Anyone else due in June "06

[swineland]

:clap: The boys slept until 7am!! I just could not believe it. I had set the coffee maker last night for 6am thinking, yea right Steph, we'll see about this. I went to bed at around 9:30pm which means I got like 9 hours of sleep. Considering the fact that I have a cold and generally feel like poop, I know I really needed it. Feel a TEENSY bit better today, but I really think I need one more day of cold pills/rest/Theraflu at night. I really want to get together with Staci, who is here in Florida right now, but I don't want to get anyone sick! I'll call her later today.

Daniele, I am SO excited about your trip and can't wait to see you again, and finally meet those boys. I hope that we are ALL feeling better!

Did you guys hear about that newborn baby girl who was kidnapped from the hospital in Texas? She's been found, but can you imagine?? I would die. Of course, they showed an interview w/the mother and they asked her what she wanted to say and she said "I want my baby back". ALL I could think of was, I want my baby back, baby back, baby back.....CHILIIIIIII'S bayyyy-bee back ribs...BARBEQUE SAUCE" Hahaha..... terrible.

Gotta run....be back...
Steph

[SunMoonMom]

Its been a tough weekend…

Friday afternoon, Daddy's heart rate began to race at about 160 bpm. The cardiologist called me on Friday night about 10pm to ask for medical authorization to shock his heart to see if that would get it back into rhythm. They shocked the heart 3 times and it did not work. The doctor said that they would try one more medication but that it was highly likely that Daddy would not make it through the night. (The heart can only function at that rate for a short time before it siezes and ultimate stops working). I called the family back to the hospital where they sat vigil for about 3 hours. After that everyone went home but my Aunt. There is now someone with him at all times. He made it through Friday night.

Saturday morning his heart rate was back to the normal range but by 11:30a, it had returned to the racing state. In addition, the pheumonia had progressed to the point that his lungs were full of fluid and he was essentially drowning. They continued to keep him comfortable and try to control the heart rate with medication. (Again, the medication is only making slight improvements on the heart rate so the chance of heart attack are very high) Once again, he made it through the night.

Sunday, his kidneys began to slow down production of urine. They gave him lasix to help get the fluid off… His kidneys picked up production. His heart rate has been between 90 - 110 with slight periodic bouts of racing. The fluid in his lungs had gone down slightly.

So here is where we are at… It is a waiting game. His chances are still very low that he will make it… The family and I have discussed it and feel that traveling down there at this time would only be rough on the boys because we would have to spend so much time in the hospital. Plus I would be adding to additional children to the mix that would require someone to be with them at all times. In addition, I personally have said that I feel like its better for Paul and I to maintain a normal schedule for them and to keep one for me too… I don't want to see my Daddy that way and if he dies, I would rather remember like he was when he was here when the boys were born or when he came at Thanksgiving. If he passes, I will come in to get things situated and outlined for Steve to take over. I will probably need to leave for TX the next day. Right now, if he survives, Paul and I are planning on traveling down there on March 22nd. Our hope is that if he is alive then that there will be less need for family to be at the hospital and thus able to help with the babies. Plus by then, Lisa will be able to watch them (this week her son is having surgery on his knee and she would not be able to help with the boys.)

Okay so that's the status… I just need everyone to keep sending those prayers our way. Based on his survival so far, the power of prayer seems to be helping…

Time Change and Babies - Okay I think there is a memo going around to all babies regarding the time change. 3 hours we worked on getting the boys to go down last night. Now these are boys that we put in their cribs, they cry for about 10 - 15 minutes and pass out. Not last night though... Last night it sounded like someone was sticking them with a pitchfork.. Screams, tears and kicking the mattress... So we butt patted, we stroked backs, we sssshhhh-ed until I thought I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen... It finally came down to a battle of wills and by the way I won... Babies 0 - Mommy 2.

I hope you all had a better time getting your babies to sleep last night...

Write more later...

Kerrie

[swineland]

:aww: Kerrie, still praying for your dad.....what a rough weekend for you. Sounds like you are keeping it together pretty well, though, for the kids' sake I'm sure. Hang in there and keep us posted.

On a positive note, your precious baby boys are 9 months old today! Happy Birthday Ben and Zach! :party:

Steph

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Hi. I'm back. I feel like I post 24/7 now. I gotta get out of this house! Up to 61 degrees today (I'll believe it when I feel it) so maybe we'll get some sun.

Mason and Isa did their first signs today! :clap: I have been working on "more" and "drink" during meal time for weeks now. This morning at breakfast, Isa did the "more" sign to get more yogurt. Then, not to be outdone, Mason, did it about 5 seconds later. Mason also started clapping yesterday. So cute! I was so excited that DH thinks that I've lost my mind. It is just so cool to communicate with them.

Kerrie- Your Dad sounds like a tough cookie. What a rollercoaster ride with his status going up and down like that. I hope he becomes more stable today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you all.

Same for your Dad, Steph-- I hope everything is okay with him. Your boys must have known how much you needed some sleep last night. See how much they love you! I had a better night. Mason slept until 7:15 ( he woke up twice, but went right back to sleep with his pacifier), but Isabella woke at her usual time- 5:45. She certainly hasn't let the time change slow her down. BTW- don't you have flashes to the future when you look at your siggy picture. E and B look like teenage boys joking around together! Really cute.

Missy--I think the fussiness is everything combined (teeth, growth spurt, little colds/viruses, increasing mobility making them antsy). When I stopped nursing in Dec/Jan, I was a hormonal mess for a good three weeks until my body adjusted. It really threw me for a loop. I think your boys are fussy/sickish just because of everything that this age and season brings. Breastmilk might help a bit, but I doubt they would be symptom free. Don't beat yourself up about it- you did great!

Andrea- Isabella is a on a formula strike, too. I barely get 20 oz/day into her. I have a Dr. appt. next week so I'll ask then what to do. Maybe I'll try the older baby formula (your dr. suggested that, right?). Isa acts like she doesn't like her milk. The only other thing that I can think of is to sneak it into anything we can- cereal, toast, pureed foods,...

Jill-glad your trip when well!

I am hosting a mommy-baby playgroup on Thursday of this week. I'll have six moms and 12 babies at my house. Yikes! I signed up for it through the MOM club, and then the play group coordinator put six of us with twins under 1 year in touch with each other. Emails have been going around for a couple weeks and no one was offering to host, so I just said I would do it. I think that I have the oldest babies so it is probably easiest for me. Hopefully, I'll meet some nice ladies! Wish you all lived closer so that you could join ; )

I'm watching Ellen right now, but I haven't seen Steph. What's up with that? :)

Until tomorrow-

Jen

[christel]

No :sunshine: here this morning...cloudy and rainy. So, I guess I'm not getting out for a walk w/ the girls. I've been trying to do that everyday - exercise for me and a change in routine for them.

They had a tough day yesterday, like everyone else. They did sleep until 7:30 and took a good 1st nap, but it was all downhill after that. We put them to bed last night at 6! They slept until 8 this morning! I was like, "YES!" and DH was, "SHI*!" He hasn't had to set an alarm clock for the past 6 mo. or so b/c the babies always wake him up in time for work :lol: His coworkers were ragging on him when he walked in late and he told them that his alarm clocks overslept :D

Yesterday, Emme FREAKED out in the church nursery and they had to call us to come get her. Something startled her and then she realized that Mommy was gone and she was apoplectic by the time DH got to her. He left Ruby there - she was having a great time - and brought Emme into the service. They record our service, so they ask that loud little ones go to the cry room. And we were sitting right by the recording equipment. So, I was prepared to run w/ her... but she was an angel through the whole service! Emme LOVES tv and she watched the sermon on the big screens up on the side walls and played w/ my keys :proud:

Emme is my tv addict! She can sit still for nearly an hour if Sesame Street is on. She likes anything w/ a vid screen - cell phones, our monitor, the computer... It's the weirdest and I worry about it a little and am careful to not let her look at the tv unless it's something that I sanctioned and then for only a short amount of time. Seriously, she has this amazing attention span and absorbs what she watches! It's scary! Ruby... not so much :D

Missy - I ditto Jen on the BF guilt... normal, hormonal and misplaced. I went through a similar spell when I stopped 4 mo. ago. And of course, the girls managed to come down w/ their first cold & pink eye about a month later. But, we'd just exposed them to my germ-ridden nephews... what did I expect?! Hang in there, mama! You're doing an awesome job.

Steph - DH's whole family is from Lubbock, where the baby was kidnapped. I went to college there and we lived there until 8 yrs ago. It is BIG news in my neck of the woods. They think that woman walked out w/ the baby in her PURSE! Was LOL at your "baby back..." Sounds like something I'd do.

Jen- W-O-W! I am bowing to you being brave enough to host your MOMs group! I know you'll have a great time and that the other mom's really appreciate you stepping up and hosting. And :woo: for the signing! That is so exciting! I've been half heartedly working on "more"... thinking that they're just not old enough to respond back yet. But, I'm going to step it up now!

Jill - I got the exercises in the mail. Thank you! So glad that your family had a nice weekend. It sounds lovely.

Andrea -How did you find these swim lessons? I'm totally interested in finding something for babies here. Ruby's been on an eating strike, too, and I'm freaking a little about how to get more calories in her. The pedi said that babies often have a decrease in appetite b/t 9 & 12 mo.... but Ruby is not my baby who needs to slack off. Glad you and DH had a nice grownups night out and made up. Things have been a little off, here, too... think that we just need to carve out some "us" time more often.

Danielle - Love:throb: the new pic of the boys! They are so precious.

Kerrie - More big hugs to you... I am so sorry for all you're going through right now and still have you & your family in my prayers. Anything I can do here in TX? We're in the Austin area.

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[mmzill]

Jill, I got the excercises too! Thanks so much!!!

I promise to get on here later and really reply to everyone!
Monica

[vthompson]

I have been trying to read every post and take notes so that I could respond to everyone...this has been going on since Friday!!!!!! I decided today to just post real quick because I just do not think I am ever going to get caught up. I started a new job from home....I work for 2 other companies, plus this one, all part time, doing administrative work. Well, this new one has a lot of ramp up work to do so all my spare time is spent on that...it used to be spent on posting!! I miss you ladies...I HATE having to rush through the posts. I like to take my time. I think I am going to have to devise a new plan...like read them in the evenings when the kids go to bed....

Anyways...

Steph - I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I will keep him in my prayers.

Kerrie - I was just thinking about you today wondering how your dad was and then I read your post. Hang in there....we are all praying for him and your family.

Well, this is all I have time for...I am so sorry to everyone for not responding. I will try to be better!!

Valerie

[newmomx2]

Corey - 19lbs 15oz and 28inches
Tyler - 18lbs 14oz and 29 inches

Poor Corey needs to see a Neurosurgeon because his head is still flat on the back from sleeping on his back like we were supposed to do. He may need to wear a helmet for 3-6 mths I am so upset about that - his head isn't to terrible but not improving on its own. I figure it will be harder on us than him - hey maybe the helmet will come in handy when his brother hits him or he is learning to walk !

Kerrie - Thoughts/prayers are still with you - your dad sounds like a tough bird.

Val - Sounds like you are insanely busy !

Jen - hope you got outside it is awesome out - but still to chilly for me to take my guys since they have colds

Pray we have a better night - Corey gets hit so hard with colds you have to hold him upright to sleep he is just so congested...I really need to make it to work

Tyler is currently asleep sitting up - if I try to move him he gets really mad !

:nice:

[vthompson]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TJ AND NOAH :birthday: :party: :partygirls: ....our first June babies turn 1!!! I cannot believe it!!

Valerie

[Megzackben]

Steph and Kerrie-I hope that your dads are doing better. Kerrie, the waiting is hard I remember.

swimming-cottage cheese legs? CHECK. I am signing the boys up for the summer awesome swimming classes for cheap at our city but what do you do when you refuse to where a bathing suit? I am heavier now that at 8 mths preg. Gained more weight since they were born. UGH>>>>>>>

Staci- are you in FL now?

Daniele-when are you coming again to FL?

IRS-got a nice check coming but unfortunately IRS found a big mistake from 2 years ago. Apparently in 2004 the bookkeeper we went to didnt put my teaching w2 number in and I didnt catch it. So our check is on hold until they transfer the fees/penalties! yuck.

Zack waved today and they both are standing for a few seconds. Zack also just started saying "yeah" when I do it. They are growing toooo fast!!!!:proud:

We have our check up on Wed.

Singing-New baby einstein signing is coming out. I just asked MIL to start practicing more, juice and banana. I think they might be a little speech "delayed" because she only speaks to them in French which I am so happy about but I think that is a lot of words to process. Since I dont speak French I am worried that they wont grow up with it. I may try to get a few videos in French. We already have some books. Cant read a lick so she is the only one reading them. DH can speak it but doesnt.

[Megzackben]

okay used photobucket for first time. HOW IN THE WORLD DO I RESIZE???????

[swineland]

Hey everyone....

Heather, that sucks about the w2 mishap.....it's hard to ever completely trust someone with your taxes/finances. We've been using the same accountant for 4 years, in Maryland. Hopefully he knows what he's doing! You have GOT to come over here soon and take what you want of these clothes...... And no, you're not paying me for them. When is your spring break, is it now? I know Orange co. is. When I and the boys are feeling better, we will schedule a hand-me-down visit at Chez Steph :)

Today has been the worst day of my life, post-baby. I am a tough cookie and can normally take a lot. I'm MUCH much stronger than my husband and can weather most storms without complaining. Today was just too much for me. I've blown my nose about 100 times, my ears are killing me, my head feels like a pressure cooker....I can't breathe and the babies were fussy/clingy/crying/whiny all day. I just stood in the hallway and cried....we were all crying! What a sight, I'm sure. I feel like such a bad mom when that happens. Like, pull it together Steph, don't let them see you like this. But today I just couldn't do it. I have a dr. appt in the morning and DH is calling in sick to stay home and take care of the boys while I convalesce. This is just one big rant, and I am so sorry to have laid it on you guys.....there are so many more important, serious things going on.

My dad- his appt was today and apparently the ding-dongs at the office LOST his bloodwork. :duh: So, he had it drawn again and it will be a few days before it's ready. Of course, my dad is not a rule-breaker and would NOT call the office because there were signs up all over saying, "do not call the office for test results. If something is abnormal, we will call you." So, he just waited and waited thinking no news is good news. Men. Anyway, the dr. suggested that he go to a surgeon and have the lumps removed, several of them one of which was estimated as golf-ball size. They will of course biopsy them when they are removed and that will be the big results we'll hold our breath for. Thanks for all your kind thoughts/prayers.

Today, I wanted to do this....it's an icon story:
:creep: to the door and then get in my getaway van and :driver: down to Mexico. But instead I was thrown back into reality and all I could do was :cry:

The end.

Steph

[AndreaR]

The authoritative parent
Affectionate and engaged
Sets limits and enforces consequences
Uses reason, logic, and appropriate negotiation
Empowers a child's decision making
His or her child is likely to be:
Happy, responsible, and kind
Good at problem-solving
Self-motivated and confident
Cooperative
An excellent student
A leader

The authoritarian parent
Emotionally aloof
Bossy; likely to say, "Because I said so"
Uses physical punishment or verbal insults
Dismisses a child's feelings.
His or her child is likely to be:
Moody and anxious
Well-behaved
An average to good student
A follower

The permissive parent
Affectionate
Anxious to please, ends every sentence by asking, "OK?"
Indulgent
Can't say no and stick to it
Easily manipulated
His or her child is likely to be:
Demanding and whiny
Easily frustrated
Lacking kindness and empathy
A poor to average student
A follower

The passive parent
Emotionally removed or indifferent
Uninvolved
Abdicates discipline
Inconsistent and unpredictable
His or her child is likely to be:
Clingy and needy
Inappropriate and rude
Likely to get into trouble
A poor student
A follower

[Jillmami]

Kerrie, Continued prayers for you and your family.

Steph, I will add you and your family to my prayers as well. Stay strong!

Can't respond to everyone as we are still celebrating the little munchkins' 1st birthday! (We are taking a bit of a break/nap.)

We went to Chuck E. Cheese's with a few friends' and their kids as well as our nanny. It was fun to see the kids interact with the moving rides and other kids. I have decided to make a charm bracelet for TJ. I bought a blank bracelet and will add a symbolic charm each year until she is 18 and then I will tell her the story on it. I decided to make one for Noah as well to give to his wife one day so that I can share his childhood story with her. Hope it works out as well as it seems in my mind now.

We are also having a more formal birthday celebration in June at our house where will invite everyone for a swim/BBQ party.

Hope to get caught up tomorrow on what everyone has been up to!

[mmzill]

I know I have so much to catch up on.....I so enjoy reading everyone's posts on here, even if I don't respond to each one - It just makes my day go better to sit down for a few secs and read that someone else is feeling as overwhelmed, or excited or whatever.....that I'm not in this alone!!!

Everyone on here is a WONDERFUL Mother!!!! I just wanted to give a little pep talk. We have gone through so so so much in the past year and a half, and feeling bad about parenting is so normal for a parent of a singleton, much less twins. Don't forget that EACH of us is a loving mommy that would do anything for our babies!!! Even if we feel like life can't go on like it is, somehow it does and generally gets better. Love you all so much!

Steph and Kerrie, been praying about your daddies! I hope all works out.

Steph - so hope you get to feeling better soon! It is so miseralbe being sick especially when you can't just be sick!!!

Felisha - that is great about the Spa day, I was sitting in my chair imagining the relaxation.....I think I got some of it over the compter lines :) Sounds like you really needed that! Sorry you are having such issues with Syd.

Jill, glad you had a nice weekend away, hopefully TJ and Noah will be back to their normal routines soon - and a BIG Happy Birthday to them!! That is incredible that it has been one year already!

Valerie - I've been trying to figure out some dates to get together, I'm having a hard time :( Every week Early intervention is coming at least once, my mom is coming this Friday and will be here for a week (very excited about that!) Then April 15 we are all heading to Orlando for a DH business trip for four weeks! So, maybe we could do it the first or second week in April? I'm good for just about any day of the week (as long as the EI isn't here that day, but I can reschedule them if I need to)

Lisa - Glad you are home safely, sometimes it's just so much work to get moved "back in" after being gone.

Jen, you are brave for having all those kiddos at your house!! Hope it went well!

Woo Hoo for the new teeth and the standers!!!! Today I had Anthony in the basement (where we actually have carpet) and he went FORWARD, it wasn't quite a crawl, but it was FORWARD!!!!

Recipies - I tried Alvocado in the YoBaby vanilla yogurt, the boys seemed to like it pretty well. I thought it tasted like $h!t, but what do I know. :) They have also had some whole wheat pasta noodles from a very yummy Minstrone soup I made this weekend, fresh pear, and some fresh quite lumpy banana. I'm so excited that they are taking to textured foods ok, one of the first things the Speech thereapist said about Nathan was that he would most likely have issues with textures, I'm glad she was wrong. I used to make food for dd all the time with a Magic Bullet blender, it was the BEST thing for blending up stuff really quick, but it broke :( and I have not replaced it yet.

Well, It is late and I'm tired. This new time has just thrown me for a loop! I didn't get done feeding everyone this morning until after 10! Oh well. Till tomorrow!
Monica

[christel]

Just a fast post to say...

:birthday:
TJ & Noah!!!!
:partygirls: :present: :dance3: :five: :party2 :party:

[mrscon]

Felisha - You are juggling so much. I have so many ideas for advice from spiritual (realize you can't do everything on your own and that's OK) to practical (try setting out a week's worth of work clothes out at a time). Just hang in their sweetie. You've got lots of fellow mommies who know what you're going through!

How old is Syd? My daughter is approaching 2 1/2 and it's a challenge. She's very sweet...but she's two! And I think three years old will be more challenging!

Potty training - any pointers for my girl? I feel like we're doing pretty good. I have a friend who disciplines her daughter when she goes potty in her pull up instead of the toilet. I don't know if I'm in agreement with that. Ideas anyone???

[SunMoonMom]

Hi Mommies...

Daddy - Well, he started running fever last night which is a good thing. It means the body is trying to fight the infection. Doesn't mean he is out of the woods but it is a baby step forward. The stoma (the part of the intestines used to create the colostomy) doesn't look good but the surgeon isn't going to worry about it until his body is able to handle another surgery.

