ nurse pillow. I have the Anna pillow and don't like it.

Andrea - when I used nipple shields for the girls, I would get some pumped milk in a syringe (it had a curved plastic tip that would fit through the opening of the shield) and put it in the tip of the shield. As soon as the girls started sucking they were rewarded. So, then they kept going until my milk let down. I didn't have to do that very long before they caught on... 'cause it is a big pain in the booty.

Sleeping - we were given the coolest contraption for the crib. It's called Gentle Vibrations Crib Soother. It turns the matress into a bouncy seat. The best part is that it can be voice activated. So, you turn it on, it runs for a while and then shuts off... but if the babies cry, it starts back up again! Ruby's figured out how to activate it :rotflmbo: We'll hear the thing go off, then she'll let out one loud scream, it'll start again and she goes back to sleep! Smartie pants :) When we move them to 2 cribs, I'm buying another one.

[swineland]

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.....no posts today!

I went out this afternoon by myself to see World Trade Center w/Nic Cage. It was really very good, I thought. I did not want to and didn't see Flight 93, being that it was about one of the flights it just hit too close to home and I felt it would have been upsetting to see. This movie, however, tells the story of two Port Authority cops who get trapped under the rubble. I really like Nicholas Cage and I also love Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays one of the wives. (Of course, I LOVE her brother Jake too :) )

Ok gals....I am having such a hard time feeling close to my DH right now. It seems like when he comes home from work, he dashes in to kiss the boys (who I am usually holding on my lap) and then "forgets" to give ME a kiss too. We rarely spend any good one on one time any more and sometimes here lately it just feels like we are two friends, or roommates, living here and raising 2 babies. I know this is just a rut we're in and that all relationships ebb and flow, but it makes me sad. We've been bickering and unfortunately sarcasm is an evil part of our dialogue. He thinks I'm being very controlling and acting like "the boss" b/c I keep the babies on a schedule and try to do the same routine every day (as far as the babies are concerned). I think he doesn't respect what I'm doing by trying to get them on a schedule and I resent his not understanding where I'm coming from with this. Plus, he's really miserable at work right now and most of the time he comes home irritated and grouchy, except for when he's with the babies...that makes him happy. As for he and I as a couple, well, right now it's just sorta "blah". Plus, and I've never said this to anyone, but DH has gained close to 40 lbs in the last year due to stress, sleeping problems, etc.....and I really don't find that I feel a "spark" anymore when I look at him. Just sorta turned off. Isn't that awful that I feel that way?? I would never say that to him, but I feel it nonetheless. I miss my husband.....just seems like we're on totally different pages right now. Plus, now that I'm a SAHM I think he's got the "but I go out to work everyday and make the money" thing going on...which I totally hate. I work too! I may not make any $$, but I work all day long in this house. He's always asking me to rub his shoulders, rub his neck, and NEVER offers to rub anything of mine, that's for sure. Whew, I'm just venting.......I'm sure in a few days this will all blow over.

Going to bed :)
'
Steph

[LucasMom]

OK, Steph, I have to make this quick...this is a normal part of having kids. We went through this with Lucas, and it is adjusting to the fact that your life is not YOUR life anymore. It is the hardest part of having children. I wish I could give you the best answer to make it fixed and all better, but each couple is different. You are not just you guys anymore, you are a "MOM" and he is a "DAD". My Dh also gained alot of weight, and frankly never really lost it after Lucas, but the reason you don't feel the spark goes deeper than that. It sounds weird, but may I suggest you sit down and agree to a talk session? Agree to hear each other out without getting defensive, and let eachother finish sentences before arguing your point? We went to therapy after Lucas was born, and it was really helpful. We still fight now, but with the stress of three kids, and two jobs, we try to make jokes out of it more so than "winning the arguement". If you let these feelings fester inside, instead of talking them out, they will only grow into resentment. But you can make it better, it just takes work, and some realization that while your life will never be the same again, in a year you will have a whole new apprecation for eachother. After the sleep deprivation wears off, you will see him in a new light, as a great dad, and he will see this in you too. You need to talk about the fact that you are a team now. Just a quick viewpoint. I have ALOT of experience in this area. We were so sucky at it after Luke was born, that we ended up separating for 6 months, living in separate apts. and everything! It was because neither of us could talk to eachother, so we let it get that bad. You can PM me if you want some actual tips from the therapist we saw that were extremely helpful. This is all due to the biggest change you will ever have in your life, short of marriage itself. It will get better!

Also, try taking some half naked pics of yourself with the digital camera, and telling him to look at the new pics you took of the kids today:D Surprise!!I do this every once in awhile, and it always gets at least a smile out of my dh! You have to remind him you are thinking of him, too. He may feel like all you have time for is the kids right now. Besides, don't you want to see what you look like naked?:rotflmbo:

Keep your chin up, kiddo! It gets better, I promise. We joke to each other that in 2026, we are going to have alot of sex, the year the twins graduate from college!

Hope I said something that helps!

PS- think about the male weight gain this way, "he gained weight because he loves me. He knows the fatter he is, the smaller I LOOK!!!! What a nice husband he is!

Thinking of you...:throb:
Mindy

[megzmom]

Steph-Hi my local buddy. I was thinking of you all day yesterday. We were at Target and I was hoping Id bump into you. Next Sat we are going there to get the boys' pictures for the first time. As for you and your dh, yes its normal but it should still be addressed. I agree with Mindy. His weight gain isnt the MAIN reason you dont have the spark. I bet if he spoiled you and dated you again the spark would reinite. Is your mom still here? If so, maybe you can arrange a date. Suprise him. I know it might feel like he should be doing this for you. I am not great at the advice thing. But if you EVER need to just talk I would love for you to call me. We are so close that we could meet somewhere on the weekends.

I havent read any post the past few days so I will go back and read.

love you all!

[megzmom]

okay read the posts.

Steph- Iagree with everyone too. Zack is so big he doubled his weight at 1 1/2 months. Next time with the shots, give them a little tylenol dont remember how much yet an hour before the shots and bring along a small bottle for each. My boys stopped crying immediately with the bottle. I didnt give meds for the 1mth shot. their 2 months is on Thursday.

Smiling- YEAH... they both are smiling now. I knew I was worrying for nothing but it hard when everyone else is reaching milestones and yours arent. I started to worry for nothing.

Cobedding-I cant have them cobed. They move around so much I am afraid that they will smother each other. I am alos taking out the bumper pad. THeir heads are smooshed up there. Lately they are waking themselves up because their hand goes underneath the pad and inbetween the rails.

Cereal-I started giving the boys 1-2Tbsp of rice cereal at nite. THey were drinking 4 oz every 3 hours but seemed still hungry but didnt want the bottle??? Its been 3 days and they both have slept for so long at night. Last night we put them to bed at 9 and they woke up at 7:30!!!

wORK- It has been a good class so far but when I get home its soo hard. My mil must hold them all day because they dont stop fussing for HOURS!!!


Crying-last night I had my bil, mil and mom over for dinner. THe boys started their early evening crying spell. I put one down and said give him a few minutes. Sure enough the grandmas went in and picked him up. I am very frustrated because this has been the worst week for them crying. It feels like the first 2 weeks home. We already talked to my mil many times and she said oh yes. I dont pick them up for just being a little fussy. They have totally regressed from self soothing. Any suggestions????

What is the sitting up item that you are all talking about?? One thing my boys are is strong! They are almost holding their heads erect for a little bit and they do push ups!!! We call them chunky monkies they are so big. We had to move to #2 nipples and #2 diapers.

Enfamil coupons-PM me if you want some. I have the reg and some for Gentlease.

[swineland]

Hey all....

Thanks for all your words of advice. I think I'm just going through a "phase".... and I think part of that, obviously, is b/c of our new life and the changes it has brought. For a little info on DH and I: we are both "only" children, he's 35, I'm 31. He is very "safe", does things by the rules, not a risk-taker AT ALL, likes the status quo, doesn't really like to travel all that much and sees food as a necessity...like gas in a car. On the other hand, we have much the same sense of humor, he is the most honest person in the world, he is humble and wouldn't dare "toot his own horn", no ego at all. He is caring and incredibly sweet...when he is. Now for me, I am a flight attendant, have travelled all over the place (Paris, Nice, Venice, London, Costa Rica, St. Thomas/St. John, Edinburgh, Dublin, etc), I love a good bottle of wine and a nice dinner b/c it is an experience, not just "food", like to do different things, get bored easily, etc. I think that right now I am experiencing a little envy for the way things could have been in my life. I love my husband, yes I do. And I LOVE my children, they are my world now. I can say without reservation though that I sometimes think of what it would be like to have a husband who loves all the things I love.....who doesn't mind throwing $200 on a dinner for two (he would DIE). A lot of our issues come from the birth order thing.....we, as only children, have a hard time picking our battles and unfortunately we usually end up picking the same battle....which leads to a huge disagreement/argument for which we never truly resolve....we just agree to disagree basically. I am of the belief that in a relationship if something means a lot to one person, then the other person should give in if it doesn't mean as much to them. DH thinks, OTOH, that it's 50/50 all the way and that we should always strive to find things that make us BOTH happy, in all situations. Who's right and who's wrong? I have no idea. ANyway, I think after 4 years of this I have sort of fallen a bit out of love, I hate to say. I love him, I just don't know if I'm enthralled anymore. But, I would never do anything drastic, no divorce or anything. Especially now with the kids. They need us :) He's a wonderful father and despite all of this he really is a terrific husband. I don't have to worry about where he is, is he at a strip club? or a bar with the guys? is he a work-a-holic? No. He goes to work and then comes home to his family. I guess I'm just feeling the whole "grass is greener on the other side" thing. Which I KNOW it isn't..... This too shall pass, I hope and pray.

I am using the Target "compare to" Enfamil Gentlease formula. It's EXACTLY the same thing. (Target has "compare to" brands.....they are copies....not just store brands...but since we all shop at Target like crazy, I'm sure you knew that :) ) Anyway, it's $15 a can so it saves some $$$. The boys like it...not one problem yet. Go ahead Lisa...you can have the Gentlease coupons... :)

Well, I have more thank-yous to write. I appreciate what you all had to say in response to my first post......just feeling a tad bit unhappy in the marriage department.

Talk soon...
Steph

[swineland]

me again...ok, now I feel totally guilty for saying the things I did above. I think I just needed to vent and get some of the thoughts that go through my mind out in the open. I do sometimes tend to concentrate on the negative aspects, thinking that all is wrong, when really it's just what any normal couple goes through. Marriage is not a walk in the park sometimes....as many of you know. Anyway, didn't mean to come across as "heavy" before or imply that I was in a doomed marriage....I think I'm just mental right now. Oh, and I've got my period :crazy:

Steph

[LucasMom]

steph-this is the last place you ever need to mince words or apologize for anything!!!vent away!

:throb: min

[megzmom]

Steph- I agree please dont ever apologize here. We know how big our emotions can be at this new time in our life. I think your feelings are PERFECTLY normal.

Making formula-on the back of similac it says to mix 24oz with 1cp formula...much better than counting. I lost count so many times and had to waste formula. THis is much better.

microwave-I am sooo glad that you alot of you are doing it too. I felt so guilty about it. I also do 20-30 depending on amount

EZ2 pillow-used it once hated it. Sitting in closet collecdting dust.


Sherry- I LOVE your pictures

Cleaning-I put the dirty bottles in a plastic dishpan with soap and water to soak until I get the energy to clean. Works great.

Food-I made the food for my dd. COoked veggies and mixed in a small food processor then stored in recycled baby jars.

Cereal-feeding boys 2TBS every night and they slept for 10hrs last night!!!

Health/finances-boys have their kidney testing on THursday along with their 2mth check up. Pray that the tests go well and no surgery. All these dr apts are really hurting us financially. S till getting new bills from the birth and hospital stay.

Some of these might have been repeats. I posted a very long post and it froze. I was soooo upset :(

[AndreaR]

phew....exhausted after wrestling izzy down to sleep. it's like this too many nights. i can't figure out what to change during the day to make it easier on her at night. i have tried the whole spectrum of activity (from none to a lot) as well as naps. meanwhile dh is sitting/laying in his chair with madeline on top of him. that's what he does.....every night he comes home from work and all weekend. he sits in front of the tv with maddie on top of him. he gets up to change her and feed her (i'm notcomplaining about that part at ALL), but then it's right back to the chair. i know he works hard all day, but i would really like him to put her down for two reasons: one, so she'll learn how to sleep on her own, and two, so he does more stuff around the house (or even with me!). he thinks he's the best dad in america because he spends so much time "taking care" of her. how friggin hard is it to sit in front of the tv and hold a baby!?? anyway, i guess i needed to vent about my husband too.

steph - please don't apologize for sharing with us. we always understand. i admire you for being honest with your feelings. many people would keep that stuff in or pretend to themselves that they don't feel that way. marriage is always a lot of work, but now you've got the twins compounding it. my dh and i are very different in many ways, like you guys. it's really really hard sometimes. i totally know how you feel. i like what mindy had to say, and i really like lisa's idea of getting away for a bit. i find that removing myself from the situation helps me figure out my feelings more clearly. my dh is a home-body, and i love to travel. this is one of the bigger issues i have with him. his idea of vacation is to take days off from work and do chores and projects around the house. ugh. luckily, we have a nice house with a pool, so it's the not the worst place in the world to be. and for all my complaining, i do love him so. i have been going to see a therapist for a couple of years. before i was pg, i had mild depression, so i started seeing someone who specialized in infertility. she is great with couples issues. and if i hadn't been taking all of my dh issues to her for the past three years, i don't know how my marriage would have survived. she has really ,really helped me be a good partner and to understand him better.

sherry - it's so great to hear from you. it sounds like you guys are doing very well. i love your pictures, too. i have a few baby carriers, the bjorn, as well as two slings. one is the moby wrap, which i love to use with maddie. unfortunately, we didn't use if for like 10 days because of the heat wave (there's a ton of fabric, and it's thick cotton and it was WAY TOO HOT with the both of us together underneath it). after that, she didn't love it as much. i need to keep trying it because not only is it great for their development, it totally helps me get things done around here. i haven't worn them out of the house yet, because we have to drive to get anywhere, i just leave them in their car seats. i use the bjorn with isabelle. she likes it, but not all the time. maddie is not big enough for the bjorn yet.

i am going into work tomorrow to resign. when i got pg, i knew that i wasn't going back, but i took the maternity leave so i could get paid (how wrong is that? everyone does it, right?). i was supposedly going back to work in september. there is no way i want to go back to my old job, and i don't want to work right now, but i do feel like i might like to do something part time sooner or later. the disability pay has stopped, so now i don't have any of my own money. dh and i have separate bank accts, so now i'm totally reliant on him. i am a little concerned about this. i'm a spender, and until now, it hasn't been an issue, because i've always had my own money to spend. now i feel like i have to ask for money. we've talked about it a little, but we need to continue the conversation. needless to say, my days of retail therapy might be over. oh well.... it was good while it lasted!!

heather - glad to hear you survvived your first days of school. i was thinking about you. sorry about the issues with your mil. at the risk of getting into a tiff with her, i would raise the issue again and tell her what you need her to do. they're your kids. i know, easier said than done.

lisa - it sounds like you had a such a great visit with your mother. you will be fine "on your own." don't forget about us! we're always here for you.

lastly - as you know, i'm breastfeeding izzy. i've been trying to give her one bottle a day, so she'll be used to it for the times when i'm not here for a feeding. she HATES the bottle. so i've got one kid who hates the bottle and one kid who hates the boob. AAAHHH!! how do i get isabelle used to the bottles? i've tried a few different kinds of nipples. she hates them all. i'd appreciate any advice, if you have it.

have a good night!

andrear

[swineland]

Dear lord, Andrea.....I could have written your post with regards to DH. My husband does the EXACT SAME THING. All he does is lay on the couch with Evan on his chest and watches TV. That's one of the reasons he kinda got annoyed with me b/c I took away his "Evan chest time" in order to keep a bedtime routine going. I didn't want, 6 months down the road, to have a baby who only knew how to fall asleep by being on daddy's chest. So now DH asks...am I allowed to have some time with E on my chest tonight? I'm like, ugh, don't ask me that, like I'm the warden or something. I'm doing this for their own good.....babies NEED a routine. Also, when you said that your DH's idea of a vacation is to take a week off of work and do projects around the house...OMG, I can't believe there is someone else like that in the world. That is my husband TOTALLY.

I'm just amazed.......we are a lot alike.

Heather, how are ya girl?? I would still love to meet up with you someday...maybe on a weekend. Intrigued about this rice in the bottle thing you got going on....let me know if you continue to get good results :)

Going to bed...hugs to all...
Steph

[mmzill]

Hey everyone~

I totally understand about the husbands not doing much, but thinking they are like super dad because they change one diaper. This is definetly the place to vent and not feel bad about it. We are here for each other.

Thanks for the encouragement - that I inspire some of you. I'm quite honored. All of us are terrific mothers, doing exactly what our babies need. Mommy's instinct if a very real thing. Don't second guess yourself. And at least on this board we can share ideas and bounce things off one another.

My dh left this morning for a business trip. He'll be gone until WEDNESDAY!! This morning I was quite worried......but my day went suprisingly well. The boys napped good in the morning and in the afternoon. Then a friend came over this evening and helped w/ the boys so I could get dd to bed. We'll see how the night goes. It seems like the boys are finally getting their sleep grouped together some. They have more alert times and are so darn cute!

I am worried that Nathan isn't growing enough. He is 9 lbs or so, but Anthony is like 12 or more. I try to feed him whenever he is hungry, but I'm just worried. I guess since I'm bf I tend to second guess how much he is getting. But he seems to be happy and developing along with Anthony...just smaller. Nathan never does eat as much as Anthony though, so I'm sure that has everything to do with it.

Cleaning Bottles - I just rinse mine, then put them in the dishwasher.

Schedule - I never wake a baby to feed him. So they sometimes eat at the same times, but not very often. Plus with A being so much bigger, he eats less often. This evening they were both down by 9:30, hopefully they will not be awake for the day until 7 or 8, then they take a morning nap around 9 or 10 for a couple hrs, then they are awake and nap again around 2 or so. The evenings are the biggest challenge. I like for them to be awake for a little while in the evenings so they are ready to go to sleep before too late. I think an night time routine is a wonderful thing. I did it with my dd, and she was sleeping through the night by 3 mos old. She very early wanted to go to sleep by 6:30 or 7 in the evening. You have to just watch your babies cues and don't keep them up if they are wanting to call it a night. (We'll see with the boys) My problem with the routine is getting three kids all bathed at night. I'm so tired by the end of the day. And dh isn't home until after 6.

Well, off to bed. Have a good one!
~Monica

[AndreaR]

Steph - you and I could go on vacation together and leave the home-bodies behind! LOL

[twinsmakethree]

hi everyone

Im glad to see that everyone is hanging in there for the most part!! I miss u guys alot we have been busy trying to get on a schedule and now i actually have to make a new one for the fall since its time to homeschool my dd she begins 9th grade so that is a big deal for her.

The twins are doing great ruwaydah is now 11 pds 5 ozs and 23inches nusaybah is 13 pounds 10 ozs and 24 inches( you should see the cheeks on her and the thighs are turkeys in themselves,lol. we survived their shots, well they survived i cried alot, they ran fevers the next day and was cranky so i did the only thing i knew to do at the time, CRIED:crazy: but we lived to tell the story!!

Ruwaydah has something called laryngo malacia it is when a part of the throat that is made of cartlidge is not yet matured it makes for a small obstruction we thought it was asmtha because there is a weezing sound but it is the sound of her air when she breathes out the narrow passage they use to operate but now thy say they wait for it to correct itself when they are around 18 months. so we are keeping an eye on that. Now that she has a cold it makes her sometimes have milk come through the nose its scary at the time because she seems to not be able to breathe.

sleeping- mine are sleeping on their stomatchs i placed them on their stomatchs once i saw thy could lift their hads well, but they sleep in my room the crib is right next to us. usually end up in my bed during the night

Mindy I hope all is well with you you are in my thoughts

Monica- i am only breastfeeding as well and i get paranoid about the weight of ruwaydah because she is smaller than her twin but i am told this is normal as long as they are progressing its no worry

feeding- i am going to attempt to make their fruits not the veggies though it seems to have more involved then just the fruits so we will see i dont plan to start solids until mths. I thought about cereal but im afraid that if nu nu is on cereal someone will really mistake her for a turkey

Sleep- they sleep pretty well i can get maybe 7 hrs out of them i just decided to sleep when they sleep at night so when they lay down for the night so do i when i dont i am Queen B for real, so needless to say everyone wants me to get sleep and plenty of it!!!

I found some cool websites i will try to link when i get time

Steph- dont worry things get like that from time to time i have been married for 12 yrs and got married at 19 ( my husband is 16 yrs my ssenior!!) believe me sparks die then reignite, its just about compromise and communication and kinkiness works too;) Put on that flight uniform and take him around the world!! I had to turn my husband out plenty of times sometimes they dont know what they like until its introduced!!! dont ask to go to the hotel or the restaraunt just do it maybe the first time will be your treat just to show him what hes missing then the next time he will want to just have a date night once a month to renew your relationship have him commit to it its like committing to the relationship!!

ok i have to go i will try to catch up on everyone asap

oh felicia- men can be jerks for sure but one thing i have to advise if he wants to be apart of their lives even if its sparingly allow it i know from experience not having a parent in your life can be a painful thing. I hope your
situation works out for the better of everyone, he sure will be missing some beautiful babies!!

Ok i am going to eat my friends believe that i am anarexic(sp) so im going to write down everything i eat so they can get off my back, i know they are trying to help but its annoying, for one im feeding 2 children 2 my whole family are sticks i never was huge! and two let me enjoy my skinniness especially since my boobs have decided to head south, yuck!!!! Implants anyone????

ok talk to everyone soon

andrea

[twinsmakethree]

AndreaR- Are you giving her the bottle if you are dont i had my dh or dd give the bottles because they wouldnt take it from me i use playtex nursers itworks pretty well sorry i cant give more help

[LucasMom]

Andrea- You are too funny! When are we gonna see some pics of your little "turkeys"?? I want to see them! I wish people would tell me I look like I'm anorexic! OK, thats just wrong, but really, I asked for a tapeworm as a birthday present this year!

[swineland]

Hi everyone!

Mindy, you crack me up... a tapeworm....hahahah. I also make a big batch of formula and keep it in a plastic serve container. I use the blender, so I'm able to make a day's worth and there are no clumps and my arm doesn't feel like it's going to fall off from shaking bottles. I would love to not warm up the bottles, but they really don't do well with cold formula, they sputter and gag. Of course, I think they are just manipulating me into warming it up :)

Anyone want 2 cats that pee on bath mats and throw up on the floor every morning?? Let me know, I'll throw in a years supply of carpet cleaner. (and free shipping)

Andrea, thanks for the advice on DH and I laughed about your idea for me to put my flight attendant uniform on...... To be honest, I think we'd both start laughing. Which is probably a good thing :)

Last night at 2 am when I went to the fridge for MORE formula, I opened the door and there was a red envelope staring back at me. DH had gotten the sweetest card, saying he was sorry for how things don't seem perfect to me and that I deserve the best and he loves me. Of course, that's the DH I know and love.

WEll, I need to run real quick....will post more later :)

STeph
p.s. is anyone else doing cereal?? what your thoughts/opinions on this topic??

[vthompson]

You ladies have been busy!! I have been reading all the posts, but have not had time to post myself. I apologize in advance for not addressing everyone, but there are so many posts!

Steph - I like the advice of just planning something for you and DH, take matters into your own hands!! I think that is really sweet that he left you a card. He must have sensed how you were feeling, or he logged on and read your post (ha, ha!!).

Andrea - I wish people would call me anorexic (sp?)!! I really want to see pics of your babies!! Try and post some when you get a chance!!

Cereal - I am also very curious about this. Corey just will not sleep longer then 3-4 hours and I was wondering about giving him cereal. Any advice/thoughts on this would be appreciated. What do you buy? How do you use it? When can you give it to them? I just have so many questions!