Steph - Your father is in my prayers... Also you are too... It is so rough to be sick and not be able to take a break... I remember Paul got sick right after the babies were born and I said to him "Parents aren't allowed to get sick." I think it was the first time he realized that his life had truly changed forever.

Heather - Ben and Zack are precious... I can't get over how beautiful they are... Those big eyes and wide smiles... just warms your heart...

Jill - Happy 1 year Mommy! You made it!

TJ and Noah - Happy 1st Birthday! You are truly miracle babies!

Felisha - I totally know about stress with work. It is so hard to balance Mommy, Employee and Wife... I sometimes think that I give a 1/3 of myself to everything I do and at the end of the day there is nothing left for me... There is nothing stronger in this world then the back of a mother... We take it all on and carry it around with us every where we go... Keep strong!


Well speaking of work... I should probably get to it... God I wish I could just take a day off for me... Steph can I join you on your trip to Mexico?

Have a great day Mommies.. I wish you long naps.

Kerrie

[mmzill]

I hope everyone is out enjoying the beautiful :sunshine: today! We went to the park this morning. It is so nice, but it's not suppose last here.....calling for snow on Saturday.:banghead: I WANT SPRING!

Valerie - did you feel the earthquake yesterday?
Monica

[vthompson]

Monica - Earthquake??? What earthquake???? I am so out of the loop, I did not feel it, nor did I know about it!! I swear, I feel like I live in a brick wall sometimes. As for April, I will have the little boy I watch during spring break so the middle of April would be better....perhaps April 23 or 25? I realize it seems so long away....sorry!! Our anniversary is at the beginning of April and then Easter. Let me know!!

Kerrie - I am glad to hear that your dad is seeing some positive signs of recovery. Keep being strong!!

Mrscon - I do not think I am in agreeance either with disciplining for potty accidents. I do not think the child has much control sometimes.

Felisha - Your spa day sounds AMAZING!! I am sorry that the relaxation has already wore off. Is there anyone near you that could maybe give you a break from Sydney? It sounds like it would help relieve some of the stress. Just a thought...Hang in there!! We are all supporting you from afar!!

Jill - Chuck E Cheese sounds like so much fun!! We are taking our niece and nephew on Friday for their bday and we are bringing the twins. I am excited to know there are some things they will enjoy there!

Steph - I am so sorry you are sick. Your meltdown today says absolutely nothing about you being a bad mom. Everyone has their melting point. When you get sick, you are overly sensitive and cannot deal with much. Letting your sons see you that way lets them know that you are human!

Heather - I got your pm....I went to photobucket, uploaded the pics, and then I resized them to website size. When I copied the code into my signature, I would preview the signature and then make any adjustments, like spacing, between pics. I hope this helps!! Thanks for the compliment about my pics!!

Last night was DH's hockey banquet....guess what??? The team went in and bought me a gift certificate for a massage!!!!!!!! I am SO excited!! They also gave DH 2 restaurant gift certificates. I couldn't believe it!!

So, babies are moving like crazy. They have NO interest in their toys anymore, just getting into everything. I have been feeling like I am fighting something for the past few days so I am run down and exhausted! Plus, doing all this work stuff, trying to keep up with the house, etc. etc. It seems to be that time of year for everyone to feel over worked and over stressed.

I have a hair appt on the 23rd...I am thinking of going short!!! But, I am scared...I am such a pony tail kind of girl. However, even that annoys me lately. The problem is that I HATE doing my hair so I need a hair cut with very low maintenance. Any suggestions????

Well, I better go to bed. Love ya ladies!

Valerie

[Daniele'sTwins]

What has it been 2 days and I feel sooo far behind!

First and formost Steph and Kerrie...Your dad's are still on my prayer lists.

Andrea...Paul has lost 30 lbs, my mother over 20(She went from a size 8 to a 4!), and I am back to pre pregnancy weight! Remember when I went to Florida a while back (just Paul and I no babies)? Well he trained in this medical weight loss program. It is amazing! The first week is hard but once you finish the first week without cheating it gets so easy! The diet is adapted differently to each person. You are monitored by a medical professional because the weight loss is so fast. So you have to check in once a week to monitor your heart, bloodwork etc. I wasn't a real believer at first but now I want to tell the whole world it is soo good! The plan I was on was like this...

A shake (chocolate or vanilla and they both taste like you are literally at
Dairy Queen...no joke!)
A fruit
Mid Morning shake
Lunch...a big salad
Afternoon Shake
Dinner...a shake, a piece of meat (any) and a veggie
Dessert....Shake

The first week we were so hungry and a little weak but it get easy. Plus those shakes are so good. I love having something sweet after everything I eat and with these shakes I do!

Missy...how are you feeling? Did you get to the doctrs? How are those babies feeling?

TJ & Noah...:present: :partygirls: Happy Birthday you two little cuties!

Jill...I am glad you are back safely from your trip! I love your bracelet idea! That is so sweet!

Steph... I am soooo sorry you are sick! I hate being sick! I can't imagine being that sick and by myself with the boys! I hope it is a 24 hour thing!

Christel...I am so jealous of all these babies that watch TV! My boys show absolutely NO INTEREST!

B-Feeding Guilt...I STILL feel it at times!

Jen... That is so cool about Isa and Mason signing! I am very impressed!

Heather... I am coming down to Florida on Saturday for a week! Will I be able to see you? Oh yeah and I request you NOT resize those pics! I feel like they are really in my living room! They are sooooo stinking cute!

Felisha...Wow! That spa day sounded FAB! I am sorry Syd is still "off".

Monica...I loved my Magic Bullet until it BROKE too!!!! I was so disappointed! I told all my mommy friends about it and they all went out and bought one and MINE BROKE! Doesn't that stink!

New Babies...I put two sweet little boys to bed last night and these two little animals woke up this morning! Honestly I think my boys were on some type of speed today! They were crawling around like they had engines! They were grabbing each others faces so rough! Luca was even throwing himself onto Nico in a tackle type fashion, smashing his head into the kitchen floor!!! What is going on here???

:questionmark: :questionmark: QUICK ADVICE NEEDED - My ex boyfriend's (of 7 years) grandfather died yesterday. We broke up on a very good note and I was very close with his family. I even saw him back in November at our HS reunion and we spent most of the night hanging out together. He was such a dear "friend" to me. I want to go to the wake tomorrow with my mother to pay my respects but I don't want to ruffle any feathers with his new live in Girlfriend. I know her, she is from the same town, if I saw her out I would probably even say hello to her. I guess I am just afraid that she will feel as though I was stepping on her toes, "her territory" now, you know what I mean? What do you think? Should I go or should I just send a card?

OK...back to AI.

[Daniele'sTwins]

Val...I guess i was posting at the same time as you.

Take some Airborne before you get sick!! I hope you are not getting sick!

Haircut...I am a pony tail girl myself. I did go short at one point myself and it was so much MORE work for me. See, if you don't feel like doing your hair and it is long you CAN just pull it back. With Short hair you ALWAYS have to do it because you can't pull it back.

[mmzill]

I so hope Sanjiah (or however it's spelled) goes home on AI!!!!! He is so bad!!!

Val - I just heard about the quake on the news and that it was near Cleveland. Unfortunately later in April won't work for me :( We are leaving on the 15th and will be gone for three weeks....but I know we will get together again!

Steph - on Ellen today I saw a clip of her at Universal, but it was only of her on a ride, I was hoping to see you!

Well, off to bed. Oh Lisa - I ordered those beach balls for the birthday party from Oriental Trading Company. They had all sorts of selection, and really quite cheap.
Monica

[Megzackben]

Steph-I am off starting first week in April. I will be going to St. Augusting (crossing fingers) for one night with DH-at his request :) on the 4th. Maybe we can get together on a Sunday? I try to make church most Sundays but I get out early enough. Maybe we can get together on a Sunday. Just call me up-last min is fine :) I am really sorry you had a really rough day. Good thing is we all have had that and THIS IS the place to vent.

Okay appts all day tomorrow.

Okay still cant get the photos downsized a little (not too much Daniele. Cant wait to see you ) never used Photobucket before.

The new pic is of Ben. He was so tired and fell asleep eating.

[shalaann]

mmzil I agree he needs to go on AI

[Megzackben]

Jill-I love your idea about the bracelets. I did the same thing with Meg but she lost it already. Its a charm bracelet from jamesavery http://secure.jamesavery.com/jewelry/search/category/8/Bracelet-Charm/

. I have a matching one. You are already such a great MIL :)

[newmomx2]

Steph - I read your 'I'm sick and couldn't take it anymore' you are not a bad mom I have cried with my boys more than once the first time was in Dec when I had a sinus infection for 3 weeks and could not sleep ! DH didn't get the pain/misery I was in... Hang in there

[newmomx2]

I think the boys are FINALLY feeling better - DH took off sick for the week (1 day or 4 is considered one occurence for him) so he watched Corey yesterday, Tyler went to day care I went to work and the Dr.

People at work looked at me like I was a leper (sp?) My eye is so red and nasty. Dr sent me to the eye doctor so 3 hours and 35 dollars latter I was told I had viral cunjunctivitis (aka Pink eye) and there is nothing they can do it needs to run its course - and will spread to the other eye on its own OUCH! Apparrently the boys gave me the virus....DH - asked 'why do you get sick and i don't Simply answer I GET OUT OF BED ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT while you sleep and sleep in ! DUH

Anyway all babies to day care today only 1 other kid at my day care ladies house - awesome for them. OH YEAH AND COREY IS FINALLY CUTTING 2 TEETH !!!

Tyler also figured out how to pull up and stand on his own.

Corey still no crawling - Dr said not to worry called the neurosurgeon to get the helmet appointment - so upset about this...

Okay ladies - hope you have better days - ENJOY THE WEATHER

[AndreaR]

Hi,

I feel like I've been gone forever, but it has only been a couple of days.

:present: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TJ & NOAH!:present:
HIP HIP HOORAY!!
:partygirls:

Steph - I hope you are feeling better. Big hugs for you these days.

Lisa - How are the boys now that you are back home? Hopefully they're keeping the whining to a minimum. It must be the growth spurt that someone was talking about, because all of the babies on the board (mine included) seem to be so cranky these days.

Heather - I love the pics!!

Daniele - Wow - that diet sounds like a sure thing. I am still b/f'ing, so unfortunately I don't think I can do anything that drastic. But I am joining Weight Watchers today with my new BFF (a mom from our playgroup that I love, love, love). Can't wait to see you, Nico & Luca tomorrow! It's been way too long! Re: the funeral for your ex's grandfather, I think you should definitely go and pay your respects. If the relationship with his new girlfriend is strong, it will be no big deal. I bet your ex and his family will be very thankful if you go. Just my :2cents:

Valerie - I hope you arent' getting sick. You need to book that massage! How nice was that!? I agree with Daniele's advice about cutting your hair. Pony tails are life savers! Before I was pregnant, I had fairly long hair. Since last June, I have gotten it cut shorter and shorter every time I've gone to the hair dresser. This last time I said, "cut is as short as you can while still allowing me to pull it back." It's a little too short, I think, but it's so much faster to dry. I have really thick hair and it used to take me 45 minutes (not kidding) to blow dry it. Needless to say, I never did. Now, I can do it in about 20 minutes. I also wear my hair back a lot, because the girls pull on it if I don't.

Felisha - Your spa day sounds so, so good. You should go once a week! Ah, if only..... Sorry to hear that things are getting to you right now. Stay strong - you are one of the most amazing women I know (well, kind of know). Come vent to us whenever you can. We are here for you. I can't remember, is Sydney's father around? Has he been able to help at all?

Someone asked me about the swimming lessons, and I'm not sure I responded. We are taking them at the Y. DH and I are going together and will get in the pool with the twinkies. Other than that, I don't know what to expect. At this age, I assume it's more about having fun in the water than actually learning how to swim. Saturday is our first session, I will let you know.

Kerrie - I'm glad to hear that your dad is showing signs of improvement. We are still praying for him every day.

Is anyone thinking about taking away their baby's pacifier? I heard that this is a good time to do it, because they only have very short term memory, and that they will forget about it in like three days. I'm tempted, but I feel like Maddie relies on it so much. Actually, we rely on it - I feel like I use it as a plug - and that's kind of why I want to get rid of it. I dunno. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Well, I wish I could post more, but I'm out of time. Have a great day!

xoxo
AndreaR

[SunMoonMom]

Good Morning Mommies...

Daddy - Holding his own... no new developments...

Heather - Ben is so precious in his picture... I have one of Zach when he fell asleep in this buggy exersaucer (sad.. just had to look up how to spell saucer... very tired)... It looks like he fell asleep at the wheel...

Being originally from TX... I love James Avery... I have a charm bracelet and a Mother's pendent from there... I got my DH a cross from there a couple of Christmases ago... When we go down to Ft. Worth next week, we going to go and get my new charms attached and buy some new ones... All of their jewelry is so gorgeous... I am addicted...

mrscon - I am in TOTAL disagreement with punishing during potty training... The muscles and nerves of the bladder are some of the last to develop... There is such a thing as an accident. Plus going to the potty must be a positive experience in order for the child to feel good about what they are doing... Tell you friend to get over it and work with her child, not make him/her feel bad about an accident.... Sorry just a big sore spot with me...

Jill - Go to the wake... You have twins for god sakes... If she is jealous of you then she needs to get over it... He is your friend and will need all the support he can get through this. If she loves him, she won't make it about her feelings but his and how having someone there that loved his family will help him appreciate how wonderful his grandfather was...Just from someone who has lost a lot of love ones over the last few years... A friend is always appreciated.

AI - Can't stand Sanjay (sp??? who knows, and who really cares..) I wish we could just cut to the chase and have a sing off between Lakisha, Melinda and Blake (because he is so cute... not even my type)...

Okay so here is my confession about being a crazy mommy...

The boys turned 9 months on Monday and don't have their 9 month check up until the end of the month (due to travel and appt. conflicts)...

So I have been reading through all of these 9 month posts and how many things different babies can do... Your super babies can shake head no (when I do this mine think that I am having some sort of seizure and laugh); anotehr can wave (Zach will do the waving motion but just to play with his lips - don't think that counts) and another can clap...

Well, last week I was up on Paul about teaching these boys to wave and clap... I was like psycho mom... "other babies can do this... do you think that this is a development issue... TEACH THEM TO WAVE... DANG YOU!!!" To which Paul replied "Did you take your medication?":stupid:

So last night I am in the play area with the boys and Ben is doing his normal OCD must be standing at all times thing... When I started clapping and saying "Yay!!!"... He sat down and watched me... I took his hands and started clapping them together... He smiled so sweetly and then.... wait for it... HE STARTED CLAPPING!!!! :yippee: :canabis:

My child isn't developmentally challenged!!! :bunny: (note... Although this is suppose to be funny... there is such a truth behind this emotion that I am truly embarrassed at myself...)

Last thing to end my novel...

I started this book this weekend (I am an avid reader... I read about an hour after the boys go down each night... Its my escape)... The book I am reading is called "19 Minutes" its by Jodi Piclout... It is about a boy that is being bullied constantly from kindergarten until high school... So he goes to school one day and begins to shoot the kids that picked on him... (so much more to the story but that's the gist...)

So for days I will occassionally pick up a boy and say "Please don't take guns to school in the future..." To which they reply by either blowing a raspberry or grabbing my nose... I am working off the assumption that this is them saying " I won't!!" :crazy:

So last night I read this part about how when your kids are born you have all these idea of who they might be when they grown up but in truth your kids are strangers and if you are not diligent about it they will stay strangers the rest of their lives... Let me say that Paul then had to put up with an hour of me asking "How will we be sure to keep the lines of communication open? How will we ensure that the boys know that we are there for them and that who they develop into is okay with us... as long as they don't take guns to school or hurt animals...?" To which Paul said replied "Did you take your medicine?" ... I guess I am just struck sometimes about how much responsibililty it is to be a parent and that these are little people we are mentoring... I just want to be sure I do it right...

Although you probably aren't as psycho about it... I'm sure you think these things sometimes... Who will they be? What will they like? I just can't wait but at the same time I want them to stay as they are so that they can always have that innocence that they have right now...

Okay so my "War and Peace" is over... I guess if I can't share these things with you... I can't share them with anyone...

I have really come to love you guys so much...

And Yes... " I took my medicine today!"

Kerrie

[AndreaR]

Missy - we were posting at the same time. So sorry about your eye infection. What a bummer. But it sounds like things are improving in your house. I sure hope so! Congrats on the teeth, and try not to worry too much about the helmet. Lots of babies use them. The time will go by fast and Corey will be out of it before you know it.

AI - I thought that a lot of people were pretty bad last night. Makes you realize how awesome Diana Ross is. Sanjaya has GOT to go.

[SunMoonMom]

Missy - I was at SAM'S one day and ran into another mother with twins... Her son was wearing a helmet... She said that he got used to it quickly and that it really wasn't that bad... At the time Ben had the flatest head in the back that I had ever seen... I spent the rest of the time at SAM'S crying because I was sure my baby was going to have to wear a helmet...

I bet you can guess what DH's question was.. yep... "Did you take your medication?"...

Well, the point I wanted to make is that your reaction is normal and I can't imagine how upset you are facing it for real. I was only doing it in my head and I thought I would lose it...

Stay strong Mommy... It is only temporary...

We are here for you... let us know how things go with this...

kerrie

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Hi! Just wanted to jump on for a minute. Having a busy week here- DH is in town, but having TONS of meetings/getting home late, etc. so I feel like I'm on my own. At least, it has been relatively warm and I've gotten the kids outside quite a bit.

Want to hear a terrible mommy story/crazy crawler story? I was on the phone with my SIL yesterday while cleaning up the kitchen after the latest meal, and the babies were in the nearby living room crawling around, babbling, playing like usual. All of a sudden, it was extremely quiet. I peaked in the living room and there is Mason, but no Isabella. I start looking around- not in dining room, not in kitchen, then I think, "Of course! the bathroom!" She loves it in there and has radar for when someone leaves the door open. BUT, she was not in there, either. I started to panic. Our house isn't that large so where can she go? Then, I hear a distant chuckling...coming from upstairs! SHE CLIMBED THE ENTIRE FLIGHT OF STAIRS AND CRAWLED INTO MAX'S ROOM TO SUCK ON HIS ITTY BITTY PIRATES WITH DETACHABLE BODY PARTS! :woa: This all happened in about a 3 minute span. I really don't leave them unattended for any large amounts of time. Now, yes, this is bad parenting --we should have gated the stairs weeks ago. We have an iron banister and have been trying to figure out exactly how to do this. But, to give me a little credit (I know I don't deserve much), she has never even noticed the stairs let alone try to climb them. So beware to all those with crawlers who have ungated stairs thinking there is no way they can do this yet! Yikes!

Steph- I hope you're feeling better. It is absolutely terrible getting sick because you can't curl up in fetal position and sleep the day away anymore. I want to go to Mexico at least once a day.

Val- Hope you feel better, too.

Missy- so sorry about Corey having to wear a helmet. It's something that you never think your child will have to do, I'm sure. Hopefully, he won't even notice it after a few days. I think that is what happens. How long will he have to wear it? Gosh- all that from sleeping on his back--you were just doing what everyone says to do.

Jill-- Happy Birthday TJ and Noah! :birthday: I thought it was last week so I'll say it again. How exciting! You made it throught the first year.

I'm going to check in later tonight. I have a babysitter coming for an interview in a bit. :woo: and lots of cleaning to do so she think we are neat, sane people!

Jen

[christel]

Morning Ladies,

Bummed b/c DH just called to say he has to go out of town for a few days. He's headed home now to pack & will leave this afternoon :( I hate it when he's gone - the days seem SO long and the girls are always out of sorts. They LIVE for their Daddy Time and do not understand when he's not around.

Jennifer - omg! I would be freaking out about the stair climbing! What a little explorer you have. I've got to start some cleaning myself... MIL is coming next weekend.

Kerrie - :woo: Yay about Ben clapping and Thank God that your Daddy is hanging in there. Your post cracked me up :lol: b/c I can totally relate to the worry and mommy insanity. I have to talk myself down frequently... "remember, they're only 8 mo. adjusted" "remember, the pedi said they are fine" "remember, they're fraternal and individual... quit comparing them"... blahblahblah. Anyway, I totally GET IT!

Dh is home.... will finish this post later
:lovemytwins:
Christel

[swineland]

Child containment, or lack thereof.....
Driving me NUTS! The boys want to get outside SO bad to play, but when I put them out back in the saucer or jumperoo, they cry b/c they don't want to just BE outside, they want to CRAWL...get down and dirty...be boys...whatever. Well, I just don't know that letting them crawl through the grass with no limits is a good idea? What if they get little cuts or a rash from the grass/allergens? Am I being overprotective here? Plus, there's the dirt and potential anthills that I can't see.....this is Florida, so the backyard can be a bit of a trip to the zoo sometimes!

They do fine in the PNP outside, but I can't leave them both alone in it to play b/c Evan can and will bite the shi! out of Bailey if contained together. Last night we were getting them ready for bed and I undressed Bay to discover 4 or 5 bad bite marks all over his body. Poor guy. Short of biting Evan back, I don't know how to make him stop. We say "no" and shake our heads, "no biting", etc....but c'mon...he's 9 months old...he has no idea what we are talking about. I think he gets the "no" part, but I don't think he can correlate between the 'no' and the biting.

Anywho, back to the containment issue. What are you guys all doing as far as babies who are yearning to get past the gates/boundaries we have set for them?? I feel like they are always fussing to get past something. If I open the back door for one second, they are both right there trying to get past me. I literally have to kinda push them back with my foot to get the door closed and then they cry cry cry. It pisses me off and I want them to have fun playing and be active, but where do I draw the line?? I'm thinking about going to WalMart and buying the SuperYard with 6 panels. Maybe I could put that out back and they can play in it? I just hate to bring MORE baby gear into this house.....the walls are already closing in!

:help:

p.s. thanks for everyone wishing me well....I feel a LOT better today. DH stayed home from work yesterday so I could sleep and I also got some prescription decongestant from the DR. So, feeling more 'together' today than Monday. Thanks :)

Steph

[christel]

I'm back and Dh is gone :bawling: The girls know the jig is up... they started whining and fussing as soon as he started taking his stuff to the truck. Praying that these next 3 days go FAST!

Steph - try craigslist and see if you can find a super yard or something like it there... they won't need it for long and it seems a shame to buy something that big new. A large contained outside area sounds like a good plan, though. Good luck!

Andrea - My girls aren't attached to pacifiers... but my blog posting Jennifer's twins are... and they are 3! She can't get them to give them up and has been trying for over a year. If it's supposed to be easiest now, I'd do it. And I'm going to get on the Y's website and see if they offer baby swim lessons in our area. I am SO interested in doing that w/ DH and the girls.

Missy - we were worried about Emme needing a helmet for a while. Her flat spot is still there, but it's not bad enough for a helmet anymore. At 6 mo., though, it was really pronounced. There some ladies in my MOMs club whose baby A's have had to have helmets. Between the squishing in-utero and the back sleeping after delivery, the problem couldn't be fixed any other way. They say that it's no big deal to their kids after the 1st few days. It really sucks, though, that your pedi is just now offering this to you.

Heather - love :throb: the pics! As for photobucket... use the edit feature above the pic/ select resize/ change it to "website" size/ refresh photobuckt to make sure it took/ recopy the "IMG" code and paste it into your siggy/ "preview" to make sure it looks like you want it to/ then save. HTH!

Danielle - I am SO interested in that diet plan! I have such a sweet tooth and the carbs and sugar kill all my diets. As for the funeral... I'd go. Any issues the new girlfriend might have are hers and not for you to worry about. I wouldn't go sit w/ the family or anything, but paying your respects is totally fine.

Valerie - I've gone short twice in my life and regretted it both times. I'm a ponytail girl, too. My hair takes forever to blow dry and looks like crap if it drip dries... thus the constant temptation to whack it all off. Unfortunately for me, my wavy hair is just as big a pain in the a$$ to style short. At least I can pull it back, twist it up or braid it when it's long. Looks better w/ a ball cap long, too :D So, I guess it depends on your hair texture and the style you're considering. Oh, my DH also said both times AFTER the cut that he likes my hair better long :banghead:

Felisha - I've got no advice for you, just wanted to give you a BIG HUG and tell you to hang in there.

:banghead: Ruby's already awake... She's only been in bed for 1/2 an hour :banghead: gobacktosleepgobacktosleepgobacktosleep Crap in a bag...

bye
:lovemytwins:
Christel

[SunMoonMom]

Hi Mommies...

Just thought I would jump on and say that I am exhausted and wish everyone other than you guys, your babies and loved ones, my husband and my babies would drop off the face of the earth for about 24 hours...

I have been running smack dab into DumbA$$ for the last two days at work and if I have to say the same thing to the same people again I think I will need to be put in a straight jacket...

Me: No I did not include shipping in that estimate...
Sales: "Where is shipping?"
Me: I did not include it because you needed number right away and I didn't have time to wait on a quote for shipping...
Sales: "oh, so you didn't include shipping?"
Me: No
Sales: So what do I tell the client
Me: That it will be charged additional once job is completed.
Sales: So shipping is going to be additional to the quote...
Me: Yep... Its not included but we will still have shipping charges...
Sales: Oh... So do you think you could have shipping costs to me within the hour...
Me: Nope... The vendor needs to determine multiple stops... So it will be tomorrow...
Sales: Oh... I can't wait... So should I should just put that shipping is additional?
Me: Yep.
Sales: Did you include the charges I outlined for insertion...
Me: Nope... You had it outlined so I figured you did not need it from me...
Sales: Well, what's the total...
Me: Total what?
Sales: The total estimate...
Me: What I sent you, plus what you already have...
Sales: Oh...
Me... Do you want me to add it up and send it to you...
Sales: Oh, yes...
Me: Okay... Let me add those number on your paper and the number I sent you... Here's the total...
Sales: Thank you.
Me... You're welcome... bye..
Sales: bye..

This is almost an exact conversation I had on Monday and guess what I had it again today with the same person over the same thing...

Do you think I could prove brain damage and get this person disability?

Okay so I'm gone again... off to accupunture...

Hope everyone has a wonderful evening...

Kt.

[newmomx2]

Leaving in 20 to pick up my guys (talk to day care twice today Tyler only slept 20 minutes - what is up with 9 monthes)

Thank you all for the 'helmet' advice.

Christel- Corey was baby and A was very squished in my pelvis was delivered naturally (unlike Tyler who was a emerg-C) and then tripled his size in 12 weeks (while sleeping on his back like supposed to). Doctor felt at 6 months we had a really good chance it would still come out on its own but and it did part way but stopped progressing so she didn't want to delay any more - trying to get the AI Dupont Children's hospital to call back so I can schedule appreciate the support.

Kerrie - your work tale cracked me up I have to say my patience for people at work these days is very low - my poor team must feel it!

Jen - OH MY I better get my gate up tonight - I have been like you - no interest in stairs so no biggy but guess it can happy any second !

We are baby proofing the rest of LR this weekend.

Steph - totally think a play yard is the way to go - I used part of ours to gate out the TV so they have the run of the LR - may get a second one so I can use outside once the weather is nice.

Christel - Good luck for the next 3 days - I know how hard it is but you can do it.

Okay so my eye still looks like SHI** and the other one is starting to join it - I look like I drink heavy every night (wish that was the reason).

Danielle - What is the diet how do I get on that band-wagon..sign me up just Finished BF and ready to diet.

AI - Didn't finish last night to tired Tivoed and finishing tonight - agree though Sanjaya bloes.

Good night ladies - 10 minutes and I am out of here.

[Megzackben]

Steph-We are going to buy the yard fency thing too maybe with extension for our covered driveway and bring out our foam so they dont get hurt.

Jenn-First of all your not to blam truly. You can never be in all places at all times. Meg trimmed her hair when she was 18 mths and swallowed some ear medicine because I thought she couldnt reach where I put it. I am so thankful that your mommy instincts kicked in.

Kerrie (MY twin :snicker: ) I could have wrote your post because I am such a worry wort. I worry about EVERYTHING in my head; try not to talk about it cause I dont want to sound crazy. I got the pea in the pod from James Avery have you gottn that one too? I got it after the 28th week. Too afraid to do it beofre. I lost mine with all the charms I had when I moved from SA back to FLorida so I am starting over. YEAH Ben on the clapping!!! No medicine for mommy today :)

Pink Eye-yuck. Try washing your eye with Johnson baby shampoo until the gunk is gone. Works with my students and Meg.

Checkup-Boys are officially SHORT They are in the 5th percentile. Ben is 19lbs/26.5" and Zack is the "big boy" at 19.13lbs/27" No wonder they are still in 6mth pants and just fit perfectly in 9mths onesies. Their poor thingies are not healing correctly since the circumsion. I have to pull it back which makes it bleed. So I have to add polysporin until they heal. Poor guys try to cross their legs.

[SunMoonMom]

Heather - I don't have the two peas charm yet... That's the one I am planning on getting while done in Ft. Worth. There is also a bride and groom charm that DH wants me to get... He would like to engrave our wedding date on the back...

Okay... I am terrified of the pee pee... I obsess (okay I obsess about a lot of things, but this one is like a real obsession) about their little thingies... I can't imagine something being wrong with them... I think its because I have never had one so I am in a complete loss on what is right for taking care of it... Paul says to me all the time when I start inspecting pee pees... "What are you looking for gold?"


Jen - Your story is why I have my boys stay caged in their play areas... I am terrified about them trying the stairs... We have stairs going to the basement and up to the 2nd floor...

Andrea - Pacifiers - We were really lucky because neither of the boys were fans of binkies after about 3 months... Zach never liked them... I would get rid of them now because it will be much rougher when they are older... At this age they will find other ways to self sooth... just my 2 cents.

Pink Eye - No advice just a story... I was sick once with some sort of chest cold... Went to bed and one of my cats (my cuddler) decided to join me... I'm laying there snuggled with him (so warm and soft - very soothing) When I opened my eyes for just a second to look at him (very touching moment), he picked that moment to sneeze directly into my eye... I ended up having to go to the doctor the next day because the chest cold got worse and then the eye... When she walked in, I was wheezing and my eye was running... She said "I have never seen you so heavy." I though "yep... way to get to the heart of the problem.." instead I said "yeah.. did you happen to notice I can't breath and my eye is swollen shut?"

Steph - Just checking to see if you are feeling better?

Christel - We are with you while DH is gone... Not literally because that would actually be helpful... but we are definitely there in spirit... Hang in there Mommy!

Okay, I guess I have to get to work today... I have to go to a vendor to check out their newest press.... Stop my excitement...

Hope everyone has a GREAT Thursday!

Kerrie

[newmomx2]

Tyler slept till 6am again this morn - I think he is going through a growth spurt he is an eating machine.

Corey did better last night as well - still in the car seat between us but less congested. PHEW

DH is doing Grocery and BJ run today...

What is up with Sanjaya still in !

Gotta run - another day of work yippee - not:hahaha:

:nice:

[JERSEYGEMINI]

First and Foremost, I have to say that I am completely disappointed in AI this year. Antonella (?) is STILL in the NJ papers. Who cares?

Christel- I am feeling your pain on being alone. My DH is not out of town, but leaves at 6:30 am and returns at 10 pm so he is not much help! I guess I should be lucky that I see him for a few minutes, though. So glad that Emme was an angel in church ; )

Lisa- I have had enough whiney babies, too. They have really been perfecting the pitch, tone, volume of the whine the past couple weeks to get it just right so that it bores a hole in my brain.:eek: It has taken much practice, but they finally got it right.

Heather- I LOVE your giant pictures! They are adorable. Thanks for the shampoo/pink eye treatment. I have never heard of that, but I will lock it away in my brain for future use.

Andrea- I am having the pacifier dilema as well. Now, I waited until Max was 2 years old to take away his. That was dreadful. His "binky" was his attachment object at that point - he had no blanket, stuffed animal, etc. Also, he could talk so he would scream at the top of his lungs, "MAMAAAAAAAAAAAA BINKY!!!!! PLEASE!". He got over it in a week's time, but let me tell you, it broke my heart. I had to do it because he was getting ear infections every two weeks. The ped said that using the pacifier at daycare was just pouring germs into his mouth. After we said good bye to them, never an ear infection again. Knowing all this, I am still whimpy about taking them away now. I've tried three times. After two naps with Isabella screaming her "hurt" scream, I couldn't take it anymore. Do you want to do it together for moral support? It really should only take 3 days at this point. What you have to do is get them all out of your house (with Max we made a big deal about mailing them to a friend's new baby). Otherwise, it is too easy too cave. Someone said that they can attach to something else at this point-- I think that is true.

Danielle- I wish I had a diet plan like that! You look great! This is me all day long :snack: :pop2: :eating: Everyone told me that I'd be so skinny after having twins because I would be running around so much...I keep waiting! I agree that you should go to the funeral. Perhaps don't sit with the family, but you should certainly pay your respects.

Missy- I hope that eye gets better fast! I cant believe that DH asked why you always get sick. Men.

Felisha-Thanks for sharing your spa day. It was fun to live vicariously through you!

Alright- on to "containment" issues.

Val/Steph- My children no longer have interest in toys (unless the toys are their brother's with many little parts to choke on). Any kind of dirt, garbage, paper, dirty shoe, wire, acorn, stick, rock etc. is more up their alley. I am losing my mind. I think the giant play yard outside is the way to go. Inside, I am having more of a struggle because we have an open floor plan. There really is no way to cage them in. I have a big play yard with foam mats set up between the kitchen and dinning room, but I can't keep them in there all the time. I use it if I have do laundry, go upstairs, etc. I lost Mason this morning. I answered our door, turned around because I heard him crying faintly, and after some quick searching found him stuck under our loveseat. :hide: Good grief. His head was wedged in there like a cork in a bottle. Now he has a giant welt on the top.

Wish me luck- :xfingers: I have six momies and 12 babies arriving in about 2 1/2 hours. My hair dryer broke so I am going to look like a frizzy crazy host lady. :loco: At least I'll make the newer mommies feel better about themselves!

-Jen

[newmomx2]

Jen - Good luck with the house of babies !!

Both my guys like the binkies thinking i should wean them as well (they have lambies that they love). Problem is that after 3 weeks of little sleep not sure I can handle the pain for 1 week - I need the sleep more.

My Pink eye is better but now I have a full blown cold. taking any drug I can get my hands on SOOO TIRED at work today..:weird:

[Megzackben]

Poor ladies. Between sickness, no husbands, fussy babies, lack of sleep. Almost sounds like our first week as mommies.

Sometimes I think it is getting to be a little harder. It now takes me a lot longer to get the kids ready to go out. Between bottles, toys, snacks, etc Plus they are too short/light for the big carseats which I am happy about not having the new ones installed yet but my neck and back are already killing.

Danielle-I agree withe Jen, I think you should go too.

Steph-when do you want to get together? Hope you are starting to feel better and it hasnt recycled through the boys. How is your Kindermusik?

[vthompson]

Hello Ladies!! You sure have been busy!!

Things are crazy around here...I feel as though I am being pulled into 30 different directions. It is very difficult trying to juggle working from home while taking care of the babies and the house. I feel like I have no time for myself lately. Well, I decided to change that tonight. I went to water aerobics with my girlfriend...this is the 3rd week I have gone, just on Thursdays. On the way home, I bought a bottle of wine and I am now enjoying my 2nd glass...it is SO good!! I now understand why you have a glass every night, Steph! I feel so much calmer then I did 3 hrs ago!!

Heather - I agree, it does seem harder. I love the age they are because they aer more interactive, but it seems so much more stressful at the same time. Going places is a huge pain anymore...there is so much to pack and think about before we even step out the door. I really believe once they became mobile, things drastically changed!!

Missy - I am glad you and the boys are finally turning the corner with your sicknesses. I hope everyone stays healthy. Hang in there!

Jen - I cannot believe Mason fit under there!! That is crazy! How did the play group go? I am not scared about our steps...Kayley is our little monkey...she tries to pull up and climb on things...I think she will be first on the steps.

Kerrie - I am so terrified of the pee pee!!! I was laughing at your post. I am always examining, worried about every little redness I see...I think I am crazy! I just think how horrible it would be if there was something wrong with his pee pee...that is a very important part to a man!

Christel - Hang in there...hopefully, the 3 days will go by super fast!!

Steph - I am glad to hear you are feeling better!! I was laughing at your description of the boys running every time you open the door. Whenever any of the gates or doors are open, both K and C come flying over to see if they can "get out". If I put a gate up to the kitchen, they both come over and try to push it down. However, when I let them in the kitchen, they immediately go to my oven and open up the broiler. It drive me CRAZY! I have to get something from BRU to stop them from opening it.

AndreaR - After about 3 or 4 months, my little ones hated the pacifier so I did not push it. I agree, I think now would be better then later.

Monica - I am sorry we cannot find time in April...hopefully, May will be better. As it gets closer, we will throw some dates together. You were so right about the exercise...I am only taking the class 1 day a week and I LOVE it...it gives me the time I need to myself. I used to HATE exercise...

Lisa - I got your email today...I will write back tonight!

Daniele - I agree with everyone else...you should go to the funeral and pay your respects.

So, I think everyone is right...shorter hair is harder to take care of. I think I am just going to go with my standard..."cut it as short as you can so I can still pull it back". I swear, my hair lady things I am a boring housewife! I guess I am!!

Any plans for St. Patty's Day? We are having DH's family over in the morning for corned beef and cabbage and then going down to the parade. When we get home, my mom is coming over to watch the twins and DH and I are going to have some adult time at the local bar! Much needed after the past 2 weeks!! I LOVE St. Patty's Day. We painted shamrocks on the baby's pants!!

Well, now that I have written a book, I better go. Have a good evening!

Valerie

[SunMoonMom]

Hello Mommies...

Daddy Status - He is holding his own... minor improvements but so far no major steps back... Thank you for your prayers and healing thoughts....

Babies with Big Cheeks - Okay so my Benner has the biggest head and cheeks on the planet. (When he was about 2 months old my husband called him Churchill because he he looked like a little Winston Churchill). Because of this, he constantly has dirt on his neck... I swear its like he is growing mushrooms under there... We clean under his chin at least 10 times a day... I don't know where it all comes from... And of course the drooling only adds to it... So do any of you have the dirt under the chin problem... I always think of "So I Married an Axe Murderer" and when the father says to Mike Myer's brother "Your Heads the size of a Melon"...

Traveling - We leave for TX next week on Thursday. We have rented a studio type hotel room with a kitchen... We are taking the pack'n'play for the boys to sleep in because the hotel doesn't offer cribs... I have arranged to rent infant seats from the rent-a-car dealer... I have made sure how to check the strollers so they don't count against our check luggage...
I am starting to make lists of what we need to pack (by the way... multiplying by 2 means that everything you have to take triple... how is that possible?)
For those of you who travel with your babies or have traveled with them in the past... Is there anything that is a must to have? Something out of the ordinary? Something that helped the babies travel better or helped them adjust to a new environment... This whole thing is terrifying me so any advice is welcome.

Hope everyone has a GREAT Friday!

Kerrie

[vthompson]

Jen - Your new pics are adorable!!!

Kerrie - Unfortunately, we have not traveled over night with the babies so I do not have any advice for you. I cannot imagine everything you need to pack. I wonder how many suitcases it will end up being???

Have a great day!
Valerie

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Good Morning! Sixty degrees two days ago-- snow day today! DS is at home with me all day. Crazy weather.

Kerrie- good luck on your trip. We have traveled quite a bit by car, but not plane. In the hotel rooms, I have found it helpful to run a little fan (I have a small desk fan that I pack) to block out the strange noises at night. Your guys seem like pretty good sleepers, though, so you might not need that! I was going to recommend having a kitchen, but you've already thought of that--it's so much easier--but you can make due as long as you have a fridge and a microwave. I always bring a little container of dishwashing liquid and a brush for the bottles. Also, I pack tylenol and bendryl because someone always catches something traveling. I learned to do that after sending my husband out in a strange place at midnight to get tylenol. The dirty hotel carpets gross me out so I usually ask for an extra blanket or two to spread of the floor for a play area. Even at nice hotels, the babies hands have gotten surprisingly dirty just from crawling around. Overall, the kids all LOVE being at hotels. It is an exciting new place to explore and they have so much fun on the big beds. Glad to hear that your Dad is stable-- that's great! How's the acupuncture going? Do you find it relaxing?