Aghhh...I really wanted to post more, but Corey is crying...of course! It has been a VERY trying weekend with him. I ended up switching his formula from Isomil to the Alimentum, the same that Kayley is on. He has spent many days crying and fussing. Saturday night, we took them to this festival, and he started the crying while eating...I couldn't get him to stop. I had to hold back tears and we left. I love him so much, but he is so hard to deal with. I just do not know what else to do with him. I am so frustrated. Luckily, after we brought them home Saturday my mom came over so we could go out for a little while. I felt really guilty leaving him when he didn't feel well, but I think I was going to loose my mind. I just want him to feel better! He is so adorable when he is happy...but it seems like these times are few and far between...ok, I really wanted to vent some more, but he is really crying now. Gotta go!!

Valerie

p.s. I missed my June friends this weekend!!

p.p.s. Lisa, I pm'd you back!

[vthompson]

The little bugger fell back to sleep as soon as I hit reply...

Mindy - I just wanted to say what great advice you give everyone. You are such a caring individual!!

Monica - I was so glad to read your posts and hear about the boys!! As someone said, you, Sherry, and Andrea are truly inspirations to me with breastfeeding. I really thought I would still be doing it...knowing how hard it is, you should all be very proud of yourselves!

Sherry - It was so great to hear from you!! I am glad that everyone is doing well. I loved your pics...too sweet!

Thought I had more time, but now Kayley is up and she STINKS!!

Valerie

[sgarrett]

wow I am so behind I know I cannot respond to everyone!

Tummy sleeping: Aiden seems to prefer to sleep this way, they are in a cosleeper next to me. Besides my 1st son they told me not to let him sleep on his back, they will probaly change their minds again!

Cereal: My hubby is dying to try this b/c my bil told him it makes them sleep. The doc says he would not reccomend it, it could cause tummy problems or food allergies if done to early. That being said I know tons of people do it with no problems I am just a fraidy cat!

Sherry: It was great to "hear" from you! I love your pics too cute. Can not wait to hear more!

Steph: I am so glad your hubby left you the card, it really is the little things. I like the flight attendant uniform idea myself, how fun! Maybe you could get some propeller pasties!

Bottles: We wash them in the dishwasher.

Schedule: What is a schedule? Would someone please explain it to Aiden and Isabelle b/c whenever I try they just do not get it!

Breastfeeding: I am breastfeeding and bottle feeding. Question it still hurts soooo bad when Aiden first latches on for like the first 5 min. What am I doing wrong? I mean I have to sit there and grit my teeth it hurts soo bad!

When in the office the first time today, it was so sad. I missed the little boogers. When I left I went to say goodbye to Isabelle and Sara(nanny) was holding her. She would not take her eyes off of Sara! I was so jealous! Now I am home and they are both sleeping, are'nt they suppose to be devasted that I was gone?

Someone asked about making bottles for their nanny, I just showed her how to do it and little her take care of it. I mean when she gets here there are usually a couple left over from the "night batch" but she makes more.

Last night we tried putting the babies to bed without us first time. We rocked them for like 30 min singing songs to them. Which was pretty fricken funny b/c neither of us know any nusery rhymes, we were singing ACDC songs, Prince, Rod Stewart and Quiet Riot. Than we layed them in the co sleeper and left. They screamed bloody murder! I would go back in every 3 minutes (that is as long as I could take it) and try to sooth them without picking them up. They finally fell asleep at about 10:30. They woke up every 2hours and 45 minutes last night. AARRGGGHHHH! I have got to get some sleep, I am a complete dumba$$ at work. My brain just does not work without sleep! It is really embarrassing sometimes.
Take care Mommies!

Love,

Staci

[LucasMom]

OK, everyone is asleep, it is 9:34, I am home alone tonight, Dh is at the Phillies game with my dad, and I am just getting some peace and quiet for a minute before I go do 14 loads of laundry. I am eating a bowl of red beans and rice left over from my "spanish inquisition" yesterday. I am drinking a glass of milk. Milk and beans and rice...the dinner of a tired mommy of three all alone!! The spanish inquisition,btw, is my entire DH family coming in from NY yesterday. 15 people were here all day. We had a big Dominican feast, and they brought 5 cans of formula, 2 cases of diapers and an entire 6-9 months wardrobe!! Yeah!!!!

I wish I could tell you guys how much I truly appreciate your friendship, and look forward to logging on to read your posts. I think this is such a special place. I see other boards begin to dwindle off, and i really hope that doesn't happen to us. I so enjoy talking with you guys. I wonder if we all met in person, would it be the same? Or would we get all awkward with eachother? I mean, we have talked about some pretty personal stuff with each other, and never met. What do you all think?

OK, the posts---
Val- Glad to hear from you.Missed you. Thanks for the compliment. I do care about you all, so I hope that comes across in my posts. I wish I could help everyone!! Did you get the coupons? Sorry it took so long!

Schedule-You really have to stick with it. A daytime schedule, you shouldn't worry about as much right now, but nighttime is important to institute now, so they get used to it. All three kids are on the same schedule. They are all down by 9-9:15 and sleep until 6:30-7:00. Kids need routine. They need to know when and how things will generally happen.

Cereal- You can always ask your doctor, but as you know, dr's will all give different stories. Generally, when your child has decent head or neck control, you can start him on a very watered down version of rice cereal. Start with rice, as is has the least allergens. Usually, in the beginning, do a teaspoon made into a watery soupy type mix, and as they get better at it, you can make it less watery. Try just putting the spoon with some cereal coating it in their mouth. See if they respond. If they are pushing the spoon out the entire time, they may not be ready, wait a few days and try again. It is fun and very messy. Stay with the rice for a few weeks, and then move on to the other grains. Do the feeding in the am, so baby is well rested, and not to full to try it out. Use only the tip of the spoon until they become used to it, as whole spoon may gag. You can try it, no harm, no foul. But it may not magically make the babies sleep throught the night. Try in daytime, in case baby has any type of reaction, so it won't be an overnight, sleepless reaction.
Good Luck and take pictures!!

Steph- Glad to hear about the card. I LOVE to blow 200. on dinner, so if you want to fly to Philly, I'll take you out to eat!:D I once spent...730. on dinner for the two of us. OK OK I know, that would never happen now, but it was DH birthday, and he is a chef! We had a ten course tasting menu, paired with wines for each course. It was amazing. My father said he couldn't believe I spent that much money on something that was pooped out the next morning. I said "I don't poop, Dad". That's another thing with me. I have told DH for 8 years that I don't poop!!:rotflmbo: He has seen me give birth to three kids, but I am embarassed about pooping!!! ok, TMI.

PS- I really do want a tapeworm! I'm trying to get back to my birthweight:yippee:

Before I go- Stacey, where are you? who else is missing?

I am getting an epidural tomorrow night, not the numbing kind, a steroid one for my back. I get them every three months or so, to stave off the dumb surgery they have been trying to make me have for going on 7 years now. I have 4 herniated discs in my back thanks to years of gymnastics and extremely high heels worn for hours on end! And I still wear them, because I love me some shoes! The doctor said my spine is trained into the shape as if my body were always in heels. Like a barbie doll, eternally on her toes! If I were a Barbie doll, I'd be barbie's dumpier mom friend. The one she never calls because she has three kids and a tapeworm!!:rotflmbo:

And that's is for me tonight! Off to do the laundry. The nanny forgot to do it...wait, I don't have a nanny...damn.:sigh:

:throb: to you all.

Mindy

[mmzill]

Mindy - you absolutely crack me up!!!:rotflmbo: Thanks for the comic relief this evening! I enjoyed it. I totally agree about the evening schedule thing. For the past couple weeks the boys have been down by 9:30 (or really close to it) With my dd - she got to the point where she would be down by 7 or so....that was great. Gave mom and dad some quiet time before we went to bed. So that is my goal with these guys. It was sort of weird with her though, she started going down that early on her own. I just tried to follow her cues. She is 20 mos now and still is generally in bed by 8 and sleeps till 8 am.

Well, had a pretty good day. Took all three kids to Wal-mart by myself :crazy: I had them in the tripple stroller, we made quite a site! The only problem with that is, I am limited in getting only the amount of stuff that will fit in the basket underneath them, oh well I guess that's one way to control the grocery bill:rotflmbo: It was nice to be able to take all three out by myself - makes me feel sort of empowered. (if you know what I mean)

Well, we are finally getting a minivan. Last month we took the Chevy Blazer to my moms, (a 8 hr trip) and it was not fun. Way to cramped. . . . so untill the kiddos are bigger it's a van for us. I'm much more of a car girl, but oh well. Big families and little cars don't go together too well.

I guess I was in the mood to ramble. Valerie it's good to hear from you. I hope this board doesn't dwindle either.....even though I"m not always faithful in posting, but I feel like I'm starting to get a handle on my new life as a mommy of three, so hopefully I won't be gone for a long time again.

Enough from me!
~Monica

[AndreaR]

Felisha - when I'm out with the girls, I make no eye contact and I pretend that I don't hear people when they make comments. DH and I had the girls outside on Sunday and people kept noticing and saying stuff. DH wanted to stop every time. I said "keep walking....." I can't believe that lady called you a b...tch. That's CRAZY! Awesome news on the diapers from your uncle!! And I love that you take a picture of Thomas and Maya every day. That's so cool.

[swineland]

If I were a Barbie doll, I'd be barbie's dumpier mom friend. The one she never calls because she has three kids and a tapeworm!!:rotflmbo:


Oh my god, thanks for making me literally spit my coffee out! Hilarious.

Also, I think it's SO ironic and funny about the pooping thing. My DH does the exact same thing. In fact, this morning I told him "hey, Mindy says she never poops!" He's like really? See, I'm not the only one. He has ALWAYS said that, from the beginning. I'll say something like, sure is stinky in that bathroom or dammit, where are the matches? And he's like, stop it! I don't poop. hahah :rotflmbo:

So my mom is here now this week again to help out. She told me she'd take some of the night shift and I went to bed at 9:30. Guess what time she woke me up?? 7 am!!!! Here's my 62 year old mother staying up ALL night......I couldn't believe it. Go mom!

Heather, c'mon girl...I need a cereal update! My boys eat 4 oz every 3 hours , sometimes still 2:45, and they are RAVENOUS! It's just ridiculous. Also, they've been spitting up a little more than normal, sometimes like an hour later...and it's sort of digested already. I gotta be honest, this morning I added like a PINCH of cereal to their bottles......it wasn't even worth doing probably b/c it was such a small amount. They drank it all, don't know if it will do anything. Don't even know what I'm expecting it WOULD do.

Felisha, great news on the upcoming diaper delivery! How fun! (diapers=fun??......jeez, I need to get a life) I wish my uncle worked in the wine or chocolate factory.....

Gotta run.....more later
Steph

[vthompson]

You ladies sure have me laughing this afternoon!!! Mindy, I was cracking up at your post!! I really love this board, too! I honestly do not think that we will loose touch...I just don't think I could give you guys up like that! Even though we may not be able to post as often as we used to, we always find a way to check in with each other. I often wonder about meeting everyone...how would it be? Would we still have so much to talk about like we do on here?

Mindy - I am very interested to try your ideas on cereal. However, Kayley has horrible neck control. Her body was in the 50th percentile and her big old head was in the 75th. Needless to say, she does not seem as strong as Corey at holding her head up. Should I be worried? Is anyone else having this problem? She tries to lift it up when she is on your chest, but she struggles. I try putting her on her tummy during the day, but she hates it! Any suggestions? BTW, I did get the coupons over the weekend. Thank you so much!! They really help out!

Pooping - I am very glad to hear that other ladies are private about this, because I am, too. I have friends that talk about it openly, and I just don't...especially not with DH! In fact, looking at my post and seeing that I wrote the word pooping makes me laugh!

AndreaR - I just wanted to let you know that I was looking at your pics today and your babies are adorable!!

Felisha - I cannot believe that lady called you that! The nerve of some people! I can't wait to hear how much stuff you get from your uncle. That is too cool!

Staci - I was laughing at your choice of songs to sing! That is too cute!

Monica - Good for you and your trip to the store! I know exactly what you mean about empowerment...everytime I take the twins somewhere by myself, I feel so good!