Val-It sounds like you're keeping it together well. I have a glass of wine at least 4 nights out of the week-- just one glass after the kids go to bed. It's probably a bad habit, but it sure does help me unwind.

Our playgroup was fun yesterday. I ended up with four mommies +8 babies in addition to my own. We are going to try to meet every other week and take turns hosting. The babies were all younger than mine and not moving much yet, but Isa and Mason were fascinated by them all. By summer, it should be really fun because they'll all be moving around. I really liked three of the moms, and the fourth mom was nice, but very tense. She didn't smile once. I think she was stressed out about their feeding because she was breastfeeding on demand and then she would give formula afterwards. She spent the whole 2 1/2 hours feeding one of the girls. Her twin daughters (5 months) were so sweet and smilely, though! We certainly didn't run out of things to talk about as you can imagine. :)

I'm trying to figure out what to do with the babies when I go to other people's houses besides family, and it is nap time. I don't have the infant carriers anymore, and I don't feel comfortable lugging a pack'nplay everywhere. For example, we have a St. Patrick's day party tomorrow with 30 people; I wouldn't even ask to set up the PNP at such a crowded house (we don't know these people well, either). I know they'll sleep with the noise, but where do I put them to sleep ( I don't want to hold a 23 lb baby for 2 hours!)? I was thinking of bringing a stroller in, but is that rude because of dirty tires? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Jen

[mmzill]

Kerrie - on traveling, you might have already found out this info from the airline. But I didnt' realize it the first time we flew with dd, and wish I had known. The stroller can be checked right as you are boarding the plane, don't check it with your luggage, unless you want to carry two kids for who knows how long to the actual gate. Also, they generally let parents with kids board first (well, right after "first class" of course....I had this really rude lady once come up to me as I was waiting to board, holding Alaina and say really snippity "Are you First Class? I didn't think so." and butt right in, in front of me. ) Anyways, They also say it's a good idea to let the babies suck on something in case their ears hurt from the altitude, but dd never had any issue with that. Good luck!

Well, my mom is coming in this evening! YEAH! I better get the rest of the house cleaned up! Hope everyone has a good weekend!
Monica

[swineland]

Kerrie.....if you do check your stroller at the gate, which is highly advisable, just don't forget to wait for it when you land!! A lot of times people will just head on up the jetway into the terminal and expect to see the stroller at baggage claim or maybe up by the gate. They are usually brought right up the jetway stairs from the ramp as soon as they are removed from the belly of the plane. I've seen TONS of strollers left behind.

Flying w/babies...haven't done it personally yet, but being a 9 year flight attendant I do know that if you are prepared, bring everything you need or even THINK you'll need, you will be in good shape. No, they do not carry diapers on the plane, or baby food, or formula. Yes, I have been asked for all of those things. Also, planes do not have microwaves. They can always warm up a bottle using hot water in a carafe. OR, if they are like my children, they can just drink it cold :snicker:

Good luck!!

Here is a video demonstrating what I deal with over here with these 2 monkeys. This was taken right before the bath, hence the diaper-only clad babies. Bailey's favorite thing is to take his bottle and carry it around by the nipple using his teeth. :banghead:

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c136/swineland/th_100_1691.jpg (http://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c136/swineland/?action=view&current=100_1691.flv)

p.s. I booked my cruise! We are leaving on April 8th for a 6 night caribbean cruise with a ginormous balcony on the back of the ship......I'm going to go out and buy every magazine known to man before I go. And some books. :) It's the Radiance of the Seas on Royal Caribbean....anyone been on it?

[SunMoonMom]

Steph...

Thank god you were a flight attendant...

Here is what our plan is...

1. Definitely check strollers at gate... I will remember to pick up at gate... Great Suggestion!!!!

2. Taking two diaper bags, one for each baby... I won't be taking my purse... DH will carry my ID and credit cards... Inside each diaper bag along with mass supplies, I will have a single plastic bag with one diaper, wipes and a small thing of cream... That way if they go on the plane, I won't have to lug the baby and a big bag to the bathroom...

3. We are taking formula and bottles on the plane... I believe we can take bottle water on that is bought in the terminal... Mine drink formula room temp so I feel okay about doing that...

4. I am taking our portable DVD player and some Baby Eistein videos so that if they get too crazy I can try to calm them down with that...

5. I am also planning on asking if the flight is full so that if there is room we can get a row that we might be able to take over completely...Flying Midwest Airlines... (The Best Care in the Air) and so its 4 seats across...

Does all of that sound reasonable? During your years of experience did you see anybody do something that made you think "Man that was a good idea!"

Okay, sorry to be such a spaz but I can freak out just trying to get the boys to the mall and back...

Kerrie

[christel]

Hey everyone :wavey:

Dh is coming home in the morning. It was supposed to be tonight :( But the girls and I have survived. The first night su-ucked! They were screaming banshees and Ruby refused to eat. Thurs. night went ok and hopefully tonight will, too. We got out yesterday and today just to help the time pass faster. I didn't really need anything, but it's amazing how fast a couple of hours go by loading babies in car/driving/reloading into monster stroller/returning stupid item missing 1/2 its parts at Walmart/unloading monster stroller/blah blah blah. Today I took them to a locally owned toy store and we scoped out 1st b-day gifts. They picked out some teethers and chewed the cardboard tags off before I got them to the register. Then they didn't want them anymore. Their favorite toys are paper, cardboard and the care labels on toys and clothes. Wish we'd figured that out before we purchased eleventy hundred dollars worth of toys (exaggerating, but not much).

Kerrie - you sound like you've got a good game plan. You might post your "flying w/ twins" question on the 1st years board and see if you get any other good suggestions. I've heard to give them binkies or bottles at take off for ears. And have a bag full of tricks to keep 'em occupied.

Steph - :woo: about the cruise! That's right around the corner...better start packing! And l:throb:ve the video! WOW your guys can move!

Monica - OMG about the first class lady! People continue to disappoint, don't they. Have fun w/ your mom, too!

Jennifer - I can totally empathize w/ the frowny mom at your group :D That was so me! Except she's braver than I was... I never went anywhere w/ them while I was BF. I was pretty much house bound until I weaned them at 6 1/2 mo. It sounds like a great get together, though, and that's cool that y'all already made plans for the next ones.

Heather & Missy - I just read about using J&J baby shampoo for washing eyes during infections... in Glamour mag. I think. An opthamologist recommended it. Who knew!? The first year I taught I got pink eye 3 times, the first time in both eyes. Ewww! After the 3rd go around it finally dawned on me that I needed to quit placing my eye on the students' microscope eyepieces :duh:

Valerie - I'm working 1/4 - 1/2 time from home and have the hardest time carving out the space & time to get the job done. I don't know how you're doing it. You ENJOY that glass of wine! It works even better when consumed while in a bubble bath :D

That's all I've got... worn the hell out... going to go dig through cabinet and see if I can scrounge up an adult beverage of my own and then off to bed.

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[christel]

Kerrie - here's a link to another MOMs board I check in on... a triplet mom was asking for flying advice http://talk.sheknows.com/showthread.php?t=553813

[swineland]

Christel.....you check in on ANOTHER mom's board???? :woa: :cry:

sniff sniff, we're not good enough??

(okay, I'm TOTALLY kidding! Let us know if they pass along any good advice/tips to you :))

Off to bed.....

[vthompson]

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!! (I tried to make it green, but it won't let me for some reason!!)

Anyways, it SUCKS here, weather wise...it is snowing and cold...so much for taking the twins to the parade!!

Steph - I LOVE your videos. They crack me up!

Christel - I am so glad that DH is coming today!! Now, you can enjoy a slightly less stress weekend!

Kerrie - Sounds like you are really organized for this trip! Good for you!

Monica - I hope you have a nice visit with your mom. Is she helpful when she comes?

Jen - I am so glad you survived all the babies!! It sounds like you have found yourself a nice group of moms to hang out with!! When I was b/f, I was all stressed out, too (lol!!).

Have a great weekend!
Valerie

[AndreaR]

Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

BIG NEWS HERE.......Madeline (who you may remember has slept in our room/bed every night since she was born), slept the entire night last night in her own crib in the nursery. Neither she nor Isabelle cried at all the whole night, not even when they went to sleep. They both woke up at about 3:00am, and I went in and replaced Maddie's binky and rocked her for a couple of minutes and put her back in her crib. Then I nursed/rocked Izzy for a few minutes and put her back in her crib. Not a peep out of them until 7:00am, when they woke up talking to eachother! Now, before we all get too excited, I must admit that both girls have coughs and we gave them Benedryl before they went to bed to help them from coughing all night. So I'm sure that had something to do with it. But I'll take it!! I can't remember the last time it was just DH and me in our bed. Needless to say, we totally took advantage of that! :snicker:

Today was our first swimming lessons. First of all, the girls are just too cute in their bathing suits. I can't stand it. The lessons themselves were really fun. Both girls LOVED the water. DH had Izzy, and I had Maddie. Basically we just held them in the water and sang songs. They got to float on their backs and their bellies. It was such a nice way to spend time as a family. I am already looking forward to next week.

Jen - Sounds like your playdate/mothers group get together was fun. I have been with my mothers' group for about five months now, and it is a total life saver. I wish I knew more twin mommies, though, and I'm going to get in touch with a local MOM group. I am not sure about napping while you're visiting. I dont' think the stroller is a bad idea, and the wheels aren't any dirtier than shoes (but if you are visiting a shoe-free house, then that is a big deal I guess). My girls don't nap when we are at someone's house. They are too interested in checking out the new surroundings.

Christel - Hooray for DH coming home! :yippee: My girls love paper the most, too. Yesterday we spent a solid hour "reading" catalogs (meaning that they kept ripping the pages out and trying to eat them, and I kept trying to prevent them from eating the paper). I don't know what we are getting them for their 1st birthday present. I think maybe something for them to stand behind and push. And probably some pool stuff, since we have confirmed that they love the water (thank goodness, because so does mommy!).

Monica - You are first class all the way.

Steph - Yippee for your cruise! That is wonderful. And just around the corner! Love, love, love the videos.

Valerie - I'm so happy for you that you are doing something for yourself! You totally deserve it. I don't know how you do all that you do AND take care of twins. How was the water aerobics class? Today, in the pool, I had to squat to be face-to-face with Maddie while she floated. My legs were so tired after 30 minutes!

Kerrie - It sounds like you are well prepared for your trip to Texas. I pray that your dad continues to show progress and that you can just relax while you are there and enjoy the time together with your family. DH and I lived in Dallas for two years, and we were in Ft Worth for a wedding in December, 2004. Wow - seems like yesterday.

Well, I think I hear someone waking up from a nap, so I'd better go. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

xoxo
AndreaR

ps. Where is Lisa?

[christel]

Yea! :jump: DH is home! The girls were so happy to see him they couldn't quit giggling :) That's so heartwarming to see. Especially b/c in the early days he was convinced they didn't like him... so untrue.

Andrea - :woo: for Maddie and double woo for you and DH (:knuddel: ):D The swim lessons sound so great. I talked to DH about it and he's all for it, so I'm going to check the Y's in our area and see when the next classes start.

Valerie - that does suck about missing the parade :( I LOVE me a parade... especially watching the Macy's T-day parade. Our former home town always does a big 4th of July parade that I miss going to.

Steph - to be fair, I'm cheating on the other board w/ y'all! :lol: It's a good balance for me b/c they have MOMs w/ kids of all ages, so I can get some good advice across the spectrum. But you guys are in the trenches w/ me! You know how hard it is to think back to details from even 2 mo. ago? Well for the nitty gritty stuff - they're not that much help. Supportive and sweet, though. June Mommies are more like Brothers in Arms, I think :D I'm so grateful for this place and just wish I'd found it sooner!

Ok - back to the grind... I mean darling little sweeties.

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[sgarrett]

IM BACK and boy do I need a vacation to recover from my vacation! No time to post just wanted to say HELLO MOMMIES!

Kerrie: Be sure to bring their crib sheets that they are accustomed too and anything else that they normally have in their bed. If you have a fan in their room, try to bring it if possible. Anything to replicate their room will help with sleeping!

Will post more later and give you details but I am so busy gotta go!

Take care

STaci

[newmomx2]

Yeah Madeline !!! and for Andrea and DH:hahaha:

My guys are FINALLY feeling better - boy it is SOOO much easier taking care of 2 healthy babies almost a breeze after 3 weeks of fussy fussy fussy.

I also feel better and got 2 naps in the last 2 days - Last night they didn't do great no idea why but seem happth this morning.

Tyler figured out how to crawl on all fours no more army crawl - Corey well he is still happy sitting and playing - he wants to stand but no interest in crawling - he does clap, high fives, waves and signals 'more' brother doesn't do any of those things. also unless my imagination his head popped out more - we meet the neuro-surgeon on 4/11 hopefully his expert opinion will not require a helmet..

baby proofing is in full swing this weekend ! Also since DH is off the next 3 weekends - we are getting some cleaning done - WAHOO. Hoping to update quicken this afternoon and download pics.

Christel - glad DH is home !!!

Still frustrated about not losing more weight and summer approach none of my clothes will fit AAHHH so I really need to buckle down and get on south beach - the whole illness thing really screwed me up...

Oh well no more excuses.

Enjoy your Sundays !

[JERSEYGEMINI]

:jump: :yippee: Yay, Andrea!! That is great great news. It is so wonderful to have your "grown up" bed back. Actually, a nurse at our drs office suggested giving benedryl for up to 3 nights in a row to help break a bad sleep habit....so according to her, if you want to do that a couple more times, it would be okay. We went to a very fun, child-friendly st. patty's party last night. I actually got to have some adult conversations about subject unrelated to childcare because I put DH in charge of both babies (I didn't give him a choice-just handed him the babies and said that I needed to talk to the ladies:snicker: ). Of course, we talked about children, too, and the general consensus about pacifiers was to wait until around 18 months to do away with them. The theory (according to this specific crowd) is that at 18 months, they don't have that strong sucking urge any longer, and they are old enough to understand that the binky fairy can take the pacifiers away (or that you're mailing them to a new baby or some other creative story). I don't know what to do. I just don't want to go through the same experience that I had with Max at age 2. Anyway, the swimming lessons sound great and nice that you get family time that way. I totally recommend checking out your MOM group. I have really enjoyed it. It is reassuring to be around all the twin mommies because you are no longer unusual- you become the norm and managing 2 babies feels natural (for that brief amount of time). It actually felt natural to have 10 babies in my living room if you can believe it! It is hard to explain, but it was a good feeling.

Missy-great for you, too! No more sick babies! How is your eye doing? I need to start south beach again, too. I am going to begin tomorrow. Like you said--no more excuses. I have my tummy tuck/hernia repair in TWO weeks. I can't believe it. I would like to lose a little weight before then (I know there's not much time left).

Christel-:clap: glad DH is home. I love that feeling when you know that you have help/support again, and giddy babies.

Val-thanks for the St. Patrick's day wishes- you are so thoughtful :)

Steph-love your videos and congrats on the cruise! That is something REALLY great to look forward to!

Well, we are doing MAJOR childproofing today as well. After the babes wake up, we're heading straight to home depot and target. This is me all the time: :nono: Gates are going up everywhere, latches on cabinets, and gadgets to cover wires. We're getting a new, sturdier banister next week. I had to move all the houseplants outside because the babies were eating way too much dirt for my taste. Sadly, I thought the warm weather would continue, but then it snowed and killed all the poor plants. :goodnight: My first thought was, "great, now I don't have to water them." hee hee

Mason pulled up to stand yesterday and started cruising this morning. Also, he got one of his top teeth. :proud: It's been quite a weekend for him!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Jen

[newmomx2]

Hey Jen -

Let's both start south beach tomorrow then we can commiserate about no bread, sweets etc. Last time I did south beach I lost 50 lbs nearly 15 in the first 2 weeks (which were by in large the hardest). Tummy tuck boy do I want one - not sure the weight loss will solve the entire problem :snicker: Where in NJ do you live? I am in DE work in Wilm DH currently works in Salem NJ

as for binkies we are going to wait till around 18mths I have also ready that is a good time going past that it gets incrementally harder !

Well better go lunch time for all last day I can have a cookie....:snicker: :snicker: and Tyler is crawling this way
My goal is 25 lbs

later -

[mmzill]

Hey Ladies-
Just wanted to ask you all to send up a prayer or two for a friends baby. I'm not sure on all the details but here's the few I do know.....water broke in the night, with a considerable amount of blood in it. They went to the hospital. By 1 pm she had not progressed, they put her on PIT and by 4 pm she had the baby girl. (No epi) 6lbs some, The first APGARs were good, but as soon as they cut the cord, the baby started doing really poorly. Her lungs just were not doing what they should. They almost lost her last night. After trying everything and not figuring out what was wrong.....they have finally diagnosed her with Group B Strep. (but the mom tested negative) She is on a machine in Nashville that bypasses her lungs and her heart. It's really touch and go. (the nurses or doctor told them that they had seen 3 other cases of the baby having Group B from utero, and the baby died in all three cases :( They are attributing her living to the unmedicated birth and relitavely short labor.) I would really appreciate the prayers for this little girl. Her name is Ariellia. (not sure on the spelling)
Thank you everyone!
Monica

[swineland]

Monica, what a horrible situation for your friend and her family. I will definitely add them to my prayer list. It's stories like this that make me so appreciative and thankful for my two healthy boys. I'm sure you feel the same way, especially with all the NICU time and preemie worries that came with Anthony and Nathan's delivery. Big hugs to your friend. Keep us posted.

Staci, so glad you are back safe and sound. Did you have a nice vacation? I sure hope so. I am SO sorry that we did not get together and that I didn't get in touch with you. Not only were the boys slightly sick, but I was very sick. As you'll see in previous posts, I was quite miserable! Not to worry though, I know there will be a day where we will all meet.....

Yesterday I joined Heather and her boys over at Disney where we both met up with Daniele and her whole family, who are here on vacation. It was a gorgeous day and we had so much fun together. All 6 babies were SO good all day! Hardly a peep out of any of them and we were there pretty much 5 hours. Anyway, I posted a photo below for you guys to enjoy!

Gotta run.....mommy needs breakfast :)

Love to all...
Steph

[Jillmami]

Steph, what a GREAT picture! I love it! So glad that you all had a wonderful time. Weather and babies cooperated... not sure what is more of a miracle these days. Simply a GREAT shot!! Glad that you are feeling better also.

Monica, your friend and her family have been added to my prayers. What a terrible thing to have to get through. Simply terrible. Dh and I took the babies by the NICU yesterday to drop off some things and it was crazy to see all of the tiny babies and know that mine were in there just a year ago. It was nice to see the nurses again. They babies had quite a few pics taken yesterday they were simply tuckered out by the end of it all.

I have missed so much there's no way I can get caught up. We've been so busy and now dh is out of town until Thursday night! :sigh: So I completely know how you felt Christel! Mine are ok the first night with daddy but the rest of the week will not be fun. They are used to seeing him at home all the time since he works from here.

Jen, YAHOO MASON!! BIG weekend indeed! How did the babyproofing go? We are hoping to have their confined 'play area' babyproofed and not do too much to the rest of the house except for making sure floors are clean. However, it depends on how much they get into other areas I guess. Ours are pretty content with 'their' stuff for now. I'm sure that will change!

Congrats to TYLER for the crawling! Excellent!!

Staci glad that you are all back safe and sound! Hope you had a good time. Also hoping that your transition back to 'normalcy' is an easy one!


Andrea how exciting that you get your bed back! FABULOUS!! Is Madeline still in the nursery at night sans the Benedryl? :snicker: And the swimming lessons too! We can't wait to start ours once it warms up a bit and the water isn't freezing!

Well, pumping time is over and I need to get ready for work before the kids wake up. Our nanny doesn't get here until 7:30 and I have to leave the second she gets here! (I normally leave at 7) I am so sorry for not getting around to respond to everyone. I hope all is going well with you and your families and I look forward to getting "caught up" over the next few days.

Enjoy mamas!!

[SunMoonMom]

Heather, Steph and Daniele - I am so jealous... What a gorgeous day, gorgeous ladies and absolutely gorgeous babies... I am so glad you all were able to get together... That is so awesome... Love the picture...

Monica - Your friend's little girl is definitely in my prayers... She is a fighter to make it this far so I know she will continue to fight.

Christel - Thank you so much for the link... It was helpful... Made me think of soemthing I had not thought of...

AndreaR - Congratulations on getting your bed back... What a big accomplishment... Also, I have never given our boys benedryl. What is the dosage for 9 months? I was thinking of taking some on the trip with us. I'm not sure if the boys will have any allergies or reactions to the different environment. Paul and I talked about it but we were unsure what to buy or how much to give.

Staci - Welcome Back!!! Hope you had a great vacation.

Tyler - Big Cheers!!! Way to cruise buddy!!!!

Accupunture - Someone asked me last week how it is going. I think that it is helping a little. I know I feel better overall afterwards but the pain in my back and feet come back fairly quickly... It does give relief during and some after... I was suppose to go this afternoon for another session but I had to cancel... I have an appointment with a pain management doctor and I have waited a month to get in to see him... My goal is to get off all narcotic pain killers... At this point I'm will to try anything...

Well the trip - This weekend we bought a big suitcase so that Paul and I could share. The diaper bags are set up. The boys bag is set up and we just need to add clothes (which we will do tonight). laundry was still running last night when we went to bed. Paul has packed his clothes. We are shipping pictures down today that we want to give to my family. Now the only thing left to do is get my stuff packed, toiletries (sp?) and clean the house...
It will be a busy week...

I am dosing up on Airbourne... I feel like I am coming down with a cold... It might just be allergies because we had a few warm days which might have brought out some pollen or blown some dead vegataion around (so allergic not even funny...) I want a nap so bad... Didn't get one yesterday or Saturday for that matter...

You ladies would have been so proud of me... I was home alone with the boys on Saturday... As we have discussed I am not a natural at taking care of both boys... We put them down for a nap and Paul left for his mom's house... The boys sounded like they were going down but then all H*** broke loose... Screaming and crying... So I went up stairs... Changed Ben's stinky diaper... Then proceeded to not give up... They needed naps and I was going to make them take it... So I held Ben and patted his hinny for about 3 minutes... He quickly fell asleep... Put him down and then picked up Zach and rocked him for about 5 minutes... Then he went down...

You won't believe this but the same thing happened last night...

I really think that I might be figuring out this mother thing after all... I think a lot of it is keeping your patience and not giving up...

Okay I know I have forgotten someone so forgive me if I have...

Try to have a great Monday...

Kerrie

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Monica--praying and sending big hugs to your friends. I can't even imagine how horrible this is for them.

Missy- It's a DEAL.:shakehands: Are you doing Phase 1 or starting with Phase 2? I am doing Phase 1, but I'll have one bowl of Total in the morning (I lost 17 pounds after Max this way!). I LOVE eggs, but never have time to make them in the morning...the rest of the day is always easier. I need to lose 20 pounds.

Steph/Danielle/Heather- great picture! So nice to see you all and I'm glad that you got to meet up. I'm so jealous of the warm, sunny weather!

Jill/Staci--good to hear from you!

Kerrie and anyone else needed dosage info- go to www.askdrsears.com and search for "benedryl dosage"- Dr. Sears lists the infant dosages for Bendryl, tylenol, motrin, etc. by your child's weight. I have to recheck this all the time as they grow.

We only got about 1/2 of the baby proofing done. Slowly, everything is being moved out of the downstairs. Fairly soon, I think we'll just have foam mats and toys that make way too much noise in our living room. We never sit on the sofas anyway so who needs them? ; )

Alright, I'm off-- too much to do today. We're still buried in snow, but I've got loads of errands to run so no time to play anyway.

-Jen

[newmomx2]

Morning mommies !

Jen :shakehands: I am doing Phase I - that is how I started last time - need to dig up my book and recap the guidelines. I love eggs and only get them when I am at work ! In fact I didn't have time to eat yet today heading up to the cafe now ! Happy to say that I haven't broken the diet yet !!!!

Lisa - Don't worry about the army crawl - Tyler has been doing army crawl since 6 months for about 2 weeks he has been pulling up and rocking on his knees then all of a sudden something clicked and off he went it was funny to see the light bulb go off ! My Corey still doesn't crawl although I saw him go backwards today I think he is on his way.

Monica - your friends family is in my prayers

Christel - way to go mom !
Steph - awesome pictures !!

Gotta run - Have a good day ladies

[sgarrett]

Ok I will never get caught up so I apologize in advance if I do not respone to everyone.

Lisa: Chase my eldest never crawled on all fours, he went from army crawling to walking at 10 1/2 months! Poor Isabelle is still not crawling! She takes like 4 "steps" and collapses!

Monica: I am so sorry about your friend, she is in my prayers. Are they at Vanderbilt in Nashville?

Kerrie: Good luck on your trip, it sounds like you have it all covered!

Steph: Glad you are feeling better! Your cruise sounds great. I hate that we missed eachother! Loved the pic with Danielle and Lisa. How fun, I missed everyone by a week!!! We have to plan a trip maybe this fall to try and all meet.

OK the trip, the babies were perfect on the 12 hour ride. They never fussed at all! BUT they were not themselves once we go there. They just were not at home. They slept sorta OK, but were in the room with us and woke up 4-5 times at night between the two of them. I swear they can smell us! They were not to thrilled with the ocean. Aiden tried to eat the sand! He was playing in the sand with his hands, which I was watching like a hawk to make sure he did not take a handful to his mouth. So what does he do? Pulls a Tony Montana and face plants in the sand and takes a HUGE bite of it! He was very mad at me for rinsing his mouth out. He also tried to eat the pool noodle and took a bite of the styrofoam cooler. I swear that kid is crazy! They both LOVED the swimming pool. We want to put one in soon and this definately made me want one more. When we could not get Aiden down for a nap I could put him in the baby float and he would pass out! We would also put them both in their floats and play bumber babies. They would squeal they got so excited. Isabelle is quite the little splasher too. All and all it was a great trip but they really wore me out.

I will post some pics later.

Take care,

Staci

[vthompson]

Hey Ladies!!

So, I think I am going to buy a new vacuum...well, charge it anyway! I vacuum constantly, we have a dog. I will be done vacuuming and play with the babies on the floor and there is strans of hair on the carpet when you look close. This hair then gets on the babies, their toys, me, etc. I am tired of it. So, I need suggestions. I really want a Dyson...they are so expensive, though. But, if it is worth the money then I will worry about it this time next year when we get our income tax check (lol). Anyways, any help would be appreciated.

Staci - I cannot imagine how exhausted the trip must have been! Sorry the babies did not sleep well. I hope all of you recover soon. Can't wait to see pics.

Lisa - Do not worry about the boys...many babies never do anything but army crawl. Corey is still army crawling, too. I love the new pics!!

Kerrie - We knew you could do it...you are a TERRIFIC mom!!

Monica - What a terrible ordeal. I will keep your friend and her baby in my prayers.

Jill - Hang in there...Thursday will be here before you know it.

Steph, Heather, and Daniele - What an AWESOME picture!! That is so cool that you were all able to meet.

YEAH for Andrea and DH (lol)!!

Christel - I love the way the babies react to DH when he comes home. It warms my heart, too.

Jen - I hear ya on child proofing. Kayley is taking off with leaps and bounds. I am constantly saying, NO...It is driving me crazy.

Well, I am really sorry if I did not respond to everyone. DH is not feeling well and I am in bed typing. I think he is ready to go to bed so I better stop. Plus, I am EXHAUSTED!

Valerie

[Megzackben]

yeah I was able to resize the pics. I had to delete then upload again.

Yesterday was just what I needed hanging out with Steph and Daniele. Ben and I got bright pink noses and cheeks today. I feel so guilty that he got red. We all have sensitive skin.

I will post later.

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Val-- we LOVE our Dyson. Consumer Reports just said it wasn't so great, but we have only good things to say about ours (we bought the yellow one a few months ago). It is HEAVY though so make sure you're up for it-- I count it as my exercise ; )

Missy- Did you make it through yesterday? I did by the the skin of my death. The first few days of sweets withdrawal are so tough. DH was sweet and went to Stop n Shop at 10 pm last night to get me some fresh veggies for today (he was upset that I just ate delli ham yesterday because that's all we had in the house :snicker: ) and some sugar free chocolates. Even right now at 9 in the morning, I would kill for some cookies. That's my problem!

Heather- I loved seeing your happy boys! What cuties...

I am in the process of reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". It is so interesting-I've learned so much about sleep (even my own!). I wish that I had read it sooner! I tried Weissbluth's techniques with Mason yesterday and he didn't wake up once last night. It required putting him to bed a little earlier than usual and then letting him cry indefinitely at bedtime last night. He really only cried for 20 minutes and then he didn't wake up until 7:15 this morning. I was in shock after only one day of changes...anyway, I'll keep you posted because we all know how things don't always last with this crowd.

:wavey:

-Jen

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Missy-- Just saw a big typo when my post popped up! I meant skin of my "teeth"-- boy, see what happen when I don't have sugar? hee hee

[AndreaR]

Hi,

I feel like I've missed so much! I dont' know how much time I have. I am waiting for Isabelle to fall asleep, but right now I'm watching her in the monitor, and she's doing laps around her crib. I just lowered it to the bottom this morning. She'd been scaring us a little the past few days. Not quite standing up, but almost.

The girls are still sick with runny noses and coughs. And they are getting new teeth. Izzy is finally getting her second tooth on the bottom, and Maddie is getting her two top front teeth. They have been pretty cranky, but not too bad.

I am still giving them Benedryl at night because they are so stuffed up and cough a lot at night. It's been four nights in a row. I am a little worried that it's been too long, so I'm not going to give it to them tonight. We've had three fantastic nights out of four. Sunday night Madeline was up every hour. I really think it was her teeth, though. The good news is that Izzy never really woke up with all of Maddie's crying. So we're keeping our fingers crossed that this is it.

My brothers bought the girls a beautiful wooden sled for Christmas, but we've had no snow, so we hadn't used it. We took it out yesterday afternoon, and the girls loved it! I will try to post a picture later. And one from swimming lessons.

Monica - so sorry about your friends. I am praying for them. Please keep us updated.

Val - I just bought the "Animal" Dyson. I haven't used it yet, but I'll let you know what I think. I feel like everything is covered in dog hair around here (our yellow lab sheds like a maniac).

Daniele/Heather/Steph - so glad you guys got to get together. That picture is so nice. You all look BEEEEEEEEEEEAUUUUTIFUL! Seriously - like models. You could be MOM models.

Jen/Missy - good luck with South Beach. I joined Weight Watchers yesterday. I've never done it before, but I have high hopes. I want to lose 20 pounds. DH says he'll do it with me. That will make it easier.

Staci - welcome back. Sounds like you had a nice trip despite the difficulties with sleeping.

Kerrie -how is your dad?

Steph - any update on your dad?

Gotta go - sorry I missed some of you. I will try to get back later.

xoxo
AndreaR

[newmomx2]

I did okay yesterday but slipped a little this morning - last time I did south beach it took me 3 days to get the full purge going - no more slips today plan is by Wednesday I am on track - KEEP ME HONEST

Funny thing is I read your first email as teeth - I had to go back to see you typed death !

Also I may need that book - I have trouble with my guys waking up at night and crying - they always go to bed fine it is the 2am - 3am scream the head off that is a pain - we don't pick up just let them scream - any suggestions in that book ! I will say last night everyone slept all night perhaps it was the 2 tylenol PM I took and couldn't hear anything :snicker: either way I slep :snicker:

Will read and post more later.

Love the FL pics though

Missy-- Just saw a big typo when my post popped up! I meant skin of my "teeth"-- boy, see what happen when I don't have sugar? hee hee

[christel]

Hi Girls -

Just taking a moment out of your life (that you'll never get back :D) to whine and vent... I'm just having one of those frustrating days. Nothing specific, just everything :banghead: Whiney babies, needy pets, DH leaving town AGAIN tomorrow...

I essentially "lost" yesterday b/c I kept a girlfriend's 14 mo. old while she went to the dr. So, I got nothing done. The laundry keeps coming, my MIL is descending on Sat. and I'm overwhelmed w/ the amount of housework that needs to be done before then. DH has to leave town tomorrow and doesn't return until late Fri. And I feel like a complete moronic failure when it comes to feeding my children.

Ruby still takes 30-45 min. to finish a bottle. They're only awake for 2 - 2 1/2 hours between naps. By the time she's hungry enough to eat solids, she's so tired she won't eat. If I feed her solids after a bottle, there's a 50% chance that she'll gag and throw up - thus losing most of the bottle it took so long to get down her. If she has solids before bottle, then she won't finish her bottle. She's barely clinging to the 5% on the weight charts, so I don't feel like I can ease up on her. WHAT DO I DO?!!!!

And then, the guilt, oh the guilt, about the loss of time w/ Emme when I spend all this energy feeding Ruby! I realized last night that I DREAD feeding times and have found myself screaming F**K in my head quite a few times today. I don't curse, normally. Maybe I should call my pedi?

The girls' b-day is looming and they should be able to move to milk and solids by then, but how will I ever get them ready for that at this pace?

I feel like an idiot. Shouldn't I be able to figure this out? How have 2 tiny little people kicked my butt like this? One actually. Emme's just along for the ride. And their yelling now...

Oh, still no teeth and no crawling. And that feel like a personal defeat, too. Stupid, I know.

bye,
Christel

[sgarrett]

Christel: HUGS from Nashville. I am so sorry, but please do not blame yourself for anything. You are super Mom and your babies are doing fine. Maybe the ped can suggest some more fattening foods or formula for Ruby? I know everything is double tough when DH is gone. (Felicia you are my hero!) I wish I was closer I would come try to help. Try and take a deep breath, screw the housekeeping, maybe MIL will help when she gets here? Does Ruby just drink that slow, or does she keep starting and stopping while eating? She looks great in her pics, if the doc was worried he would tell you. Sorry girl wish I could offer more!:aww:

Staci

[Jillmami]

Christel, I am with you re: many developmental issues with the babies since mine were so early like yours. I have been playing with various feeding scenarios to get TJ to eat more. However, she can physically only eat so much before it comes back out. We have been really feeding her high calorie foods intensely the past two weeks and she only gained 3 ounces! BUT, for her stature, it's not abnormal. If Ruby wasn't getting enough, her growth would drop. It sounds as if she is just like TJ, gaining at their own slow but steady pace. As Staci said, if there were ANY concerns, your ped. would/should say something. I asked ours on our last visit and he said that she was gaining at a steady pace so not to worry. We are supposed to be getting both babies to drink 20-24 oz/day of milk. Noah is close but on most days, TJ gets anywhere from 10-16 oz! It is VERY frustrating. So I make sure that I am beefing up her solids for those meals. She is also getting 1 tsp. rice cereal/oz of milk. I also thicken up her solids with rice cereal. With all of that, she still gains just a bit. Noah gained 8 oz. in the same time span so it is just how her body is processing and using the nutrients. Ruby looks healthy so I wouldn't worry. As you suggested, check with their ped to see if he/she has any concerns. You are doing an awesome job! It's normal to stress. I would be worried if you felt every day was a breeze with twins! :snicker: As for your house, I personally wouldn't care about the messes and feel that's what my mil is there to help with. I do understand if you think differently. :proud:
I also empathize re: dh and travel. Mine is gone until Thurs pm and will be gone a week or two in April for more McD spots. He is even supposed to go to Japan for Toyota stuff some time in the next few months. But... we will get through and persevere because we are strong women!!

Remember, preemies are very different even though they look/act fine. They are developing a bit differently and some of the specifics are foreign to us so we have to learn a bit more about their care. Mine don't crawl and TJ is the only one with teeth (her 2 bottom teeth.) Well, Noah crawls EVERYWHERE backwards and the getting stuck in the crib is getting old! BUT... they will get there I know. We went to visit the nurses at the NICU last weekend and they commented on how well the babies look; especially for preemies. Yours look fantastic too so have faith in them and know they will hit their milestones. Enjoy the crawl-free time while you can. It isn't possible for two such adorable and hot/haute baby girls to look as precious as they do and not be well taken care of. Revel in your mama skills... I do!!

[sgarrett]

Check out Aiden snoozing in his pool float! Tee Hee!

[sgarrett]

http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u185/aidenisabelle/Cocoa%20Beach/

[sgarrett]

OK I finally figured out to how to post the link to pics. And to think I sell technology!

[Megzackben]

Christel-I am so sorry it is this hard. I am so thankful that Jill can give you advice. Just know that "this too shall pass" your family has come a long way in just a year. YOU TRULY ARE A WONDERFUL MOM!!! Laundry will always be there. maybe if your house is a wreck dh will have to clean before mil comes ( I know a perfect dream)

lisa- I just did ebay this past month for the first time too. Becareful it is sooo addicting...

Job interview-went on fri for a job interview at another school. LOVE the school but so does everyone else because he has a lot of interviews coming up. I hate the wait. Then today I got an email from another school I put my resume in and said based on my principals recommendation he wants to come observe me (which the other principal said too) I am very excited but so nervous. My school is in "corrective action" because of its school grade. The schools I want to move to are still "A" schools. I just pray I get the 1st one. I already know some really great teachers there. Plus the drive home is so peaceful and quick.

too much to post and boys are cranky.

[Megzackben]

Okay watching on Discovery channel about Dale and Darren Chalk. They had a baby then after 4 weeks wanted another baby. They tried 2mths later and ended up with 4 babies (2 now are deaf) then when the quads were 7mths they got preg again! (one was still born) so on the show they have 8 children under the age of 3. I looked them up to see how things turne out and theyjust announced last month they are having their 10th baby! They still want more again... wow.

[Jillmami]

Staci, WOW, what GREAT photos! Luv'em!! Your kids are looking so grown up and are just adorable! Quite the photogenic family!! Looks as if you really had a fun time. The pic of all of you is terrific. I also like how Aiden lounges in the floatie with his legs crossed.

Christel out of all days... I just got the mail and noticed the cover story on my Preemie magazine is about..."the FEEDING issue"! So, I will read it and let you know what I find out!

Heather, keeping fingers crossed regarding the position you want. Isn't it crazy this "teacher shortage" but yet it's hard to get a job in certain places? Best of luck to you in the upcoming observations as well.

[AndreaR]

Christel - BIG HUGS TO YOU, MAMA. You are doing a fantastic job, please don't doubt yourself. As you know, we have feeding issues here, too, so I know the stress about meals/bottles. But Ruby looks great, even if she is small, and I'm sure your ped will say the same thing. Give him/her a call just to make yourself feel better. Don't worry about the crawling. Ever since Izzy started crawling, it's been even harder to get her to gain weight because she's burning more calories! I can't imagine how hard it is to have DH be away so much (hats off to Felisha and to the other moms whose DHs travel a lot). I agree with whomever suggested asking MIL to help while she visits. That's what grandmothers are for. Also, don't be afraid to ask a friend for help if there is a friend available. I wish I was closer so I could come and take Ruby & Emme with us to the mall! I'd come back with a bunch of clothes....just what you need, more laundry! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Hang in there.

[SunMoonMom]

Good Morning Mommies...

Well tomorrow is the big day... we leave for TX... I am so nervous... I got to thinking last night about how to get the boys through security... Do we pass them through because what if one of us has to be wanded (me because I have metal in my leg) so do they have to wand the kid through... Do you think it would do much damage if I put the boys through the x-ray machine? Just kidding...

So here is what I am NOT looking forward to in TX:
1. Seeing my Sister - She is crazy, immature and selfish... She has a 3 year old son who she said she quit her job to be a SAHM but then she still takes him to the babysitter 3 times a week because he is too much for her to handle... I just want to say so bad "You think one is tough, try 2"
2. Sleeping in the same room with the boys... I know that we will have problems...
3. Constantly running around to make sure we see everyone we need to see.

This is what I am looking forward to:
1. The boys meeting my family.
2. My family holding the boys so I don't have to.
3. Seeing my DAD... He is holding his own... Not much change.
4. Seeing my best friends in the whole world...

Okay so that's enough about me... Now you guys...