Well, I have a bunch of work to do for my at home job. My girlfriend is over watching the babies while I am doing it...of course, I read posts first! Oh well, every mommy needs a little time to do what she wants, right???

Valerie

[sgarrett]

Hello Mommies!

I hope this post does not dwindle away, I would be very sad! Would'nt it be cool if we could plan a girl trip some day to all meet? I am so past due for a girl trip anyway!

Mindy: Same with me I never poop! When we were in the hospital they told me I could not eat solid food until I passed gas, something else I do not do. "My DH loved this, he asked me every 5 min soo did you fart yet? I thought you did'nt fart anyway?" etc.. I am a total shoe ***** as well, I think it b/c I always wear the same shoe size!

Felicia: AWWWW I love the pic idea how sweet! I am with you on the stupid question, we live in Kingston Springs, (small town) and everybody knows everybody. I cannot go anywhere without getting a million questions about the twins.

Val: We added snoop dog to our nusery rhymes last night, I think they like him best.

Mindy & Monica: How do you get the babies to go down at night? We start at 8:00 - 8:30 everynight, we rock them sing to them and put them down. They cry and fuss until 10:30! We go in every few minutes to try and sooth them and rub their back. They are happy babies all day until it is time to go to bed. It's wearing us out! Any suggestions?

Staci

[mmzill]

Staci-

For getting them asleep for the night, We stuff them full, and then hold them until they go to sleep. I try to let them wake up around 6:30 or before, then start filling them up around 8:30 or so. By the time they are done eating, they are quite tired - so we hold them until they are out. Sometimes my dh get impatient and puts his down, then I have to start all over. :) I let them fall asleep on their own sometimes for their naps, but not always. That's my two cents worth.

[newmomx2]

Well I am still here...I get to read on a rare occasion but can never seem to post...you are all so great and I have been reading all the advice. I return to work on Monday after 12 weeks leave - the boys will go with me to work to the back up day care - they can stay there for 8 weeks so I can go down and see them anytime I want...but I am so nervous and guilty for having to return to work - unfortunately if anyone is to quit work it would have to be DH since I make twice as much YUCK - I do have enough vacation to take off 1 day per week until the end of the year.

On a good note the boys are into a really good night return - to bed by 9 / 9:30 - and they wake up to eat between 2 and 4 and then right back to sleep - they put themselves to sleep at night - as for naps what a mess I am having an aweful time getting them to nap on their own - Tyler will only nap on his belly (he sleeps in his car seat at night because of acid reflux) and Corey will wake up 5 minutes after hitting the crib and I have to pick him up and hum...which I don't get since he sucks his thumb to put himself to sleep at night...

I am still breastfeeding and will continue when I get to work I will pump during the day and let them nurse when we are at home - hopefully it will continue to go well - I want to continue nursing for as long as I can...

Well ladies thanks again for being there - you are all so inspirational..

[cbparker]

We went for our 2 month check up today. Reagan weighed 10.4 (up from birth weight of 5.3) and Rylee weighed 10.2 up from 5.5. I was anxious to see what my ped would say since they won't actually be two months until the 22nd, especially after Steph's visit, but she was so excited. She said that their weights were wonderful, and that both girls looked fantastic! YEAH!!:yippee:

They are eating 4-5 oz. every 3 hours during the day and 3-4 at night. We are on Good Start Supreme.

Cereal: Reagan tends to spit up a lot, even a couple of hours after she has eaten. The doc said to start her on rice cereal...:D I foresee long sleep in my future! She said to mix one teaspoon for every ounce of formula in a bottle, and since there will be cereal in the bottle, they may not eat all 4 oz. We use Dr. Brown's bottles, and got the Y cut nipples to try. If it doesn't work I guess we will manipulate them to make the holes bigger.

Weight: I was overweight before having the girls, and gained 50 lb. while pregnant (16 lb. during the last week of nothing but fluid). After my bout with eclampsia and 24 hours of magnesium, I have lost 70 lbs. Woo Hoo! I am now on a water pill so hopefully I will keep losing.

Schedule: During the day we follow the girls schedule, but starting around 9:30-10 pm we turn out the lights and the tv, wake the girls, feed them full (usually 5 oz, or until they fall asleep), and then put them in their crib. They usually sleep until about 3 or so, wake up, eat 4-5 oz (with no lights or other stimulation), and then back to bed until 7 ish. I know it's not 6-8 hours in a row, but it beats the 1.5-2 hours we got during the first month. Hopefully the rice cereal will help!

Pooping: You guys are too funny. I have never had an issue with talking about my own pooping since I have had such issues with not being able to poop. DH and I talk about it openly. Since we've had the girls we both forget to anyways. We should all purchase the book "Everybody Poops"

Sorry for the long post, just excited about the great check up and the cereal!
Have a good evening!
Belinda

Val...I only live about 2 hours south of the outlet malls! We must be pretty close then.

[swineland]

Belinda, that is wonderful about the great ped visit AND the cereal! I swear, I don't know what my ped is talking about when he said they gained too much....what a weirdo. You ALL have made me feel so much better about my boys weight and how they are eating. Not every ped knows best. (Especially men....what do they know? They've never had kids.....)

Steph

[twinsmakethree]

Hi everyone i hope this day finds us all in good spirits!

Well Nusaybah is trying to roll over she can make it half way then kind of look dumbfounded like she doesnt know what to do next, shes going to be my fast a$$. She is already trying to get on her knees my husband thinks shes moving on for a son yeah right!! he must be going to get pregnant because i want to wait at least a year or two we'll see.

Mindy you are hilarious for a long time i blamed mysterious odors and or sounds on my daughter ( i know bad mom or our animals,lol!!!

staci- last night i was singing boy george old sung do you rally want to hurt me do you really want to make me cry, they looked at me like i was crazy probably wrong song choice but the nursery ryhmes are crazy i was singing rocka bye baby one night and my dd said hey thats about a baby falling out of a tree and the cradle falling on her:woa: I said hmm maybe thats not right for bedtime so i think i will take your idea and go pull out some good old fashion cds!!!

I wish i could post pictures but our camera is broke( so says my dh) he might just get tired of me begging him to put the pictures up we have old pictures i have to take current ones

As for this board i think we solved the world peace problem:clap: look at us from all different religious and ethnic backgrounds and different parts of the world coming together because of one central reason TWINS maybe all the rulers should have twwins and it can be one big love fest!!

well im off to eat a snickers my dd brought for me nothing calms me more then chocolate after fighting with little ones all day

Andrea

[twinsmakethree]

Belinda great news on your ped visit!!

what is everyones favorite diaper thus far i like huggies for the fit but it seems like im changing them all the time. Their adopted grandmother brought me pampers luvs huggies and generics and told me to tell her which ones i like the best i just hate to have doing all those test tries especially when they take naps on my bed!!

oh steph great news with the card from dh its like they have a built in radar that lets them know when they are on thin ice!!


Andrea

[mmzill]

Andrea - I"m sold on the Pampers Swadlers (not baby dry) I have the least trouble with them. All the others leak like crazy on my boys.

~Monica

[AndreaR]

MIssy - nice to hear from you! Good luck with work next week. I totally admire you for breastfeeding twins WHILE you work full time. YOU ROCK, LADY! What do you do for work? I'm sorry if you've already told us. My brain is g-o-n-e.

Andrea - I was singing rockabye baby to one of my girls just yesterday. I made a mental note not to sing it to them when they get older and understand what I'm saying! Mostly when I sing, I just make up stuff. I figure they don't know the difference. I like Papmers Swaddlers the best, too. We're using the Baby Dry on Isabelle, because we got almost 300 for a gift. We're almost done, though, and we're going back to Swaddlers. We're using Huggies on Maddie, because we bought a big package before they were born. We weren't sure what would work best. I think it depends on the shape of your baby. I like the Huggies and the Swaddlers because they have lots of elastic a the top. Maddie is in size 1 Huggies and Izzy is in size 1 Baby Dry. DH bought size 2 Swaddlers for Izzy to go inot next, but I'm afraid they might be too big. I heard that Target sells Swaddlers in size 1/2, it's inbetween size 1 and 2. You'll have to tell us how your tests work out!

Pooping - I grew up with six brothers and sisters. We talk about pooping ALL the time. My mother bought "Everybody Poops" as one of the books for the grandchildren at her house. She thinks it's a riot.

Belinda - congrats on the great ped appointment, and good luck with the cereal. Keep us posted on how it works out.

Sleeping rituals - Both girls get a bath and put into pj's somewhere between 4:30 - 5:30, then they get fed. Isabelle gets rocked until she is sleepy and then she goes in her crib. Madeline is held for a while and she's either put in her papasan chair in the family room, or DH comes home and she sleeps on him. She seems to sleep pretty soundly even though the tv and lights are on. She stays down there until DH goes to bed. Just this week we've been having her sleep in her papasan chair in our room. I think she might have mild reflux. When she sleeps on her back, she will spit up through her nose. It doesn't happen right after she eats, though. It takes hours. And it's really phlegmy, like she's congested. If she stay on an incline, she's fine.

I know it seems early to put them down for the night, but I really think it's Isabelle's time. She will sleep for like 6 hours and then she'll wake up, nurse and go right back to sleep. Then she's up every 3 hours to nurse, but she goes right back to sleep every time. Until 5am, then she's up for the day.

My biggest issue is that they are usually pretty fussy from 4-7. I know that's the normal fussy time for all babies, so I'm trying to cope. I try to do different things to their nap/wake/eat schedule during the afternoon. We don't have a good afternoon routine yet. I think that may be making them fussy.

I'm really bummed out that my weight loss seems to have stopped. After the intial big loss, I was losing like a pound every day or two. Now I'm stuck with 20 pounds left to go! I wasn't worried, but now it's going on 11 weeks. I need to stop eating sweets! Where did this sweet tooth come from?

Valerie - thanks for saying that my girls are cute. Of course, I think they're the CUTEST! I think we (the June mommies) really turned out some gorgeous children. How is it going with Corey? Have you tried the cereal? Sorry I don't have any advice for you. Maybe one of the more experienced moms will. Hang in there. It WILL get better!

Gotta go - have a great night. I hope all of your babies sleep!

AndreaR

[AndreaR]

okay - one more thing, real quick - i'm always nagging dh to come to bed, that maddie shouldn't be sleeping on him (in his chair) half the night. so tonight he brought her upstairs early. she wouldn't go to sleep in her chair. she wouldn't go to sleep in the crib. she wouldn't go to sleep on top of him while he laid in bed. so........they're downstairs in his chair. she's out like a light. too funny.

[twinsmakethree]

AndreaR- My Ruwaydah has the same problem as Madeline with the milk coming through her nose and Phlegm it scares me to death because it seems like for a sec she cannot breathe usually she does it as she sleeps on her back but today it was while she was sitting in her chair and like madeline it comes hours after eating. i have found that she doesnt do it when i sleep her on her stomach so thats what i have been doing i know its recommended for babies with acid reflux so i dont know if you want to try it during the day when your up as well


***So far with the diapers kmart brand has been pretty good One more question if your babis sleep long through the night do you wait to change them until they get up or change them while their sleep i have been waiting until they get up which they sleep through the night pretty much and the diaper is soaked i feel bad about doing that even though i will put a and d ointment on at night to prevent a diaper rash should i stop being so lazy and get myself up:sleepy: :dunno:

Andrea

[Daniele'sTwins]

Okay... I am going to atempt to catch up, if I forget something or someone please forgive me.

Sherry... I am so glad to see that you are back with us!

Twins Magazine...Yes, I do get the magazine and I really like it, it is cute.

Cereal...well, I tried it again for the first time Monday night. What I did was make their regular bottle of formula (6OZS) AND added 3 teaspoons of rice cereal. They slept from 9-4 and 9-5:30. I think that was pretty good. BUT my question here is WHY do they cry that they want out of the crib? I take them out at this time and bring them down to the swing and they fall back asleep. They aren't even hungry but they are like "Im done with the crib thing now mommy!"

Steph...I read your post about DH, I am sorry you are feeling like that. I know how much these babies change everything. I have also noticed that marriage takes a lot more work now. Mindy did give you some great advice, I couldn't add a thing.

E-Z-2 nurse pillow...Hated it! Used it just once.

Christel...how is that crib vibrator working. Do you think it is worth getting?

AndreaR...About getting Izzy to take the bottle, I heard from other BF moms that someone else other than the mom has to introduce it or else the baby wont take it.
Im so excited to meet tomorrow!

Andrea...i want to be anerexic

Meeting....I am up for it! That would be sooo cool. I still think we could meet at the twins festival that they have every year!

Mindy...you make me laugh!

Saturday night my parents watched the boys and DH and I went out to dinner!ANd guess what! I had 2 Brazillian Panty droppers, sushi and ahi tuna! That is everything I craved but couldn't have when I was pregnant!

OK, 2 babies crying... I will be back!

[megzmom]

ugh! my post crashed again!!

Cereal-My boys also have projectile vomitting, reflux and its always in their nose choking them except for the last week when we added a little cereal. I love it, boys are sleeping from 9:-5:30!!!! They are so cute when they drink it because they look like they are drunk-spiked with formula. I make 2-3TB of cereal mixed with 1 1/2-2 oz formula right before their baths. Then I put the leftover cereal into their bottles for right after the bath. I use Dr. Brown's Y nipple. It took a little bit to get used to the nipple but it goes fast and they PASS out. They are pooping more

Steph-I am so happy your dh wrote you a card. use that as an open invitation to talk about your feelings and definately get away for a few hours with him.

Dr-we have the 2mth checkup tomorrow and the kindey testing in the am. Please pray that the tests are good. I will ask my ped about the cereal tomorrow. She is fantastic. I will let you all know what she says.

[sgarrett]

Good morning Ladies!

Anderea: Wake up babies to change NO WAY! I would not wake them up for anything! :crazy: Of course they rarely sleep longer than three hours at a time. Isabelle's diapar weighs about 10 lbs some mornings! We love the Swadlers 1-2, you can get them at Sams. I laughed at your comment about getting preggo again, I went on the pill and my DH did not want me to. I would like to have another baby, but there is no fricken' way I want to get preganat right now.

Danielle: OK I have to know what is a Brazilian Panty Dropper?

Megzmom: I would love to hear what your ped says about the cereal, my bil keeps telling my DH we should try it, my ped did not reccomend it so I have been saying NO WAY. BUT now that I see all my twin mommies doing I think it is worth considering! Yes I will listen to all of you before family!

Lisa: Babies can teeth really early, I had a neice that was born with a tooth!

Felicia: You have to tell me more about that book program, how do you get enrolled?

I am so jealous of everyone who is getting their babies to sleep for so long. My little ones will not sleep longer than 3 to 4 hours. Now that I am back to work I am soo sleepy all the time.:sleepy:

Take care everyone!

Staci

[twinsmakethree]

hi everyone

cereal- im like lisa a big fraidy cat so i probably will be the last one that starts cereal. even though im curious since it has helpd so many of you with the milk thru the nose issue.

Lisa ruwaydah constantly chews her hand and has such a spitty mouth i would swear she was teething if others didnt think i was crazy!! nusaybah has also begin to try to roll over she gets half way then is prtty lost.

Ebay is a great side job to have you just have to know how to do it,matter of fact today i brought a polo dress(new) for the babies for 2.00!! my friend sells alot and make good money

stay at home job check out http://www.workathomeagent.com/ really good for sahm, my friend brings in 500 every two weeks sometimes more it depends on her hours all you have to do is take orders!!!

Andrea

[megzmom]

YEah my computer is connected now in my classroom. I still fel like I am having a nervous breakdown trying to juggle it all. Boys are fussy from the moment I ge thom to feeding. No time to relax, read or spend quality time with dd. I now have a boy with me in her room so she can read to me. I miss our mommy and meg time.

Rolling- Lisa YES my boys start out in the middle of the bed and end up acroos the bed turned around and arms hanging out the side (that part scares me)
Eating hands- Mine do that when they are really hungry and are starting to do so more, think they realized their thumb but cant remember how to get it next time.

[mmzill]

I just had to bragg on my little guys this morning! Nathan slept from 10:30 until 6:15am!!!! and Anthony was from 10 until 3:30, but he went right back to sleep after he ate! I was so happy, but I kept waking up every 10 minutes it seemed to make sure Nathan was ok. Well, have a good day ladies!!!
~Monica

[naturalmom]

wow-so many posts! I think I read most of them....

We have been out of town, which was an adventure. All six of us slept in the same room for 2 nights-craziness! We made it through though.

My babies had their 2 mo check yesterday and doing awesome. Ped said they were perfect:) Jude has gained 3 lb 4 oz and Ava has gained 3 lb since we brought them home! She was pretty impressed that I have been able to exclusively BF so far.

Lets see...

Diapers-we cloth diaper.

Cereal/baby food-I don't start solids until 6 mo of age or so per all of the research I have done. None of my kids have experienced reflux, fortunately-hugs to all who are dealing with that. I don't use jarred food at all. I make my own. I think jarred baby food it kinda gross:D . The book Super Baby Foods is a great reference.

Singing-I do lots of singing to babies-but I am not a good singer!

Chewing hands-check!

Rolling over-Jude has done this 2 times. Ava hasn't, but almost did during her ped visit yesterday.

Sleep-each night is different. We BF and co-sleep, so I don't really keep track. I know they will get to sleep through the night when they are physically and emotionally ready, I don't have any solid expectations. My other two were sleeping 11-12 hrs straight around 10 months of age and are still excellent sleepers.

EZ 2 nurse pillow-like it. I use it sometimes, but have gotten pretty good at tandem feeding without it too. I use slings alot too.

My weight-I am frustrated. I lost 45 of the 60 lbs pretty fast, but I haven't lost a thing in a month. I am treadmilling it almost every day too. Ugh!!!

That is all I have time for...gotta go feed somebody:)

Melinda

[LucasMom]

Hey guys, a quick post...

Logan and Dylan had their 12 week check up yesterday...

Logan is 14 lbs. 5 oz and 26.5 inches.
Dylan is 13 lbs. 11 oz and 25.5 inches

Yeah for my little fatties!! Still only in the 45% for weight, and height 97% for Logan and 71% for Dylan, but they seem like little porkers for twins! He said we could wait to start food until they are finishing 8 oz. and still looking to be fed more, which sometimes they are, but you know me, I'm going to try it anyway!:D

They got 2 more shots, and reacted fine to them. They are sleeping from 9-7 every night now, which is great because all three kids are on the same schedule, so I get some time to do all of those things I really love...(laundry, bills, cleaning, showering, laundry). Back to work on Monday, and Dh starts new job on Sept. 5th, so it will be a bit crazy around here until we get the routine down, but I am using Felisha as my inspiration. She is a superwoman, so I will aspire to be like her!!!

Off to paint my bedroom a delicious shade of chocolate brown. I won curtains on Ebay from West Elm (Pottery Barn sister company) for $30.00, reatil value $128.00!!! They are Aqua silk and I got them in the mail today! They are beautiful. Lisa- let me know what you are selling, because I am an ebay addict!

OK, girlies...talk later!

:throb: Mindy

[twinsmakethree]

ok everyone i was playing around with my dd and said lets buy some pampers on ebay come to find out they have pampers wipes and coupons for auction one auction was pampers swaddlers 216 ct for 25 dollars not to bad i think i just went fall shopping and got brand new with tags dresses polo tommy girl, childrens place old navy and gap i spent a total of 23 dollars and change!!

ok im addicted:yippee:

Andrea

[naturalmom]

Mindy-chocolate brown for your bedroom sounds heavenly.

[christel]

Ok, I think I'm caught up on reading :)

Danielle - the crib vibrating soother is great at naptime :throb: I don't use the crib at night, yet, and don't want the girls dependent on it to go to sleep. But, for fussy nap times, it sure is great! If your twins really dig the bouncy seat or vibrating chair, it might be worth the $$.

Diapers - we keep taking stuff back to the store. Pampers swaddlers seem to be the best for the girls - everything else has leaked . We do make our own wipes, though. I'll post the "recipe" if anyone wants it.

Singing - can't shut me up :D They don't know it's not good.

Rolling over - happened a lot more when they were smaller... tummy to back. They would use their heads for ballast and over they'd go! They have to really work to go over now.

Hand Chewing - major hunger cue at our place. Ruby finds her thumb a lot, too and sucks really loud. It's like a passive aggressive hint ;)

Sleep - going well (knock on wood). They've been giving us a 6-8 hour night stretch pretty consistently... thank GOD! They're 3 1/2 mo. and we've been sleepless for a long time! It's all about the adjusted age for sleep, unfortunately.

Weight - I've hit a serious plateau, too. I dropped 40lbs in the first 1 1/2 mo. and then nothing. I haven't gained, but no loss. I'm creditting the BF for the no gain. I've got to start exercising, but I HATE to sweat and I don't think you should run unless you're being chased... just a personal philosophy :D

Reading - Have been putting the girls in their Bumbos and reading to them (who suggested that? GREAT idea!) They really like it. They're also noticing the tv, too. Maybe it's time to bust out Baby Einstein?

Food - anyone have good fat free/calorie free/easy to prepare recipes? I'm sucking at making supper and we are fast fooding it a lot - hence the lack of weight loss :(

-Christel

[christel]

Oh, one more thing...

Anyone else's hair falling out? It is insane how much hair I am losing :crazy: ! I've got plenty left, but I am throwing a handful away everytime I brush and I have to clean out the shower drain when I wash it. This has going on a month now. I'm grossing myself out

[AndreaR]

Hello everyone!

We had the best day today (yesterday...)! We went to the outlet mall not too far from us and we met Daniele, Nico & Luca! And Daniele's mom, who is fantastic! It was so much fun. We met at BabyGap, where we both bought a lot of stuff, but the more we spent the more we saved, so....that's not wrong, is it? Then we all went to lunch. In a RESTAURANT. Ronit and my niece Maeve were with me, so there were five big people and four little people. We took up a whole corner of the restaurant. All in all, the kids did great - they all ate while we were eating. Ronit and I were very impressed that Daniele and her mom could hold/feed/sooth the boys and eat their lunch at the same time. There were two women seated next to us when we first got there, and they asked us literally every question on the list. They were really pissing me off, but Daniele was very patient with them. The worst question they asked was, "were they on purpose?" I mean, really. What the he** kind of a question is that!?? But all in all, we had a great day. The babies were very well behaved. Daniele's boys are gorgeous. Ronit and I are trying to arrange marriages for the girls. It's great having a fellow board member live so close, and I look forward to getting together again. It was kind of funny how comfortable we were with eachother, even though we'd never met in person. Thanks so much Daniele!

Heather - How did things go at the doctor?
Monica - congrats on the great night of sleeping. Too bad you couldn't relax, though. I totally know how that is.
Andrea - I don't think I'm going to start cereal any time soon, either. I wasn't planning on doing it until around 5 or 6 months.
Felisha - more diapers! hooray!! and $500 - wow! I vote that you get a little something special just for you. you certainly deserve it (and more)!
Melinda - your kids are really cute. good weight gain, too! thanks for the book info. for baby food.
Mindy - congrats on the weights! and your bedroom sounds lovely. i have been thinking about doing the brown/blue thing in my bedroom, too. i love that combination. also, do you have a date for your appointment with the surgeon? sorry if that is too pushy. i have been praying for you non-stop. and what are you doing with lucas and the babies when you go back to work?
Christel - i don't have any recipes per se, but if you go to www.epicurious.com you can find great recipes from gourmet & food and wine magazine, plus some other places, i think. and you can search by "quick" and "low calorie." the quick recipes are usually very easy. i always put that parameter in my search.

hair falling out - i have lots and lots of thick hair, and i've always shed like a dog. it all but completely stopped when i got pregnant, but it just started up again this week. and the hair under my arms is coming back.