Christel - I am having trouble with feedings... Nothing like what you are experiencing and still I feel like there is something I am doing wrong... I tried to feed the boys green beans with a little rice mixed in... Ben threw up everything... His gag reflex is so strong... Zach on the other hand thinks that most solid foods are poison and designed to kill him.. I just keep telling myself that I haven't seen a 10 year old yet that can't wolf down a corn dog so I will survive...

Jill - You are a wise woman who gives wonderful advise...

Staci - Those pictures are great!!! You have a beautiful family...

Heather - this is me thinking about your observations... :xfingers: I know you will do GREAT!!!! Also, I took some time to watch some of Ben and Zack's videos yesterday... It was the highlight of my day... Those boys are precious...

Steph - How is your dad doing?

Okay I know I forgot someone... You know ladies... I was thinking last night as I was drifting off to sleep that the one thing I will miss most while I am out of town is access to my computer and being able to read what's going on in your worlds... I should have a second tomorrow morning to check in but if I don't just wanted to say that you guys have really become a fixture in my life and I appreciate your advice and support...

Kerrie

[swineland]

Kerrie....best of luck on your trip! I'm sure everything will go pretty much according to plan (I say pretty much b/c it would be unrealistic to think that everything will be PERFECT, right?....although how great would that be!?) Just be safe, take deep breaths, remember people travel everyday with babies and if they can do it, you TOTALLY can. You are smart and have loads of common sense, which I have come to learn from flying the friendly skies for 9 years that MOST people don't. Best of all, you get to finally see your dad. I hope he's doing better and we can't wait to hear an update. See you when you get back! :wave:

Christel.....just wanted to offer my support and long-distance hugs after your last post. Jill, Andrea and anyone else with preemies have such good advice to offer you. The only thing I can say is that you ARE a terrific mom to those girls and you are doing absolutely everything the right way. Keep your chin up, girl.

DH is now sick with what I had. He feels awful. He managed, however, to come home Monday night with a dozen roses, a bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz, marble cheesecake and an OK! tabloid magazine for my birthday :) How sweet is that??! I almost cried. (Yes, I turned 32 on Monday)

Staci, your pictures are SO cute! I'm so glad you had fun. The pics have me jonesing for my cruise to get here soon!

Gotta run...
Steph

[Megzackben]

Kerrie-Thank you so much for the nice comments. I LOVE YOU! I consider T my home since I lived there for 8 yrs. Hopefully you'll be close to the blue bonnets to take some pictures. This is when they are at the best (usually). I know its hard when you dont get along with a sibling. My brother I love him but then after an hour I have to leave the room to compose myself. Give you day a big ol smooch from all of us. it will be soooo awesome when your family gets to meet them.

Staci-thanks for the email back. I am going to target this weeknd to get the floatie, thanks for the tip. We actually might be going to TN is the winter as a family vacation. Meg has never seen snow and I only did for a couple of mths in 10th grade and once 14 yrs ago in Maine. It'll be hilarious to see wabbly wakers fall in he snow :)

Jill- thanks for the good wishes...I am so nervous, cant help it. Not the most patient person :)
okay computer lab is over

[swineland]

Oh! I forgot to say thank you all for asking about my dad. I don't really have anything new to report, though. Tomorrow afternoon is his appt. with the surgeon he was referred to. After that, we'll for sure know more. We're all anxious to move forward and figure out what is going on, so I'll be on pins and needles waiting to hear from them after the appt.

I'll be sure to keep you all posted!!

Thanks lovies.......

Steph

[Jillmami]

Anyone have a good infant sunscreen that you can recommend?

Steph, continued prayers for tomorrow's appt. re: your dad. Hope that your dh is feeling better VERY soon!! Sounds as if his :date: was wonderful even though he wasn't feeling well.

:partygirls: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY STEPH!:party: :partygirls:

[swineland]

Jill, I use this http://arbonne.com/products/baby/sunscreen.asp on the boys and so far have been happy with it. It's not greasy and it seems to work (we've had no sunburns!:gr:). My MIL got this for me as a shower gift along with their herbal diaper rash cream, body oil and lotion. Their products are really good.

Hope that helps!
Steph

[swineland]

Has anyone heard of 'oil pulling' ?? www.oilpulling.com

I'm SO going to do this in the morning.

[Jillmami]

Steph, thanks for the sunscreen info. I am going to look into the oil pulling too! Let us know how that goes tomorrow!

[newmomx2]

Have fun Kerrie !

Happy Bday Steph - I just turned 32 in Nov !

jen - how is South Beach going...

My day at work suck## but the night was great - here is to another full nights sleep.

Christel - Hang in there !!!

[vthompson]

Hello Ladies!! So many posts!!

Kerrie - Good luck tomorrow!! You must be so excited to see your dad and have your family finally meet the babies! Can't wait to see pics.

Staci - I LOVE the pics!! I like how you put a shirt on Aiden in the water. I never even thought of that. I am sure it helps with sun exposure. Did he seem to mind if it got wet?

Steph - Happy Belated Birthday!! :partygirls: How did thinks go with your dad today?

Monica - Any news on your friend's baby?

Lisa - How is Ebay going? Are you making any money?

Jill - You always have such great advice and positive words of wisdom!!

Christel - You are an EXCELLENT mom!! Those girls are happy and well cared for. Keep your chin up!! We all have bad days...actually, I do not think a day goes by that I do not doubt my motherly skills at some point. I agree with everyone else, if the ped was worried about the weight gain, he/she would have said something. At our last appt, Kayley dipped a little in her weight gain. The ped said that since she is so much more active now, she is burning more calories.

Heather - I love the videos of the boys! Good luck with any observations you have coming up. I will be crossing my fingers that you get the school you want!

The weather was so nice today!! It started out really cold, but was 60 by late afternoon. We took the babies for a walk. It was so nice to get out. I really hope it stays like this! NO MORE SNOW!!!

Nothing much to report here. Just trying to juggle work, babies, and house. I have been pretty stressed lately trying to do it all. Hopefully, I will figure it all out. Otherwise, I may have a nervous breakdown soon!

Does anyone find that the babies are clumsy as ever now that they move all over? Kayley and Corey are constantly falling or pushing each other. They both have bruises on their heads. Poor little guys!!

When I went to get them from their naps today, they were both standing in their cribs facing each other and trying to grab each other. They were laughing and talking. It was so precious!!

My friend came over today with her 6 month old. She was already as big as Corey. My poor babies are so small compared to other single babies!!

Well, I better go. Talk to everyone soon!

Valerie

[christel]

Y'all are so great! :grouphugg I would seriously lose my mind some days if I didn't have this place and you wonderful people to bounce my insanity off of :congrats: :clap: :joytears: :aok:

I did call the ped today and he said that the most important thing is getting at least 24 oz of formula a day in Ruby... then, the added iron from cereal or meat. He said I can back off of the solids regime and not to stress about 3 meals a day by 12 mo. He said, she's a preemie, and she'll more than likely be ready for that stuff by 14 mo.

I didn't unload all my twin momma neurosis on him about what to do w/ Emme while I'm working out the kinks w/ Ruby. I've decided that she doesn't know what she's missing and, lord knows, she's healthy (23 lbs!) doing what she's doing. I'm just going to back the train up... get those bottles down Ruby and then get whatever solids she'll take in at the end of the day. I'm also thinking about adding infant vitamins to a bottle again to get the extra iron into her (in case the solids don't work out or come back up that day).

I sound much more sane today, huh? I was near tears most of the morning and then DH came home at lunch and left a few hours later. I seem to have pulled myself together, as blubbering in my bed is not an option now. And the pedi called at dinner time, so that helped.

Staci - I adore your family vacation pic - what a beautiful family :throb:

Steph, Heather & Danielle - insanely jealous of your meeting & there are no words to express how beautiful you all look as well as your gorgeous boys. Amazing picture!!!

Jill - Bless You:love2:

Kerrie - welcome back to TX... know it may be a few days before you see this post, but know that I'm still lifting your dad up in prayer

Valerie - you are so super mom w/ all you're doing! I'm still calling dibs on the nervous breakdown - at least until DH gets home - you can have it this weekend if you really need it :D

Andrea - When I do manage to get real food in Ruby, I totally steal your "get fat" diet tricks for your girls. Thank you so much!

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[sgarrett]

MOMMIES HELP! The past 3 nights Aiden has screamed his fricken head off before going to sleep. I do not know what the deal is. I go in every 15 min and try to calm him down. We do not put him to bed until we see the sleepy signs. I rock them to bed everynight with a bottle. (I know a big NONO) and it has been fine. But for the past few nights, he takes his bottle all sleepy like, than when he is done with he starts squirming and crying. I try to rock him and finally have to put him down, and he SCREAMS and SCREAMS! I hate this. I am about to go in and give up and pick him up again and rock him. I can only bend over that crib and pat him for so long now that it is on its lowest setting!

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!! How do I get him out of this funk????????

[swineland]

Valerie.....the little t-shirt that Aiden was wearing was probably a rash guard. I see a lot of them this year for babies. It's basically what surfers wear, or beach volleyball players, hence the name 'rash guard'. I bought 2 for the boys at Target yesterday to go with their existing swim trunks. (edit: I just looked back at Staci's photos and I bought the exact same one Aiden has...with the little surfboards on it. $7.99 w/15% off right now) We will undoubtedly be going swimming/being in the sun this weekend in Fort Myers, so I figured they would be good to have.

Staci.....Bailey is my nighttime/morning crier. He does exactly what you described from Aiden. Last night I even had my hand ON the doorknob, getting ready to go in and pick him up to rock. I was like, no, I'm just going to wait. I hate hate hate doing it, but I have found that CIO, on some level, just plain works. Of course, you have to assess the level/intensity of the crying. If it's only escalating and getting louder and he's getting more wound up, then a different course of action might be better. But I must say that 9 times out of 10, if I just FORCE myself not to go in there, that right when I think all hell is about to break loose, suddenly the moaning starts and the crying gets a little quieter. I also listen for muffled cries, for then I know that he is starting to rub/bury his head in the mattress, even tho still crying. A good sign. I don't know how Evan sleeps through this fiasco, but he does.

Packing up today to leave in the morning for our weekend trip to my parents. Having a family picnic by the water on Saturday, so should be nice. A lot of people have yet to see my little charmers (wink, wink).

Cheesy as it is, there is a new Bachelor coming in 2 weeks.....hahaha. I'm like, honey, can you set the Tivo?? Ah, jeez.....

Bailey is SCREAMING his head off in there.....go to sleep, go to sleep.....

We have Kindermusik this morning and this is my small window of opportunity for them to nap. Even if they fall asleep now, I still have to wake them up in 45 mins.

Evan has started doing this new 'He-Man/sounds like I'm pooping but I'm really not' noise. He does it when he gets excited or frustrated (waiting for me to put the spoon in his mouth, trying to reach a toy, etc) It's so embarrassing though b/c he sounds like he's taking the mother of all sh!ts and when we're in a store I'm like, uhhhh.

Better go.....
Steph

[SunMoonMom]

Hi Mommies...

Staci - We have always (since about 4 1/2 months) put our boys to bed awake and let them cry it out... Normally they cry for about 10 minutes and go down. This weekend and earlier this week, Ben started just screaming when we put him to bed and would not stop. I ended up having to rock him to sleep... It was really like a battle of wills... I would keep putting him back in the same position and held his arms down lightly so that he wouldn't squirm... I finally won but it was a struggle... I actually saw in his eyes when he figured out that I wasn't going to give in... Well, the other night it started again and I knew that we were creating a pattern so DH said to let him cry it out... It took about 45 minutes but he finally went down... After that night we have been back on schedule... I don't really have a suggestion for your situation because everyone is different... I just wanted to relate our story so you would know that this seems to be something that happens about this age... I think it has to do with how much they are processing and taking in every day... Their little brains are just so busy that its hard for them to shut it down... It really is the "I don't want to sleep, I might miss something" syndrome...

Christel - Thank you for your prayers... I truly think we have made it this far through the power of prayer.

My Zachary...
Okay, so yesterday from about 3p - 5p the boys were holy terrors... Just crying and crying... My Zach is not a cryer... He only does it when there is something wrong... Unlike Ben who is my total Drama King... So I had Ben in my lap trying to calm him down and Paul had Zach in the play area laying on a pillow trying to calm him down... Zachary was having none of it... Just squirming and crying... Then Zachary sees that the play area gate is open... Well he takes off... I told Paul to just let him go because he wasn't crying and Ben wasn't crying because he was watching him... So Zach heads straight for the kitchen... We haven't let the boys in there yet but thought why not... He stops at the dishwasher to admire himself and then goes to the middle of the floor where he sits up... It was so funny... He was smiling and then he started clapping... Since Ben started clapping we have been working with Zach on doing it but he has refused... Holds his arms stiff and won't move his arms... Well, I figured out why last night... He didn't think anything was exciting enought to deserve his clap... Needless to say I was so proud of him for wanting to explore and that he was so thrilled with himself for doing it...

Well I got a lot of work done yesterday but I have a lot more to do before I leave at 11a...

Hope you ladies have a wonderful weekend and I will check in when we get back...

Take care..

Kerrie

[SunMoonMom]

Steph - You were posting when I was... Like Evan, Zachary is notorious for making noises and grunts when we are shopping (He loves raspberry and what I call motor boat noises)... People turn to look (especially in a quiet place like Barnes & Noble)... I just look at them like isn't that the best noise ever...

I don't think this is the last time something these boys do will embarrass me so I might as well get use to it now...

Kerrie

[newmomx2]

Oh My Gosh Steph I laughed at the below Tyler just started the same thing red face pinched lips grunts groans sounds like a massive poo but just him complaining in his chair or frustrated on the floor - TOO FUNNY that they are doing the same thing


Evan has started doing this new 'He-Man/sounds like I'm pooping but I'm really not' noise. He does it when he gets excited or frustrated (waiting for me to put the spoon in his mouth, trying to reach a toy, etc) It's so embarrassing though b/c he sounds like he's taking the mother of all sh!ts and when we're in a store I'm like, uhhhh.

Better go.....
Steph[/QUOTE]

[newmomx2]

Christel - Glad you are feeling better, If it makes you feel better my guys were not preemies but can take 30 minutes to drink sometimes and more days than not Corey only takes 16oz all day ! I used to get frustrated but as long as they gain weight and are happy go with the flow baby !:snicker:

Staci - I hear on the scream it out - fortunately my guys almost always go to bed at night with out a fuss it is the 2am wake up and scream for an hour that kills me - it is tough like Steph said but we hold out -I actually found that if he sees me even if to pat his rear it makes it worse - sometimes I find turning on a lullaby CD will help out as a distractions -sometimes the crying escalates because they just get worked up !

Kerrie - HAVE FUN, I sure it will be crazy but fun :crazy:

Okay back to work busy day - the boys came to work with me today (we have a back up center so I get to go play with them at lunch - of course when I left Tyler was screaming his head off - and there were twin girls there with them :hahaha:

[swineland]

With all this talk about CIO and SIO (scream it out :)), and then reading about using a lullaby cd to help tune out the distractions, I wanted to mention that we still use white noise every single night. We have the ipod set up in there and it's hooked up to 2 small desk speakers, one under each crib. At bedtime or naptime, I turn on the white noise, which is a 15 second .wav file that we downloaded online and it just runs on a continous loop. We've had it in place since almost day one and when we are using the PNP's at grandma's house, we make sure have a fan in the room on high to generate the same kind of noise. It really helps I think.

Just my :2cents: worth.....

[swineland]

I'm sure I haven't mentioned this, but my dad's cousin Mike has just gotten through a long battle with lymphoma, with many ups and downs and many trips to Mayo Clinic for treatment. He and his wife live in Wisconsin and he just finished his last run of radiation. They packed up and headed to Ft. Myers to spend several months in the warm sun and visiting the south Florida members of the family (my mom and dad, aunts, uncles, etc). Well, they've only been here a week or so and last night Mike started losing some mental function, acting delerious and a little "off". So Sally, his wife, took him to the hospital where it has been revealed that he has 2 brain tumors AND another lymphoma. My mom called this morning with the awful news. He is in ICU and my parents and the rest of the family were on their way over. Of course, their grown children all live in Wisconsin and are now scrambling to fly down here. And then there's my dad's appt. today at 1:30 w/the surgeon to find out about the lumps he found under his arm. I just feel sick to my stomach. I feel totally uneasy about the whole thing.

I skipped Kindermusik today....the boys finally fell asleep like 15 mins before we would have had to leave. I couldn't bear to wake them up.

Monica...where are you? Lurking, I'm sure....but know we miss you and are sending out positive thoughts, hugs and prayers to your friend and her baby and family.

xo,
Steph

[vthompson]

Good Morning Ladies!!

So, I put the babies down for a nap and after 20 minutes, I already hear Corey. I am leaving him up there, though. He is not crying and later, with only 20 minutes, he is going to be VERY CRABBY! We are supposed to go to story time this afternoon at the library, and of course, now the nap schedule is completely screwed up!

Kerrie - That story was so cute!! I guess he just wanted out!

Steph - Have a safe drive and a great weekend! Thanks for the info about the shirts. I think DH thinks I am crazy, but I am so scared of sunburn!

Staci - I really believe that he is adjusting to coming back from the vacation. I know Lisa seems to have problems with the boys sleeping after being at her parents for a week...maybe he is just adjusting back to his old environment.

Christel - I am so glad you are feeling better!! Hang in there!

Is anyone thinking of going to Twinsburg this summer in August for the Twins' Fest? I live about 25 minutes away. If anyone is going, let me know.

Valerie

[JERSEYGEMINI]

I wrote a long post, but it was lost! Argh!

Anyway, I'll have to condense.

Happy Birthday, STeph!! :birthday: Woo Hoo!

Staci- Weissbluth's "healthy sleep habits, happy baby" has had amazing results around here. Bascially, at night times, after a soothing ritual, you say goodnight and don't go back in until after 6 am. He stress doing an early enough bedtime (from 6-7:30 pm) which can be hard for working parents. First two nights were rough and DH was holding me back. It felt way too hardcore. For naps, baby can cry up to an hour and then you go get baby and end nap until the next time (Weissbluth firmly believes in 9 am, 1 pm naps with younger babies needing a dinner time catnap as well). He feels that you can do more of a CIO method for naps and long as you are consistent and do "extinction" at night. Mason cried for 59 minutes exactly before falling asleep for the first four naps. Now he cries about 5-10 minutes (we started on Sunday). I had my hand on the door like Steph said, but I'm glad I waited. Last night, he fussed (not even cried) for 20 minutes before bed. He woke up twice during the night, fussed for 5 minutes each, and then slept until 7:30 this morning! Only problem is that I'm sleep trained to wake up all night--I couldn't sleep for the life of me! The Weissbluth information on sleep cycles and body rhythms is all very interesting. His method is supported by research from all over the world. He feels that CIO works, but is harder to maintain because babies' sleep gets disrupted so frequently after sickness, vacation, growth spurts, etc. He has lots of suggestions for specific sleep problems, older ages, etc. It is not well written, but very informative.

Christel-So glad you got some good advice from Jill and your Dr. You are a great mom--twins are a handful and we all get so frustrated at times. On top of that, you have the premie challenges. You are doing a terrific job- I can tell because the girls always look so healthy and happy!

Missy--I did well on SB for Mon and Tues, but yesterday, I ate salt and vinegar chips . They're my favorite and my will power disappeared! I'm back on track today, though. How are you doing?? Hang in there! : )

I'll check in later--no more time now!

Jen

[newmomx2]

I sometimes tell my boys that if they don't want to use the crib I will :snicker:

Seriously though - nothing wrong with the CIO. I also have white noise I run in the room the lullabyes come in for critical crying !

Lisa - my boys still fuss off and on in a given night and sometimes require anything from a simple binkie replacement to the extreme - scream head off for an hour scare the dog to the upstairs...you are not doing anything wrong hang tough. I hear on the DH thing - mine gets 3x the sleep I do and then gets mad when I say I am to tired to have sex...

Jen - Like the suggestions from the book but the whole go to bed between 6-7:30 is not ever possible in my working mom world ! We get home around 5 - 5:15 which is good since it means I leave work at 4:15 (have a nice boss which let's me leave early every day ) Then we have to do dinner at 6 baths bottle and then bed - we consistently put them to bed by 7:45-8:00 every night. Now that the weather is nicer I am going to start taking them for walks when we get home can't wait !!!