AND i got my period. geez.... i thought breastfeeding was going to buy me more than 11 weeks. i'm so bummed about that. oh well. on the bright side, i guess we could start trying for baby #3. hopefully it won't take another 5 years.

ebay - i have never bought anything on ebay, but i have a feeling you ladies are going to convince me that i need to go there. look out! once i start, i might not be able to stop. i am kind of interested in selling some stuff. we already have stuff that i know they're not going to use (summer clothes that are too big). how hard is it to sell stuff? can i sell my dog?! he's driving me crazy lately.

sorry if i missed anyone.......sherry, it's time for you to post again. ters, where are you? did i miss a post from you? it seems like it's been too long.

good night,
andrear

[swineland]

Hey....where is everybody??? We got NEW icons! :woo:

I just finished taking the boys for a walk and, boy, was THAT ever a stupid idea. We were all pissy and miserable when we got back. I, sweating my arse off, and the boys crying like mad. Hopefully they'll fall asleep soon so I can take a shower!!

Andrea and Daniele...how cool about your rendezvous! I think that's so great that actual friendships have been formed from this board, not just no-name internet chatter. Hopefully more of us will get a chance to meet in person in the future.

Formula/cereal: Well, I have been adding a small amount of cereal to the boys formula and it really helps. They have hardly been spitting up at all and seem much more content after their feeds...not up 2 hours later ravenous and starving. I add the cereal right into the blender and so I don't have to worry about it stopping up the nipples. It thickens the formula but doesn't make it clumpy. Anyway, there have been no problems at all and the boys are both still pooping daily, so no constipation issues, which I was slightly worried about w/cereal. Also, the nights have been MUCH better. They are going down now about 9:30 and getting to 1 or 2, eating again and then sleeping until 6 or 7. Compared to what I was dealing with before, I am very happy now.

The whole Jonbenet Ramsey thing makes me sick. I mean, I know it's a 10 year old case and nothing new, but seeing them replay all that footage of her prancing around in those pageant outfits with makeup and acting pretty provocative for a SIX YEAR OLD, it just disgusts me. I'm sorry if any of you like that sort of stuff, pageants and beauty shows for little girls, but I think it's just wrong. I bet if her mom didn't dress her up like that she'd still be here today. Getting off my soap-box now.....

My mom left today after week 2 of being here to help. It was wonderful!! We had so much fun.....talking, playing with the babies, bonding, etc. She stayed up 2 full nights so I could sleep. It was fun having another "me" in the house (we are exactly alike) and each night we'd have a glass of wine and watch tivo'd episodes of Supernanny....hahaha.

Well, I have to run....
Miss you all! Ters, where the heck are ya???
Steph:nice:
TGIF!! :clink: Here's wishing everyone a safe and relaxing weekend!

[megzmom]

okay dr visit went awesome! No reflux of the kidneys. Poor things had a horrible day. in the am they had feeding tubing stuck up their penises (2x of Ben) then in the afternoon they had their 2 mths shots. Must have worn them out because the slept almost all day up for an 1hr crying for feeding and bath then back to bed at 9 and slept until 5:30! Their legs were red and sore. We gave them tylenol 2x before bed and then again this morning. Champs woke up smiling.

Want to by the bumbo thing so bad. Saw it at Baby depot when I was preg and thought it was cool :)

We still have Urologist apt to officially read the VCUG test but the Radiology dr said it looked like nothing!

Talk to you soon.

[swineland]

A little humor for you gals:

A woman and a baby were in the doctor's
examining room, waiting for the doctor to come in for the baby's first
exam.
The doctor arrived, and examined the baby, checked his weight,
and being a little concerned, asked if the baby was breast-fed or
bottle-fed?
"Breast-fed,"she replied.
"Well, strip down to your waist," the doctor ordered.
She did. He pinched her nipples, pressed, kneaded, and rubbed
both breasts for a while in a very professional and detailed
examination. Motioning to her to get dressed The doctor
said, "No wonder this baby is underweight. You don't have any
milk."
"I know," she said, "I'm his Grandma, but I'm glad I came."

[sgarrett]

Hello Mommies!

Christel: You can also try www.foodnetwork.com and www.southernliving.com. The crock pot and pressure cooker are my new best friends too!:funny:

Melinda: You have two other children, exclusively BF twins, use cloth diapers AND use your treadmill everday?! I am not worthy!:bowdown: Please tell me you do not work full time too!

We have our two month check up Monday and I am so nervous about the shots. Did I read somewhere on here that you should give them tylenol before the appt?

Ebay: I have not tried Ebay but I am definately going to start. I love sephoria.com for makeup. The shopping in TN kinda sux, one thing I really miss about living in Atlanta.

Fussiness: Isabelle and Aiden are so sweet all day but get really fussy between like 6:30 and 10:00. What gives? How the heck do they know what time it is?

Felisha: Give me a call I can not wait to meet! I went on that website to register the twins for the books, thanks for the tip.

My DH and I are going to go out to eat tonight with the twins. Wish us luck!

Have a wonderful weekend everybody!

I love the new icons and I just have to use this one b/c it cracks me up!:harmony: :harmony:

[sgarrett]

BTW I had the same trouble when emailing my slide pics about to many characters, I emailed slide and they fixed it for me!

[christel]

Ha! :funny: Love the joke! Here's one I got the other day that I am loving:throb:

I think the life cycle is all backwards

You should start out dead and get it out of the way.

Then, you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.

You get kicked out for being too healthy; go collect your pension, then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement.

You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous and you get ready for High School.

You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, and then...

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions; central heating, room service on tap, larger quarters every day, and then . . .

you finish off as an org@sm

Staci - good luck w/ the dinner outing. We're going to try to all load up and go to DH's soccer game in the morning :xfingers:

Thanks, also, for the recipe sites (& you, too AndreaR). I'll look around this weekend while DH is home.

Ergghhh... babies crying in tandem... going now...

[twinsmakethree]

Hi everyone i hope the weekend so far has been good to you


Steph and cristel omg you are so hilarious :funny:

Staci yes i was told you should give them some tylenol before and then after, good luck with that and when they stick the babies and you cry dont worry i cried too:cry:

Mindy send picks of your room i saw them do a room that color on trading spaces and i fell in love with it every since ebay rocks doesnt it:dude:

hey i love these icons :sunshine:
Megzmom- Im glad everything went well at their appointments keep us

okay ladies what are some essentials have to have for your twins I see the bumbo seats are one, so i think i will try it i found they like to sit in bouncy seats when its not on!!! and the swing is a must!!! have you found any other soothers??

Andrea

[AndreaR]

staci - your babies are gorgeous. it's nice to see the pictures. good luck at your appt on monday. i think some moms did give their babies tylenol before the shots. i gave it to them after. i didn't seem to help. they were fussy that whole night. as to your question about the evening fussines.... there is a theory that by the time the end of the day arrives, babies are way overstimulated, so they just melt down in the evening. i've been testing this theory with my girls, and it seems to hold true for us. i try to manage the amount of activity/stimulation they get over the course of the day. by 4:00, it's into the bath and pjs. isabelle seems to need very quiet space at the end of the day, so i bring her into their bedroom and feed her and rock her to sleep. madeline is not quite so picky, but she definitely is ready to crash, either in our arms or in her papasan chair. another theory is that EVERY baby has a fussy time of day, and there's not much you can do about it. hopefully that's not the case for you guys. i hope you figure out something soon.

steph & christel - thanks for the comic relief!

heather - congrats on the appt and the reflux. hooray!

bumbo seats - i peeked on ebay, they seem to have a bunch. maybe that will be my first purhase.

andrea - i haven't found anything (besides my boobs) that really soothes my girls. i like my sling a lot, but i can't put them in if they're fussy. i have to head it off at the pass. isabelle doesn't love the swing and maddie is still too small for the one we have.

well, i have to go fold laundry..i've been avoiding it for two days.

good night.

andrear

oh, ps. i bought the cutest book yesterday. it's a sandra boynton board book called "snuggle puppy." it is hilarious. i totally recommend it.

ok, i'm not a big icon person, but i saw this one and it is definitely, definitely me in the morning :coffee:

GOOD NIGHT!

[christel]

Staci - my pedi said not to worry about Tylenol before the appt. and to wait and see how the babies reacted after. They did not need any meds after all.

AndreaR - I am still :throb: loving :throb: our Bumbos... this was how we used them tonight:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/snelsonc6896/DSC00011.jpg


Okay, going to go feed babies, swaddle them and hopefully sleep 'till :sunshine:

[Daniele'sTwins]

OK, well I wasn't going to post tonight, just read and post tomorrow but I saw all the nice things Andrea wrote and I needed to chime in before I jump into bed.

When I tell my "other" friends about my "twin mommy internet friends" they think I am nuts. I dont care, I often feel closer to you all than I do friends I have know forever. Meeting Andrea was easy. I already knew I liked her so I went right up to her and hugged her...I hope I didn't scare you andrea...lol (I am also Italian so I do hug everyone!)WELL...Her girls are these beautiful petite little babies with perfectly round heads and what pretty eyes they have! One with blue and one a greenish blue. As for shopping yes we did a lot and saved A LOT.

Now for the restaurant...lol MY BOYS CRIED at lunch I think Andrea was being nice not mentioning it. I always try to remain calm but one of my neighbors was sitting right next to us...lol

Oh yeah and the ladies that bombarded us with questions were SO rude. They looked disgusted with the fact we had twins...8ITCH! I do hold that all in though, for some reason I can do that.

I also got to meet Andrea's niece who was a very polite young lady and the famous Ronit. Ronit genuinely loves Maddie and Izzy, she acts like a big sister to the girls.

I can't wait to get together again!...BUT maybe eat in a food court...lol

ok, i am sooooooo tired, i will post tomorrow seeing that DH is going to the red sox / yankee game with my db (brother). i am home alone yet again! UGH

[Daniele'sTwins]

:throb: oh yeah and we talked about all of you!:throb:

[qbanmom5]

Hi all!

I have missed you guys sooo much. Work is going really really well. I really love it. The babysitter is awesome and since my mom is here still she makes sure no funny business.. I gotta make it quick cause Luke is crying. They still wont sleep more than 4 hours and it makes for a very exhausting day.

Tons of hair falling out. Really bad. Glad I am not the only one.

Christel: I would love the wipes recipe. Any way I can cut corners would be helpful.

Does anyone know why I haven't gotten a period?.... They were born June 1 and I only b/f for 5-6 weeks.....

Love, Ters

[vthompson]

I haven't posted in what seems like forever!! I really have to make this quick because I have to go the grocery store. The local newspaper in Cleveland is the Plain Dealer. They have a marketing slogan that I think would fit us here on the board: Miss a day, miss a lot!! I swear, I can't keep up with you gals!

Daniele and Andrea - That is so awesome that you guys got to meet!! I can't wait to meet all of you...I agree, I am closer to you guys then most of my friends, and when I tell people about my Internet friends, they think I am crazy and make fun of me! Oh well!!

I LOVE the new icons!!

Christel - That pic is so adorable!!

Heather - I am so glad to hear that all went well with the appt! I cringed when I read about the tube in the penis. Were you in the room? Did they cry? I am glad that everyone is feeling better!

Melinda - I cannot believe you are managing all that, plus making your own baby food! You go girl!!

Sucking hands - Check

Crying sounds like "mom, mom, mom" - Check

Tylenol - I gave it after the shots.

Cereal - I think I am going to go buy some today. Still scared, but we NEED SOME SLEEP...I realize it may not work, but we are getting desperate!!

Not much going on here...Corey seems to be adjusting to his new formula, still has cranky times, though. He has pretty runny poop, so his poor butt is red. Hoping this will go away. Kayley is a little angel!! We went to the mall yesterday to buy their Baptism outfits and she was smiling at everyone who talked to her! I couldn't believe how much Baptism outfits were! We are on a VERY tight budget, so the price was outrageous to me. For 2 outfits, we spent $115!!! They were all priced the same so it was not like we chose the most expensive!

Talk to everyone soon!

Valerie

[vthompson]

BTW, Belinda, I did not realize you lived close to Grove City, too. Lisa, you, and me should set a date to meet. Andrea and Daniele have inspired me!! See what you 2 think...I live about 2.5 hours.

Valerie

[christel]

:yippee: :) :throb: :) :yippee:
The girls slept from 10:30pm - 7:30am, ate, and went back to sleep until 12:30pm! OMG, I'd forgotten what this felt like. I feel human today!