As for South Beach tiny slip today - I am doing good that when the 3pm cookie craving hits I have been eating pepperoni and cheese instead :hahaha:

Okay need to finish up for the day and get my boys from downstairs for the I95 commute home...

[sgarrett]

Thank you everyone for the responses on sleeping and for the sweet compliments on the pics. Jen, I am going to have to try that book. They really have been doing pretty good, I guess that is why it totally threw me for a loop. Thing with Aiden is he does not wimper or cry he SCREAMS!

Lisa: I am sorry you are having a rough time with DH. I know what you mean about coming to this board for support. Sometimes I come on just hoping someone else is logged on at the same time.


Steph: Happy Happy Birthday, that was so sweet of your DH. Can he please call mine and give him a few romance lessons? He is a sweetie but lacks in that department! They have really cute rash guards at Old Navy too, I had Isabelle wearing Aiden other one before the trip was done, I was so worried about sunburns. I hope everything goes well with your dad's appt today. Will they actually go ahead and schedule the surgery?

Oh crap, I wanted to respond to everyone and baby's are waking. The nanny called in sick today.

Gotta go - will post more later!

Staci

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Lisa-sorry that I didn't see your post earlier! I sometimes start writing hours before I actually post because I never have time to finish in one shot, and then I don't see the posts that get up there before mine! It sounds like you're having a tough time- is there anyone you can talk to face to face? That might be important right now. I wish we lived closer!! Please email me if you want to talk on the phone-I'd be happy to lend an ear & exchange phone #'s.

Now Weissbluth is definitely not for the Attachment Parenting crowd, but he does give some suggestions if you do family bed and such. Also, he says it is okay to lay with your babies for naps, but he is strict about the night time sleep. What impresses me most about him is that he stresses how important a MOTHER"S sleep is to the rest of the family. There are several studies that have been done linking sleep deprivation to depression. This is just my two cents, but I think it would be best if you went cold turkey (like you said) because YOU not getting sleep is affecting so much in your life. It's good you have the book because it is very reassuring to read it while your kids are SIO as steph put it. I have even done the full crying for naps because with two babies and an older child, I just can't lie down with anyone. It seems to be working. Like I said, Mason cried for 59 minutes for the first few naps. I was just about to go in and he stopped. Also, things got worse for a day and half before they got better. He went from taking 1 to 1 1/2 hour naps to 30 minute naps after crying. BUT, now he is back to sleeping the full time and going to sleep on his own. It is a hard thing to do, but it teaches them fast without dragging it out. I almost felt like I was teasing them while "Ferberizing" because they would scream more after I "visited". Also, I'm so scatter brained that I forgot to finish my thought in the earlier post, every time your baby's sleep schedule is disrupted, CIO takes much longer to correct it where as if you just do one night of "extinction", you usually can get back on track after a disruption. Now, I am just in the beginning stages of this so I don't have much data yet, but so far so good. I was talking to a mom of two at my son's preschool last week-- she did this with both her girls with much success.

This is the problem that I have--I don't get sleep, I'm cranky, short-tempered and have no sex drive. DH does the same thing--everyone gets to bed and he's ready for some action. Half the time, I'm so tired that I say NO WAY. Then, over time, no sex is not good for a marriage. It has a big snowball effect. Also, I am a crabby mom to my 4 year old. I try to think of all this when the guilt sets in for my baby crying.

Good luck tonight. I'll be thinking of you!:)

Jen

[swineland]

Update on dad: He had his appt. w/the surgeon and had an ultrasound done as well. Based on his exam AND the u/s images, the dr. feels like there is a 50% chance that this is a Lipoma, or benign tumor made mostly of fatty tissue/cells. A biopsy is scheduled for tomorrow at 1pm and, while the official results will have to wait 5-7 days being analyzed at the lab, the doctor said he can pretty much tell 'off the record' tomorrow if he thinks it's a Lipoma or not. So, all in all, we are relieved and looking forward to tomorrow's appointment. Thanks for all the prayers/good thoughts....keep your fingers crossed for the next step.

Unfortunately, due to the shocking turn of events in my cousin's health, we probably won't be making the trip to my parents this weekend. More than likely the family picnic will be postponed and the attention directed more at getting Mike back up north to Mayo.

Babies are out in the play area (aka, most of my kitchen and entire family room) and they are being too quiet...I better go see what they are getting in to.

xoxox
Steph

[Megzackben]

LOTS of posts lately.

Steph-ALL your family is in my prayers. I am so sorry. Iwanted to call you on your BDay and forgot until too late. Hopefully DH is feeling better and breaks the cycle :)

Sex??? what is that??? Besides being tired that darn mirena IUD is still making me bleed for 3mths which has scared off poor dh. 2-3mth isnt cutting it.

Sleeping/Naps-Staci-I rock all my kids to sleep with a bottle at night. We give them a bath around 7pm put them to bed and then around 9-10pm wake them up just to give them their last bottle. I dont think you can spoile them by rocking them at night. I defiantely let them cio for naps. Ben is a breeze but Zack kind of has to be asleep before laying down otherwise he is standing and can even open the door (we had to move his crib already)

Sunscreen-Daniele used Earth's Best which I borrowed and besides Ben's cheeks which I forgot, my little white boys were perfect. We were in the sun for almost 5yrs and luckily no burns. I think Daniele also uses Aveno??? I jsut looked at it today at walmart and Earth's Best is $12 a bottle so it better work :)

Trish-how are things going???

2 dys until Meg comes back from her cruise. She is so lucky. Went with grandma/grandpa on a 7 dyas Disney cruise. THen on for a week at school then back on vacation for spring break. Did I mention I miss her???? NEVER been away from her in 8yrs longer than 4 nights.

[christel]

Hi girls :wave:

Counting down... 24 hours until DH is home (again). Today was a good day. Ruby ate well - until the last bottle (only took 3 1/2 oz) - and didn't throw up while eating her cereal. Emme discovered a new favorite toy... a Budweiser beer coozie. Nice. I'll be sure to put that in the diaper bag for church.

Lisa and Staci- I totally agree w/ Jennifer about the HSH-HC book. I give it all the credit for my girls' good sleeping. Had a few rough patches getting naps established and organized, but everything was sitting pretty w/in a week and a half. Night sleep took about 3 days. CIO isn't good for us b/c everytime we go back in it's like starting over for them.

Lisa - As for DH... I'm so sorry things are sucking right now :grouphug: We've gone thru some similar issues here. DH finally articulated that when I said "no" he felt rejected and replaced and started acting like an a$$ b/c his feelings were hurt. We both make an effort to understand where the other is coming from now and he knows that if he's going to get ANY action, I've got to be relaxed. It's gotten to be a production now :D Wine, snuggles, etc. There is NOTHING spontaneous about our sex life anymore, but we finally have one again. I know you two will figure it out and until then, VENT away here! We're here for you :throb:

Steph - I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. I'll be praying for him. I am thrilled about your Dad's news though! That sounds very hopeful. Also, happy belated birthday :birthday:!! It sounds like you had a lovely one (sweet DH)

Kerrie - love the exploring/clapping story :love: Your family is going to be so smitten w/ those little guys!

Heather - wanted to wish you luck on your interviews and observations. Be sure to talk up how much you enjoy collaborating w/ staff and how important parent contact and participation is... admin LOVES to hear that :)

Missy - how much does Corey eat on days that he only takes 16 oz? I'm still trying to figure out all the possible ways I can get calories in Ruby.

Off to watch Gray's Anatomy...
:lovemytwins:
Christel

[vthompson]

Hello Ladies!! Lots of talk about sleeping and CIO today. It seems like everyone that has done it has had success. I also agree that a change in routine, aka vacation, makes it harder. Hang in there ladies!! There are still naps and bedtimes that we have to let them cry it out. I think they get so tired that they just cannot unwind from their day. Kayley has gotten up a few times the past week in the middle of the night. VERY frustrating!!

Lisa - I am sending you a hug from myself, Kayley and Corey :grouphugg Your post broke my heart!! I really hope that the new plan works. You really need to get some sleep. I am sure that is why you are feeling the way you are. As for DH, I think you just need to communicate about how the other is feeling. Do not make any decisions when you are feeling tired and worn out. I am thinking of you!! You can always call me when you are feeling blue!! I am here for you. As for outlets, I am getting so excited to plan it!

Steph - I am so sorry to hear about your cousin. However, the news on your dad sounds very positive. That is great!

Heather - A Disney cruise!! That is so exciting. I cannot imagine how much you miss her!

I was going to respond to everyone, but I have a terrible headache all of a sudden. I think I need to go to bed!

Have a good night.

Valerie

[EBTwinz]

Just wanted you all to know that we did the CIO for bedtime last night. They cried for 10 mins and slept all night. Brady woke up at 4:45am and he fussed for about 10 mins, then went back to sleep. Ethan didn't wake up until 7am! And Brady woke up shortly after him. So, hopefully this is goingto be the new pattern. Thanks for all of the advice. It took a lot for me not to go into their room when Brady woke up. But I knew if I went in, it would get worse. Plus, he wasn't even really crying, just fussy.

Thank you all for your kind words and advice. I love all of you!!!

Lisa

[vthompson]

YEAH ETHAN AND BRADY!!! :jump:

[newmomx2]

Christel - on the days Corey does 16oz sometimes he does not eat much food either he seems to have hungry days and non-hungry days. He does generally eat 3x per day (remember he was not a preemie)
6-7am 4-6oz
8am 2TB Cereal + 4oz fruit (sometimes only eats half)
Noon - Bottle (4-6oz) + 1oz meat + 2-4 oz veggie stage 1 or 2
4pm - snack bottle 3-5oz
6pm - 4-6oz dinner, 4-6oz fruit
7:30 - 6oz bottle



Gotta run picking up the taxes heading home to log back into work

Tata

[vthompson]

Does anyone else have a little boy who has bruises all over his poor little forehead???? Poor Corey is so rough...he falls all the time and now has bruises on his little head. People are going to think we beat him!!

Valerie

[sgarrett]

Valerie: Bruises CHECK! Aiden head butted me so hard in my tooth the other day my eyes watered! He did not even cry! He is constantly hitting his head. He is not scared of anything!

Lisa: Congrats on the sleep! Isn't it amazaing how much a good nights sleep can make everything seem better?

Jennifer: What is "extinction"?

Steph: You have been my inspiration to start cooking more "homemade" baby foods. The biggest winner so far has been, mashed potatoes, with formula mixed with a little butter and chopped frozen spinach. They LOVE it! Any other ideas would be appreciated. Do you cook any meat for them? I tried to boil chicken and mix it with pasta and chicken broth, they did NOT like it all. The only other meat I have given them (besides baby food stuff) has been a roast I made in the crock pot so it was real tender. It was pretty funny, you know how roast is "stringy"? Well they would each have a "string" hanging out of their mouth and they looked like Sly Stalone in that movie where he had the match hanging out his mouth. My DH and I were taking turns saying stupid lines from the movie. I would look at Isabelle and say "Your are the disease I am the cure"

Ok ya'll are going to think I am the biggest redneck in the world but I have to share this story. Last night we ate on the deck, the weather has been GORGEOUS, we had the babies out there with us in their highchairs and after dinner let our very large labs on the deck with us. We got the idea to put a little peanut butter on the baby's feet. (yes we were drinking and yes it was bath night) The dog's heads come right their feet, they had a so much fun licking that peanut butter off and Isabelle and Aiden were laughing so hard. It was to fricken funny! Wish I had taped it. They are really getting so much fun to play with!

We also have an announment, ISABELLE IS FINALLY CRAWLING! She is so cute, she does it on all fours, while her brother still army crawls. She is starts off real hesitant, and gets faster and faster as she goes. Too cute.

Everyone have a wonderful day!

Staci

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Hi Ladies!

Val- we have lots of bruises around here. :help2 Mason nose-dives into furniture and even the floor on a daily basis. It's hard being 9 months.

Steph- I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your dad and his cousin. I hope everyone fairs well over the weekend.

Andrea/Christel and others with formula issues-- I have been tracking Isa's formula consumption for the past week, and found that she only drinks 16-18 oz on a daily basis. That is with me really pushing the formula, too! She was 50th percentile for height/weight today and has been since 3 months. Her doctor said that 18 oz is enough as long as her growth remains steady and the blood work comes back okay. She recommended supplying extra foods with calcium and iron. Isa is a good eater--she really enjoys her food and tries just about everything. I know our girls all have their own "issues", but I just thought I'd share that in any hopes that it makes you feel any better. It was reassuring to me.

Good for you Lisa!:woo: I hope you can start getting some much needed sleep. Did you wake up anyway out of habit? That is my problem!

Staci-Yay, Isabelle! Now the trouble really starts! ; ) I'm so envious of your outdoor dinning-how wonderful. The peanut butter story is great. It is great to hear those baby chortles. "Extinction"--sounds really awful doesnt it? It is Weisbluth's term for when you put them down for bedtime and you don't go back in until morning (or at least you don't let them see you go back in!). I think he should have consulted Steph and called it "scream it out". That is more honest.

We had the babies' 9 month visit today (Monday is the official day :) ). I feel so behind you all! I guess I have the youngest ones on the board. Anyway, here are the stats:

Mason- 22 3/4 lbs, 30 1/4 "- 95th percentile
Isabella- 18 1/14 lbs, 27"- 50th percentile

They take two naps a day- around 9:30 am and around 2 pm and bedtime is 7 pm.

Mason has 26-32 oz of formula plus three meals.
Isa has 16-18 oz of formula plus three meals per day.

Isabella sleeps through the night, but wakes up SOOO early (5:15 am most mornings). Mason was fussing 3-4 times per night until we did "extinction" last weekend, and now he sleeps through until 5 am, has a bottle and goes back to sleep until 7 am.

They are having mainly table foods as they refuse purees most of the time now. Mashed potatoes are a favorite in our house as well, Staci! Other things that they really enjoy are: avocado or banana spread on toast, cheese cubes, yogurt with wheatgerm mixed in, tofu cubes with crushed cheerios (thanks for that one, too, Steph!), sweetpotato, avocado and squash cubes, flakes of white fish, BANANA, and any kind of cubed melon. Cheerios are a staple in our house, too. They got really tired of the Gerber puffs and would throw them on the floor.

Isabella signs "more" for melon all the time (she also signs "more" for her sippy cup). I have determined that Mason has no idea what he is doing when he signs-he just copies Isabella. Mason waved good-bye one time, but I haven't seen it since. They both clap.

Isabella is crawling and cruising. She stands alone once in a while for a few seconds. She definitely climbs stairs with confidence :snicker: . Mason does the army crawl and just started pulling up to stand last weekend.

That's all I can think of, but I'm sure that is enough!!

Hope you all get outside and ENJOY THE WEEKEND!!:yippee:

Jen

[sgarrett]

On the toast recipes, how small do you cut them up? I tried smearing avacodo on regular grown up wheat toast, and they hated it. I wonder if I did something wrong, it seems like a big hit with other babies. Do you use regular adult wheat toast?

[swineland]

Hi everyone :wave:

Don't have time to post too much, but wanted to give you an update on my dad. He went in this morning for his biopsy and, while we were all sort of hinging on the surgeon's 'off-the-record' opinion, it ended up that he didn't really say anything at all. My mom and dad were kind of let down by the lack of information, and all he (the dr.) said was that he couldn't tell one way or the other if it was malignant or a lipoma (benign fatty tumor)... despite yesterday him saying that once he did the biopsy he would be able to sort of tell right away if it was nothing or not. Anyway, they just said that it would have to be sent off to the lab and so we begin the cruel wait until the results come back. He goes back to the surgeon on April 3rd for results. (Of course, our cruise is scheduled for 5 days after that and God forbid something IS wrong.....) Overall, not a real positive vibe, but I'm trying not to put the cart before the horse and jump to conclusions here. One step at a time.

As for my dad's cousin, he and his wife flew back to the Mayo clinic this morning. The brain tumor that was discovered is massive and he will need very aggressive treatment. He has celiac disease (can't have gluten or certain grains) and apparently that is a risk factor for lymphoma, which I never knew. If you have celiac disease, you are 3 times more likely to develop lymphoma. At any rate, the prognosis is not good and my poor mom is raw with emotion. This morning was probably the last time they'll ever see Mike and that, combined with my dad's uncertain health, has mom just in a fog. This is one of those times where, even though I love my babies and love the happy chaos that is now my life, I would really appreciate being able to hop in the car and go be with them without having to worry about all the shi! that goes along with bringing 2 babies.

Sorry for the long post....just wanted to FYI you guys :)

Thanks for all the concerns...
xo
Steph

[swineland]

oh, p.s.......

For dinner tonight I gave the babies a whole wheat Kellog's pancake that I then topped with my homemade applesauce, some SmartBalance butter and cinnamon. I also sprinkled it with some formula to make the pancake even soggier. They loved it. One of those "fun Friday night dinners" :)

xo

[vthompson]

Steph - I cannot imagine how you must be feeling right now with everything going on. You are being so positive, and that is really going to help everyone get through all of this. We are all thinking and praying for you and your family. Keep us posted!!

Staci - I tried avocado and my babies HATED it, too. They acted like it was poison. I was disappointed because everyone else seems to have babies that really like it.

Jen - That is great that she is signing. Kayley and Corey just laugh at us when we use signs. They have not even attempted it.

So, we went to our every other week trip to BRU last night. I am so disgusted at how much we spent!!!! However, we did buy bathing suits and they are so cute!! We also bought these really cool baby rafts that have a canopy on them to block the sun.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Valerie

[newmomx2]

Why are my pictures so big in my signature?


Did anyone remove the crib bumpers?

[mmzill]

Well, back to the land of ONLINE! Our internet has been down for four days...thanks to my mom's dog, who chewed the phone line :) Oh well. We have had a crazy week, my mom got here last weekend, and we had the boys Dedication at church. That went nice. Our church is small and so the members think of our kids as their own. I did a power point of pics from birth till now, and everyone was crying. But it was nice. Then Dh left on Tuesday for Oregon. Mom and I and the kids.....shopped quite a bit. But then on Wednesday night my 9 year old brother got a fever, so my mom left on Thursday and went home :( I was sorry she had to leave early, but didn't really want the kids exposed any more than they already were. DH got home on Friday night late. Anyways - that's been my week. Busy but good....and I'VE MISSED YOU GUYS!!!!!!

My friends babys is doing some better, still on a vent, but the Dr's are using terms like "when she..." instead of "if she..." The last I heard the Group B had not turned into Menengitis.

Steph - my heart goes out to your family, for your dad and cousin! I pray that all goes well with your dad's biopsy, and that by some miracle your cousin pulls through. Sorry you can't just drop everything and go. I know how you feel. My step dad died this past summer and I really wanted to go be there for my mom before he past, but just couldn't. As much joy as kiddos add to life, they also make it more complicated.

Kerrie - I hope you arrived safely in TX and all is well.

Good luck to all you dieters out there! You can do it!!!! I've still been excersicing and still been enjoying it! The inches are still getting smaller, although the scale is taking forever to come down.

Heather, sorry your issues with the Merina, I had light bleeding for about 6 wks and that was all. I hope it clears up soon!

Well, Nathan has started scooting around on his butt. It's so cute! Still no crawlers here yet, but they are wanting to be mobile so bad.

Love you all! Sorry I was gone for so long
Monica

[sgarrett]

Monica: Glad you got a visit with your mom. The dedication sounds sweet too, I loved the powerpoint idea! Anyway to post a link to it here somehow? I would love to see it!

Valerie: They love avocado they just do not like it when I smear it on toast. They love the zweibeck (sp?) toasts. I just wonder if I am using the right kind of toast??? At first Aiden was not real into avocado, so I smushed it up and added it to applesauce. That got him started, now he will eat little cubes of it.

Steph: I am keeping my fingers crossed for your cousin and Dad. April 3rd?? What the heck takes so long? I cannot beleive they cannot get the results faster than that! The waiting is so awful!