Ters- The wipes recipe is eeeezzzzzz.
-Cut a good quality paper towel roll in half (a utility knife works well), so you have 2 short rolls.
-Take out the cardboard center so it's completely hollow.
-Fill a resealable container (we use a 3qt. Rubbermaid "servin' saver" that I found at the grocery store -it's the perfect size) with:
-3 cups of water
-1 tsp. of baby shampoo
-3 tsp. of baby oil or lotion.
-Mix well.
-Place paper towel roll (cut side up) in container.
-Let it sit until the liquid is absorbed.
-Cut an "X" in the center of the lid
-Flip paper towel roll over (now the uncut smooth side is up) and take the loose paper towel end in the center of the roll and pull it up through the X in the lid.
-Seal container and you're ready to go.

I like the Bounty select-a-size towels and buy them in bulk at SAM'S Club. One 1/2 roll lasts us almost a week. I use the Johnson's lavender baby shampoo and lotion and the wipes smell really good, too.

Valerie - we looked around for baptism outfits, too. Cha-ching!$! My mom is going to make them, instead. I think we'll have them dedicated in the fall. We will probably do it twice, once where my parents live and once where DH's parents live. Heck, it could be 3 times if we have them baptized at our church, too. Guess we'll get our moneys worth out of those dresses :D

[qbanmom5]

Here are some new pics. They are growing sooo fast. I have a ton of outfits they have never worn and probably wont fit them in a few weeks. Hard to get them both awake and not crying and dressed at the same time for pictures! Ters

[LucasMom]

Taking a short break from painting...

Check out our new bumbo seat pic!

Ters and Val--good to hear from you. Love the new pics, Ters and the cheeks!! Yikes about the price of the outfits! ters- I return to work on Monday full time, so we (you, Felisha and I) can whine together! Is anyone else back to work (outside the home)? God knows, being home with twins is WORK!!!! I bet going in every day will be easier than being home:crazy:

I want to meet someone too!!! I think my closest friend is Lisa? I am glad you guys met and had a great time!

Interesting wipes recipe...the businessperson in me wants to figure out the product cost on that to see how much money you are saving...hmmm...I wonder.

Write more later!

Mindy

[megzmom]

cereal-the nurse said no to the cereal but the AWESOME doctor (first time with him) said absolutely as long as their digestive system seems to be okay. It would help with reflux and sleeping. ANd it has.:yippee:


hair- falling all over the place!!!!!!

[sgarrett]

Hello Mommies!

Mindy: I am back at work too, but I do get to work out of the house at least 3 days a week. Last Friday I had to tour a prison for work and we were not allowed to bring our cell phones in. I was in panic mode the whole time b/c I knew the nanny could not call me if she needed me!

Wipes recepie: It does sound cool, but we have not had to buy wipes yet! We got so many a baby showers!

Ters: Love the pics, how did you do the bubble thing?

Babies crying gotta go!

STaci

[Daniele'sTwins]

Hi everyone...My day started off great but now I am fighting with DH and he is in bed already and I am bursting mad at the seams and cannot fall asleep. First let me catch up with you...

Felisha...Awesome news about your uncle and CEO of your company. Good things happen to good people.

Cereal...I have been adding 2-3 teaspoons to the boys 6oz bottles for the past few nights. They don't really sleep longer but it has definately slowed down the spit up! I use a #3 nipple when I do it.

Diapers...pampers swaddlers here! Size 2

Ebay...sold a ton of my clothes on there before and baseball tickets, I am a big fan and you can make very good money. I was thinking of doing it again myself. It used to be a pain because I would have to go to the post office with a bunch of boxes/big envelopes and it would be even worse with the boys now but I was thinking of buying a scale from the post office and then you can go onto the website and put in hte exact weight and print out the postage and have the postman pick it up at your door.

Chewing hands...check. Also, Luca loves his thumb but he will pull it out himself and get all pissed off...lol


Talking....my boys are making so many cute talking cooing sounds. I swear they say hi back to me!

Brazillian Panty Dropper...Tripple sec, stoli o, alize, and mano puree...to die for!

Mindy....9-7 wow that is a dream! As for the choc room, I wanted my living room that color with red couches but instead that is the color of my DH's spa. He finally listed to me and NOW he loves it!

Baby einstein DVD...my boys love it

Hair...falling out over here too and this has NEVER happened to me before.

AndreaR...I thought u dont get your period if you are breastfeeding until you stop breastfeeding???

Heather...I am sorry that doc appointment was such a torture!!! BUT I am so glad things are okay now.

Staci...yes, I gave my boys tylenol before and after. They still ran a temp the next day and were "off" for about 4 days.

Ters...I love the new pics!

OKAY NOW ME>>> My DH went to the Yankee/Red Sox game today and I did not want to sit home all day so I (Andrea, listen to this) WENT OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME ALONE!!!)I went to BRU and the boys were amazing! I also had them take their morning and afternoon nap in the crib for the first time today. The boys usually sleep in the swing or on a play mat and I feel like they need more stucture and it worked out GREAt. Then at about 5:30 my friend came over with her baby and we went for a 2 mile walk. So my day was so good..THEN DH comes home and everytime I would ask him something he would ignore me because the TV was so loud watching ESPN. Now please dont get me wrong I like sports but I hate when he tunes me out!!!! Then I sat with him on the bills for the house because I had a few questions about life/health/home ins and some Escrow thingy and one of his emploees filing for TID ...well, he flipped out on me!! He told me that I am very educated and I need to take the time and read the statements/papers and figure them out. That I am in charge of the bills and need to do it myself! The way he was talking to me was so arogant and condecending! I have NEVER heard him be like that with me and it bothers me a lot!So I STILL dont know what to do or what these papers mean, I think there are mistakes in the escrow dept etc. So I called my dad to help me out tomorrow, I hope that goes up dh's A$$ !!Well, I am off to bed!

Love U's...mad at DH!

[EBTwinz]

By the way, I emailed Enfamil and Huggies to see if I can get any discounts or free samples. Enfamil emailed me back the next day. They are sending me free samples in the mail of Gentlease and more coupons. They also wanted my feedback on which formulas we tried and the side effects we experienced. Huggies emailed me the same day and is sending me a label w/ paid postage so I can send copies of birth certificates and they are going to send a one time offer for a multiple birth. I am doing the same thing for Pampers, Gerber, Luvs, and any other place that I can think of. I just typed a very general letter and am going to make copies of the birth certificates.

Did anyone else get any freebies??

[swineland]

Lisa and Danielle.....First off, I know exactly how you feel right now as you will remember my DH problems last week. Any time you want to get on here and vent to us, you know you always can. Daniele, your husband sounds like perhaps he was just in a foul mood. Would love to know how it goes today...to see if he apologizes or acts more normal. (I do know that if he is a Red Sox fan then that probably explains the bad mood.....they are tanking big time in this series against the Yankees....not that I'm being the devil's advocate, just a thought since he was AT the game). Lisa, girl.....did he SAY that to you? The whole "worst wife in the world" comment? Or was that what you thought he might be thinking? If he actually said that to you then he needs a swift a$$ kicking. You are totally in the right, here. I also was going through the same thing as far as getting the babies on a schedule, trying to follow their "sleepy" cues and enforcing what, to me, appeared to be common sense strategies. The other day I heard Evan crying and crying. I knew he needed a nap and I kept telling DH that. Finally I came out into the living room to see DH bouncing Evan on his knee and doing the whole horsey "duh duh duh-duh duh duh-duh duh duh DUH!" thing......I'm like, give him to me right now. I put him in his crib and w/in minutes he was out. MEN do not understand this logic. We, as mothers, are intune to what our babies need. Say to your husband (and your crazy in-laws), hey, when you are over-tired, how do you react? I bet you get cranky....well, the babies do the SAME thing. It's not rocket science.

Anyway, I'm sorry you guys are having DH issues. Remember that it's only temporary and this too shall pass. But I know it still sucks and it's crap to have to feel like you have to prove yourself or feel resistance from the ONE person in the whole world who should be SUPPORTIVE of you. Hang in there and talk to us any time.

Cereal, for those of you doing it.....do you give it to them at every feeding, every other feeding, or just at night?? I've been giving it to E & B just about every other feeding. Daniele is right, it doesn't do too much for the sleep...maybe an extra hour or so, but the spit up is virtually gone!

We took the babies out yesterday to stroll around Downtown Disney. It was hot, but they seemed to enjoy it. Then it started to get sticky and we were sweating so we went back home. Grilled some fresh grouper fillets and did a foil bag full of fresh veggies and had some basmati rice (my favorite!) and a nice big bottle of sauvignon blanc. A nice change of pace from last weekend when we weren't getting along so well. :)

Gotta run!
Steph

[Daniele'sTwins]

hi gUYS...dh IS ACTING LIKE i AM NOT MAD AT HIM AND THAT IS PISSING ME OFF ALL THE MORE. i HATE WHEN HE WAKES UP THE NEXT MORNING AFTER (oops, sorry about the caps) an argument and does that! Anyway. I am so pi$$y that i did like five loads of laundry, dishes, and cleaning like a mad women ! We have a benefit dinner tonight and I dont even want to sit next to him...ugh. I feel like a little brat but I deserve an apology!

Lisa... I am so sorry you are going through "times" too. I also feel so aggravated when DH doesn't listen to me about what to do with the babies. He does not get to spend so much time with the boys because he works so much so I expect that when he is home and helping out that he listen to what I say seeing he has NEVER been around babies before. For example...my boys spit up a lot BUT it really helps if they get burped every 2ozs well, DH no matter how many times I ask him to do that he will wait until more than 4 ozs!! Then OF COURSE they get belly aches and spit up. Oh yeah and this afternoon I was just preparing lunch for the two of us and DH was feeding Luca with Nico on the play gym right in front of him. Well, Nico started spitting up so he yells over to me, in the kitchen mind you, that Nico was spitting up!! I honestly did not respond! I know he was trying to show me that he was feeding Luca BUT WHAT THE H3LL DOES HE THINK i DO WHEN I AM ALL ALONE!!! I hate how he can't do two things at once. Just put Luca's bottle down give Nico a quick wipe (and maybe a little kiss) and pick the bottle back up and continue to feed Luca! Are you kidding me???

Steph...as for the cereal I give it only at night for their last bottle. Also, I am the red sox fan, DH is from Jersey so he likes the yankees...I should have known there would be trouble! LOL DH is usually the man of my dreams. I love him more than anyone in the entire world! He is the most generous, caring, loving DH usually. He is an awesome dad (as good as a man can be...lol). BUT lately I don't know what his problem is. I am sure we will talk about it by the end of the day and I will let you know what is said.

Lisa...I still have to go pick up my birth certificates! Thanks for reminding me!

[LucasMom]

Hi, guys...

I am so sorry you all are having H (no D right now!) troubles. I am lucky in that after Lucas, Dh usually listens to me in regards to baby issues. He knows I know what I am talking about. With Lucas, on the other hand, we end up fighting, because his idea of "discipline" is to treat Lucas like he is 10 years old instead of 3. He talks back to him like a child, and I have to constantly remind him that Lucas doesn't understand him when he acts like that, and either thinks it's a game or that he is mad at him. But Steph was right, it will pass. Marriage does really change with kids, it's something they don't warn you about. As for calling you the "worst wife ever" and saying you should be wanting to have sex all day long, whatever, Lis! Tell him to stay home for one day with the babies throwing up all over his shoulder, and peeing on his leg and see how sexy he feels when YOU get home. And tell him to clean up and do some laundry also! Really, though, I know each man reacts differently to situations, but when my DH gets out of hand with the comments or voice raising, I stop talking to collect my thoughts, and eventually say to him quietly "Please don't speak like that to me" at which point he usually does it again, and I just keep quietly repeating that to him until it sinks in. Those comments are unnacceptable, even in an arguement, not fair and not nice! Dan- My husband does that too, the "oops, something is happening that I can really take care of myself, but I'll ask you to do it even though you are far away from the situation" thing. Hello, we do it all day without a second pair of hands. You can do it, too!

OK--enough husband bashing:grouphugg and let's move on...

Lisa- I would love to meet at K of P one day! I am back to work (gulp!) tomorrow, but I still have 9 vacation days and 14 sick days to take this year, so we can plan it, maybe in October? I promise I won't think you're weird for taking the day off from your sex-crazed existence to shop with me!!:D

We finished painting last night and I love the chocolate color. We did two walls in this color, and one wall in a chocolate milk color and the trim in a color call cinnamon cake. I swear we didn't plan for all the colors to be named after food, it just happened that way! YUM! I want to eat my bedroom!

I don't know if you have a Baby Depot near you. They are in Burlington Coat Factory. They offer 20 % discount on twin items when you buy two. I believe Babies R Us also does this, just make sure to ask. This is helpful for large ticket purchases like carseats. Just so you know, when we purchased a car seat for Lucas, we (I) did research on all of the models, and you do not have to spend upwards of $200.00 on a Britax model. Here is the review of the models we bought for Lucas.

Top Convertible Baby Car Seats
Cosco Scenera 5-Point Harness Car Seat
One of the most economical car seats available, the Cosco Scenera doesn't offer bells and whistles, but it will protect your baby in the car. The five-point harness model offers simple harness adjustments and a removable seat cover for easy cleaning. As on many inexpensive car seats, the harness straps may twist a lot, and should be smoothed with each use to keep baby safe. Note: Cosco sells an overhead shield Scenera - I recommend buying only the 5-point harness models. Retails for $50-$65.

Just food for thought, because some of you, like us, may end up needing four carseats with parents picking up and dropping off for childcare. I was rearended twice with Lucas in the car as a baby in this seat, and both times, he didn't even move. He was always very comfortable in there. They sell it at Babies R Us.

OK, enough from me. Love to all. Wish me luck on my first day back tomorrow!!

Mindy

[LucasMom]

Christel- I forgot to tell you, the pics of your girls are great! I love that Emme is always sleeping and Ruby is always awake in the pics or reverse! They sit up great in the bumbos, too! Thanks for the Bumbo bath idea!

Mindy

[megzmom]

Cereal-I am still giving the boys the cereal. Spit up came back last two days but thankfully not through the nose. I only give the cereal at the last feeding before the bath. I feed them with a spoon most nights unless they are too fussy. Then I put the 2-3 TBSP into the bottle using the Ycut or #2 nipple.

Tylenol-We didnt give it before (didnt have any) the nurse gave us the tylenol and we gave it 3x after the shots. They were sore until the next morning but great ever since.

Took their first real pictures at Target. THey were soo cute. Ben was laying on Zack's back then they sat up together. Too darling.

[megzmom]

I am so sorry that you ladies are having dh (minus the d) troubles. I divorced my 1st husband because my eyes really started to open after I had my dd. It was pretty bad. I am so thankful that my dh is darling 90% of the times. We still are spatting at each other but I know we are on uncharted territory (especially for him). Otherwise he has been pretty good. I laughed when someone said their dh stayed on the couch holding the babies and that's it. I laugh bc all my pictures of him and the babies are on the couch!

Hair-did anyone find out what to do about our hair falling out. Today I dried my hair and brushed it with a clean brush and it was full of hair. I hate it! I dont want to highlight my hair for fear that it will all fall out. That would kinda be good. One less thing to do in a day :crazy:

[sgarrett]

Ok just lost my post and have to retype it!:mad:

Lisa: Your hubby needs to understand that comments like that are very hurtful and can not be taken back. When I gained a million pounds with all the fertility treatments I was rarely "in the mood". Normally I was a good old nympho and my DH took it personally. I had to explain to him that woman get turned on b/c they feel sexy emotionally. Men on the other hand can see you walk by without a bra and are good to go. When you DH says horrible things to you how does that make you feel emotionally? Certainly not sexy. Men and woman are just wired different in that department. I am so sorry you are going through this now when you need your hubby's support most of all. I am very blessed with my DH but I do get the family thing. My DH's identical twin pisses me off on a regular basis. He keeps telling my DH we should give the babies cereal in their bottle, something I am just not ready to do. When they babysat for us (my bil and his wife) a couple of weeks ago I had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. The next day the bil called my DH and said I do not understand why your wife will not give the babies cereal to help them sleep but does not have a problem giving them alcohol. (b/c I BF) I was sooo pissed! I explained to him that I listen to my doc on what is ok and not ok and when he shows my his doctorite in piedatrics I would listen to him more. Thanks for the tips on Enfamil, I BF and suplement with formula and I use the Gentle Ease it is soo expensive!

Danielle: My first husband was addicted to ESPN, when I was preggo with my son he was glued to the TV and there was someone on the phone for him. I yelled his name a hundred times and he was so glued to the TV he zoned me out. I got so pissed I threw the phone at him and hit him in the back of the head with it! I can totally relate!

We went to Outback Fri night and got every stupid comment you could imagine. "Are they twins?" No dumba$$ I just had babies back to back. "Are they identical?" It is a boy and a girl! "Wow they look just alike how do you tell them apart?" Isabelle and Adien look nothing alike. It is hard to beleive they are related! "oh my gosh you have two can I have one?" People truly are idiots! Then to top the night off Isabelle pucked all over her carrier!:vomit: It was soo gross! But besides all that, the babies were great, I think they like being out in noisy environments.

Well we are getting ready to leave for the babies doc appt, wish me luck. I am so nervous about the shots.:( Thanks for all of ya'lls info on the tylenol. I think we will wait until after and them give it to them. Oh and btw they slept from 10:00 till 3:30 last night! :yippee:

Felisha: Call me, I cannot wait to meet!

Love you all:grouphugg

Staci

[sgarrett]

Wow where is everybody today?

Just got back from the doc, it was sooo hard hearing the babies scream when they got their shots.:( Luckily it was over with quick and they seem OK now. I, of course, cried like a baby.

Isabelle was 22 inches and 12lb 3 oz and Aiden was 22.5 inches and 10 lb 13 oz. The doc said they looked great! I asked about the cereal thing, he said it is fine to give it to them this early, he said they did not reccomend it b/c there is no nutritional value in cereal. So you are replacing the formula which is loaded with nutrition with the cereal. I think I am going to wait it out, he said he would reccomend starting them on it at 4 months.

Take care all!

Staci

[cbparker]

I got tons of free samples and coupon ideas from twinstuff.com. Type in free stuff in the search option, and it is listed on a post in the message boards. Formula, diapers, tylenol, baby food, tons of free stuff, most of them require proof of birth via crib card or birth cert. Well worth looking into!!!

[AndreaR]

hey everyone -
it's 8:40pm, and both girls are asleep. we've eaten dinner (at the table, with no baby interruptions!), and i've finished the dishes. took my shower, pumped. i'm all set. i am dying to go to bed, but i feel like there are a million things i should do while the girls are both asleep. i've come here to get your support for my choice to go to bed!
so, in that spirit, i'm making this a very short post.
staci - i think you asked about this a long time ago, but i don't remember seeing a reply - you have pain when one of your babies latches on to the boob? according to everything that i've recently learned about b/f, that means that he's not latched on properly. my isabelle doesn't latch on great either, and sometimes it hurts for the first few seconds. no matter what i do, i can't get her to latch properly (with more than just the nipple in her mouth). not sure if that helps? i do feel your pain, though (literally)!
my girls, especially isabelle, have been smiling and "talking" so much. isabelle does it nonstop the past few days. looking into her eyes when she smiles is the best thing i have ever felt in my whole life. i swear, all of the pain and suffering over the past many weeks (and all of the trials and tribulations getting us here), have been totally worth it. i have never felt so much love from such little people. their eyes literally sparkle...... i just can't get over it.
and on that beautiful note, i'm going to bed.
AndreaR
ps. of course, i'll be cursing out Isabelle right after i lay my head on my pillow and she wakes up to nurse! :rolleyes:

[CanadianChick]

Hello Everyone,
I know I only posted a few times put I am an advide reader. I had some computer issues which are now resloved and I therefor I am planning on becoming a frequent visitor if you'll have me:)
Quick update on Me.... I am 26 I've been married to my Dh for 3 years I live in Ontario and I am a nurse AND....I gave birth to my first babies..Identical girls Hilary and Jillian on May 31st (I believe there is someone else who also gave birth the same day) I had a scheduled csection at 37 weeks with no complications.
Currently my two little angels are sleeping through the night :yippee: I put them to bed at 1130 and they sleep untill 630 or 730. Now that they are sleeping, I feel like a whole new person, seeing the light for the first time in weeks.
And I too have recently expeirenced the greatest moments of my life when for the first time both girls started smiling and cooing, I love it....life is great.
I know that some have you have experienced hair loss recently...so have my girls! They just recently started to loose patches of hair and b/c they were both little mop tops at birth the loss it quite obvious.
I am also breastfeeding Hilary and pumping for Jillian b/c she never latched(and giving formula twice a day) and I too get the sore nipple and it is usually caused by a poor latch and the only way I know how to correct it is to 'shove' more nipple in when latching the babe b/c the pain is usually caused by the babe just hanging on the end of the nipple without enough in her/his mouth. WOW I got more typed then I thought I could before the crying started ....which it just has .....and oh goody both in unison, what a treat! Look forward to hearing from everyone talk care.
Kirstin

[twinsmakethree]

hello everyone

well it was a year ago yesterday that i had ivf now i have 2 beautiful daughters that are 3mths old already, i come to you all for some good ol fashion advice!!:)

when i had ivf i had my left over embryos frozen for 1 jjust incase the two didnt take and 2 just in case i wanted more. the storage was free for a year now that the year is up i have to decide whether to discard or pay for storage ( which is expensive!!!!)

We dont have the money really to pay but we would if i wanted to but i really dont know if i want to right now im saying no and i really want to either try naturally now that i have my endo in control or if it doesnt come naturally then just love the two i have. But i know that might change, especially because every now and again i want a son!! I have to make a decision soon before fees cut in. I am told that their is nothing that should prevent me from getting pregnant now that my uterus and tubes have been cleared( i was diagnosed with secondary infertility due to endometriosis). If i keep them frozen then if i want to do the procedure again i dont have to go through the mess of needles and medicine just start at the end, which is great the process to retrieve eggs is a killer!! I hate meds and needles.

So girls give me your thoughts please maybe i can make a decision before the end of the day

thanks:throb:
Andrea

[swineland]

Andrea....

Hmmm, tough decision. I, too, did IVF and I totally identify with your feelings about the egg retrieval process. I guess I would ask myself some questions, when do I think I'll be ready to have another baby? Am I sure I even WANT another baby? Am I willing/able to pay for embryo storage for the length of time until I AM ready? How confident am I that I can get pregnant naturally this time? How do I feel about giving up my frozen embryos? Would I consider embryo donation? There is not one part of IVF that doesn't involve emotional decision making. Whatever choice you make will have it's pros and cons. But ask yourself this..... if someone said, you HAVE to discard the embryos, there is no choice to be made. How would you feel? Or if that same person said, you HAVE to keep them in storage and pay the fees...how would THAT make you feel? Whichever one gives you the most content feeling and "sits right" with you is the decision you should make. I hate to say this, but luckily none of my embryos were viable enough to survive the freezing/thawing process, so I don't have to worry about making a similar decision. Whatever you DO decide, it's the right decision for you.

Good luck
Steph

[sgarrett]

Andrea,

I went through IVF as well (I wonder how many of us did!) the first time it did not "take" so we used my frozen embryos to make Aiden and Isabelle. I agree with Steph this is a very emotional decision. I too hope to have maybe one more baby but am not going to go through IVF to do it. I am 36 so if it happens it has to happen soon. (even though I am on birth control now) There is no reason they could find that I did not get preg naturally, except that I only have one tube. I had a tubal pregnancy when we 1st starting trying. I really think alot of it was I was so stressed about wanting to be pregnant. That being said if you too have nothing medically stopping you, now that you have the twins and the "pressure" so to say is off, maybe you will have a better chance of it happening naturally. I wish you luck in your decision, and will pray for you today too!

Love,

Staci

[EBTwinz]

Steph: I have to know where you bought the "Babe Magnet" onsie! So cute!!!!

Just a quick post and I will check in later.

Lisa

[AndreaR]

Andrea -

i am in a similar predicament. we have embryos and are currently paying to store them, and we're talking about when and if we're going to use them.

i like what steph had to say. i'm not sure how else to make a decision. trust your heart.

sorry i couldn't be more help. good luck. remember, no matter what you decide, it is the right decision.

:throb:
AndreaR