We had our first boo boo. Aiden was crawling around with a cardboard book in his hand and fell on it face first. He started screaming and all I could see was blood in his mouth! It broke my heart! I am still not sure if he bit his tounge or cut the inside of his lip, he would not let me see. Poor baby, he was soo upset. Than Daddy started reinacting the accident with the book, and Aiden started laughing. Too cute. Isabelle is a crawling champ now. I swear everytime I set them "free" they immediately head in opposite directions. Today was kind of rough. I planned all week to plant all my herbs, outside pots and replant two indoor plants. Does not sound like toomuch does it? Even with DH's help, (he had outdoor chores planned to) it took all fricken day to accomplish this. They babies were just fussy. They are so much fun right now to play with, but they will not play by themselves for very long at all. I guess I am expecting too much. If Aiden would quit constantly attacking his poor sister I think they would do much better. It was just frustrating, I am such a task oriented person, and I am used to knocking out a million things a day. It is hard to slowww it down. I get irratated at the babies, then when I calm down I feel so guilty for getting so stressed. Vicious circle.

Good night Mommies!

Staci

[newmomx2]

http://www.geocities.com/zoeyl_au/TwinsPoetry.html

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Missy-Cute poems and cute boys! It's nice to see your guys! I had a terrible SB weekend! I lost four pounds last week, but probably gained them all back in the last two days....DH has been cooking up a storm. He made us a delicious SB friendly sea bass dinner on Saturday--but also bought some nice wine and bread with delicious cheeses from our local wine/cheese store....I can't resist the good food. So, I was like, maybe I'll take weekends off!! Yeah, that's it! Anyway, back to it in the morning : )

Monica-good to hear from you. I'm glad the dedication went well. Congrats on your diet success, too! I'll take loss of inches over pounds any day-- it means you're replacing fat with muscle. You'll look really great this summer! I hope no one gets sick in your house--there are lots of bugs going around right now.

Staci- I also spread bananas or stage 3 baby fruits on regular wheat toast or multgrain toast (I cut it into small squares--a little bigger than a cheerio). They seem to like the fruit on it, too. . I poured a little formula on the toast with fruit/avocado spread when I first introduced it so that it would be soggy. Now, they don't need that because they are used to the texture, and I usually put a really light coat of butter (the half yogurt kind) before adding the fruit or avocado. Also, a layer of yougurt on top makes it soggier. I'm glad Aiden is okay. All that mouth blood can be scary!

Steph--that is such a long wait for results! My experience over the last few years during a slew of medical problems has been that Doctors often present the worst case scenario and tend to lean on the pessimistic side. DH and I were discussing it one night because I was very upset after a doctors appt. a couple years ago. We both came to the conclusion that they do this so that they don't get sued. If they are optimistic and then wrong, I think they are open targets for lawsuits. When they are negative, they protect themselves to a certain degree. In any case, I hope this is true and that your dad's doctor is being extra cautious. I'm sure that you're mom is so anxious. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you hear some good news next week.

Lisa- How is everything going? I hope things were looking brighter this weekend.

Val- I don't allow myself in BRU anymore. I find too many things that I never needed in the first place, but they seem brilliant while I'm in the store! There are just so many fun baby gadgets! Actually, I am heading there sometime this week to get some spring clothes for the kids since it is actually warming up here. I have seen those floats--great idea--so I may have to check those out : )

Alright, off to tackly MOUNTAINS of laundry and try to get some sleep tonight. The babies had colds all weekend, so they've been up a ton at night and not napping well due to stuffy noses--no CIO for sickies. Hopefully, we'll get back on schedule tomorrow.

Jen

[newmomx2]

I fell off the wagon a bit this weekend as well (but had also lost like 4lbs) Let's just keep forging ahead ! I need to go clothes shopping in a few weeks - not looking forward to the size I need to buy but will ignore the tag and buy what looks good !

I hear ya on the no CIO for sickies - Tyler was fussying a ton Sat night then last night they went to bed at 7:30 and he screamed till 8:15 finally I got him out gave Motrin then rocked and put back to crib - he this slept all night:cloud9: I think he is cutting teeth on the top so CIO not so helpful there either - it is like a game sometimes.

Well ladies hope you have a good Monday I will check in later today.

[vthompson]

Missy - I love the new pics...your boys have so much hair!! He removed the bumpers awhile ago. As for your pics, I had the same problem. When I added new pics, those were the right size. I could not figure it out!

Steph - That video was cute, as always!! You should put together all those video clips each year and highlight that year in their life.

Jen - I hope the babies are feeling better today...especially with the nice weather. You do not want to be stuck in the house with sick babies!

Monica - Sorry your mom had to leave early. I did not know you had a brother that is so young. When you get a chance, post some pics of the dedication.

Staci - We have the same problem in our house. Poor Kayley gets beat up by Corey. She is starting to hold her own though (lol).

So, the weather is much warmer here then it has been. I LOVE it. However, it stresses me out at the same time because now I look around and see how filthy my windows are. How the heck am I going to find time to wash them and the blinds. I HATE washing blinds. Anyone have some good ideas to make it easier?

So, the babies woke up after only a 30 minute nap. Nap times are now crucial around here because that is when I do my work. I started stressing out and called DH crying because I was so aggravated. Well, I left them up there and they fell back to sleep!!!!!! I could not believe it!! Anyways, I was able to get my morning work done...I will cross my fingers for the afternoon work. I think I need a break :)

I need some advice....Corey used to LOVE the bath. He would kick away and laugh and play. For about a week now, we put him in the tub and he SCREAMS, stands up any grabs on to us trying to get out. It breaks my heart. Last night, I put my bathing suit on and got in there with him. He held onto me for dear life. I was able to get him washed with minimal crying, but that is not going to work long term. I am so worried about him being afraid of the water. I just do not understand what has changed. Any thoughts would be appreciated!!

Have a good day ladies!

Valerie

[mmzill]

Valerie - re bath.....I don't have any suggestions from personal experience, but when I read your post I thought about something I had read in "What to expect, the first year" book. They have a section about transitioning from the baby tub to the big tub and ideas about keeping baby happy. I know that doesn't exactly apply to what Corey is going through, but thought it might help. If you don't have that book, I'll try to post the section. Let me know.
I hope things get less STRESSFUL for you!!!

Missy - I always slip on the weekends. I say what the heck......and eat at least something sweet, or bread, or whatever! That's what weekends are for!

[vthompson]

Monica - I actually do not have that book. Is there any good ideas in there?

Valerie

[sgarrett]

OK, the Aiden beating up poor Isabelle is getting worse. I do not think he means to hurt her but he is CONSTANTLY pulling on her, using her body to pull himself up, pulling her hair, stealing her toys etc.. I used to not want to intervene b/c it really did not seem to bother her and I wanted them to learn to work this stuff out. But now she screams holy terror whenever he is bothering her. Any suggestions?????????

[mmzill]

Valerie - Here's what it says:

Take a dry run. If he's willing, put him in the tub without water and with a pile of toys. That way he can become accustomed to the scenery while it's dry - and hopefully discover how much fun the tub can be. If the room is nice and warm and he's a baby who's comfortable being naked, let him play in there undressed. As in any bathtub situation, don't leave his side for a moment.

Avoid the big chill. Babies dislike being cold, and if they associate being chilled with being bathed, they may rebel against bathing. So be sure that the bathroom is comfortabley warm. If your bathroom isn't adequately heated, you might want to warm the room by running a hot shower first. Have a large towel ready when you get them out.

Keep lots of toys on hand......
Let baby make a splash, but don't make one yourself.....
No swimming after eating......the extra handleing may cause spitups....
Don't let the water out of the tub until the baby is out. It can chill them and
the gurgling sound may scare them.
Be patient......

Not sure if any of that will help, but maybe it will. Sorry I didn't get it on here sooner.

Staci - I do intervein some when the boys are pulling at stuff from one another. Today I actually said NO really firm and flicked Anthony's hand. I'm not sure if that is the right thing to do, but I don't want one to think he can take advantage of the other because of size or whatever. I think it's ok for me to stand up for all my kids when something is not fair (I know not all things in life are fair....but I'll try to keep it that way a little longer in my house :) )

Update on friends baby - Today she made a couple of steps forward!!! They were able to decrease her O2 levels and put her on a different resperator that isn't so harsh!!! So prayers are being answered! Thanks for your consern.

Good night all! I hope you all have good evenings. Steph, hope things are ok with you and family! Lisa, hope the bed times are going better too!
Monica

[christel]

:wave:

It's 10pm and I just got home from a MOMs meeting. It was my 2nd one - the 1st was Jan '06 :lol: I've kept in touch w/ the club via the yahoo group, but it was nice to put names and faces together tonight. They had a dietitian speak about needs for pg, nursing, or busy moms and then talked about needs for kids. She gave out her email and encouraged that for questions, so I think I'll ask some things about Ruby and see if she's got any different advice from my pedi. Can't hurt, right?

MIL is here. Came on Sat. and leaves tomorrow. She's been really helpful and even kept the girls last night so DH and I could go for dinner. She kept them again tonight and I met DH for a drink after work and before my meeting. Feels like we're dating again:snicker: But no :knuddel: b/c the walls are thin!

Guess we're headed out of town again next week. We're slated to go to my parents' for Easter weekend and DH has a meeting about 3 hrs from there next Tues. and a project site he could visit about 45 min. away. So, we'll go to my parents' on Sun. night. He'll leave for his meeting some time on Mon. and return on Tues. night or Wed. morning and then work on site on Thurs. and take Fri. off. The girls, dogs and I will wing it, I guess. Hope it's fun and not stressful.

Monica - SO glad to hear about progress for the friend's baby! Will continue to keep her in my prayers.

Staci - I :lol: at the PB on the feet story. That is SO us! Also, I intervene if Ruby's getting hurt, that's it. She's not as mobile, so she can't get out of the way. I also have started to say "NO" when Em twists away during diaper changes.

Swatting and NO - I swatted Em's thigh lightly, for trying to roll off the changing table, and and she completely crumpled and sobbed and had her feelings hurt... it was HORRIBLE!!! Broke my heart. She will still twist a bit to look around but hasn't prevented my taping her diaper up since then. Any thoughts on this? I didn't like it and am not sure I will pursue discipline this way.

Valerie - my girls usually go back down if they wake up w/ less than an hour's sleep. I have to NOT go in, though. However, teething pain can completely screw w/ that.

Jen - I SO hear you on the mountains of laundry... I never get done! Especially w/ DH's frequent traveling and often our going along. I have come to HATE it.

Missy - super cute pic of your two :throb: We still have crib bumpers, but they're so squished down now and routinely untied that I'm considering chucking them.

Steph - still praying for your Daddy. I agree w/ Jen, that the dr. was CYA.

Night ladies,
:lovemytwins:
Christel

[vthompson]

Good Morning Ladies!!

Monica - THANK YOU so much for posting that. I am sure it took a lot of time to type it!! I actually tried putting Corey in the tub last night with no water. As soon as I lifted him into the tub he screamed. The windows were open so I am sure everyone heard him. I didn't know what else to do so I just bathed him and he screamed through the whole thing. It is breaking my heart. I just do not understand what happened to make him hate the tub so much. That is so wonderful that your friend's baby is doing better. I will pray that it continues.

Staci - I intervene sometimes, if Kayley gets angry. Sometimes, she seems to ignore him, other times, it really upsets her. I have also told Corey No and moved his hand away. This does not seem to phase him. He will just do it again usually.

Christel - I have done the same thing to Kayley when I am changing her and she also screamed like I hurt her feelings. It made me feel so bad. I hope you enjoy your time at your parents' house. Isn't it so nice to go out by yourself with DH? That is great that you two have been able to enjoy some time together.

The babies are still sleeping!!!!!!! I cannot get over it. It must have worn them out!

I hope everyone has a good day...including myself :) Yesterday was pretty exhausting and stressful!

Valerie

[swineland]

:wave: Hi friends!

Can't tell you how much I wish we all lived closer. 'Twould be so much fun to do a giant playdate!

It's 6:35am and I am just listening for the boys to get good and wound up before I bring them out into the family room and all hope is lost that they will go back to sleep. They woke up at 5:45 this morning. Yesterday it was 5:30, and the day before that, 5:15. The time change that I was so looking forward to so that I would be able to sleep past 6am hasn't yielded much of a difference. They even went to sleep at 8:15 last night. That's 9 1/2 hours of sleep. I thought they were supposed to sleep like 12+ hours at night?? Wishful thinking??:snicker:

Both of them have been sneezing and Evan has had a runny nose/watery eyes for like a week and a half now. I wasn't sure if they had colds or some type of allergies. When the Tylenol cold wasn't doing much, I switched to Benadryl. Seems to help a tad bit. I give them each 3/4 of a teaspoon, according to the dosage on the www.askdrsears.com website. (Thanks for that Jennifer!!) Why is it that the makers of the INFANT cold/pain meds have 'ask a doctor' for under 2 years of age. SO dumb IMHO. I know it's to cover their arses, but it's not like you're buying medicine designed for an 80 year old and trying to give it to your baby.

Discipline: SO glad someone brought this up and we will hopefully all get some ideas here. I keep telling DH that I need to go buy some kind of parenting book, specifically for twins. At 10 months old, they certainly know cause and effect now and I see the stage setting for my opportunity to instill right from wrong. I just have no idea what I"m doing! I'm worried about overusing the word 'no' and therefore them not taking it seriously when something REALLY warrants it. When I say it, Bailey will pretty much settle down whatever it is he's doing (twisting during a diaper change, banging on the TV, etc). Evan just laughs in my face and does it even more. I have given Evan a little flick on the thigh when changing him and it doesn't do anything, except make me feel bad. I do not want to rely on that kind of discipline, as I think it sends mixed messages. That being said, I am not sure how to go about demonstrating to the babies what is acceptable and what is not, other than saying 'no', which I feel like I do too much anyway. Any ideas??? What are you all doing about this?

Thanks so much all of you for asking about my dad. No updates yet. Just still waiting for results. I suppose you are right about the dr's cover their :reddy:. I just wish that they wouldn't make you feel like it's nothing and then go into caution mode.

Teeth brushing: I am SO bad about this. I just completely forget to do it. Sometimes I just rub their teeth with a cloth after they are done eating.

Baths: how often are you guys doing baths? I know some of you do nightly baths just for the routine of it all. I give them a bath every other day. Should I be doing it daily?

Jeez, I don't brush their teeth, they don't get bathed every day...haha...I sound like a real good mom :) My kids are clean, I swear!

11 days and counting until we leave on our cruise.....thank God. It leaves on Easter.

Speaking of which, what, if anything, are you all planning on doing for Easter for the babies? I might put together a very small little basket with maybe some Puffs and a little stuffed rabbit or something. They have no idea what's going on anyway, so I'm not going to get some elaborate Easter basket. (Of course, I said that about Christmas too and ended up getting them all kinds of toys and stuff I said I wouldn't get)

Well, I better get to it. Hope you all have a great day!

Steph
p.s. Staci, sorry to hear about the frustrations with Aiden tackling Isabelle. My two little guys are both wackos in the tumbling, tackling, ambushing department. I try to just let them figure it out when dealing with each other (unless it involves biting or other potentially hurtful behavior, then I step in). However, they are both boys, and if I had a delicate and sweet little girl like you, I would be way more worried. I wish I had advice for you! Good luck.....

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Val- My oldest went through two periods when he was petrified of the bathtub. It is just something they go through. He also was scared of my hairdryer and the vaccuum suddenly after being exposed to those things regularly...who knows what goes through their little heads! Anyway, the suggestions that Monica wrote were some of the things that I did. Right now, Mason still enjoys the bath, but he gets really upset afterwards and shivers. I've started to punch up the heat about 15 minutes beforehand if I think of it. He is also scared to death of the water draining. When Max became frightened, I gave him some time off.

I have an ancient babybook passed down from many mommies that I absolutely LOVE. The author, Penelope Leach, may be the gentlest person towards babies that I've ever read. She writes: "some babies take a long time to decide that bath can be fun...no baby will get over a fear by being frightened...don't bathe a frightened baby. Don't even sit beside the bath to wash him. Wrap in a big towel on a bed or changing mat and wash the baby bit by bit instead. This gets the baby just as clean and accumstomed to feeling wet all over. If you resist the temptation to try a bath for at least a month, even the most frightened baby will have grown up enough to forget the fear. Then with infinite care and tact you can try again. You may well find that you now have a water baby." This is what I did with Max. Now, your baby won't be quite as fresh as you probably would like, but honestly, it was worth it for us. I think the key was to take about three weeks "off" from bath and then put baby back in the bath with some really FUN happy new toys. Both times that Max rejected bath (one time at 11 months and again around 2), I did this, and he was more than happy to get back in the tub after his break with probably six new boats. Hope that helps...

Christel- You must be such a pro at backing and traveling with twins. You should write an article on traveling tips for twins for a parenting magazine! :) Hope next week goes well for you!

Monica-that's great about your friend's baby--sounds like she is doing better than the doctors ever predicted!

Discipline- someone mentioned a book earlier called "Ready or Not , There We Go" about toddler twins...I have this as well, and the author has some nice thoughts on discipline and shares her many experiences with toddler twins. The whole book is an entertaining read and I highly recommend it! This is such a touchy subject like sleeping and feeding....I personally feel strongly against any kind of physical punishment. It doesnt' make sense to me to teach a kid not to hit or be mean to others by hitting. Now, let me come clean and tell you that this does NOT mean that I've never given Max a swat or two! However, the times when I've done this, I've done this because I have lost control and was so frustrated with him. I've always regretted it and wished that I had given myself a timeout instead so that I could have been more rational. The author of the above book makes a great point--save "NO" for when you really need it. Otherwise, you will say "no" to the babies about 200 times a day (and this comes back to haunt you when 'no' becomes one of their first and favorite words). I wish that I had known this with Max! :snicker: She suggests distraction-the best approach at this age because they still have really short memories-- or instead of saying "NO climbing up the sofa (see next paragraph!)", rephrase it in a positive way such as, "you need to sit on the sofa". Once again, let me tell you that I say "NO" a thousand times a day in my house, but I aspire to do better! Anyway, just my two cents...

I have a serious climber problem. You wouldn't believe what is going on in my house. Isabella is climbing up anything and everything. This is a NIGHTMARE. I've had to remove anything that can possibly give her any leverage. She actually pushed Max's little kid chair against the coffee table yesterday so that she could climb up on the table. I don't know what to do because I can't leave her for even a minute. I say "NO climb", and she stops to look at me and smile, and then continues on her merry way.

:ciao: Okay, off to start the day's work...I here Mason awake after a 30 minute nap!

Jen

[vthompson]

Jen - Thank you so much for the advice. I am definitely going to try that...just taking a break for a few weeks. I hope it helps!! I cannot believe she pushed the chair over!! She is a smart little cookie!

Steph - Corey woke up this morning with a very runny nose. I think it may be allergies. I am going to try the benadryl. As for Easter, I think I may just fill a basket with a couple teething toys and puffs. Like you said, they have no idea what is going on!

I am really procrastinating about doing my work this morning. I guess I better get to it!!!

Valerie

[christel]

'Morning :sunshine:

The sun's finally out after weeks of overcast rainy days! MIL just left and DH is taking a 1/2 day off... to play golf. It's ok, he'll feel like he owes me for the next 3 days and I'll get a lot of honey-do stuff done around here.

Easter - bought baskets for them and plan to line them w/ a flannel blankie that has satin on the opposite side - instead of grass or tissue paper. They'll just try to eat it and will be mad when I take it away. Also bought plastic eggs that we'll fill w/ puffs and cheerios. I have a plastic pinwheel, tiny stuffed animal bunny and a wind-up hopper bunny and chick to go in the basket, too. That's it. My Mom is making their dresses and smocking them.

Baths - we're every other day unless they get really messy or have a really gross spit up.

Teeth brushing - no teeth, so nope :D The girls L:throb:VE to chew on their wash cloths and drink their own bath water... I figure the gumming of the wash cloth counts as "brushing" of the gums.

Jen - we have the Penelope Leach book, too. My pedi recommended it (along w/ the AAP's Caring for your baby and young child). I really like it and love that it goes thru age 5.

Jill - ya out there?

And to conclude... Check this out :bunny:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/snelsonc6896/IMG_2065.jpg

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[Megzackben]

Disclaimer-want to respond but didnt take notes.

Discipline-not a pro but Meg is very well behaved and I survived single parenting for 6 years. I did spank Meg but didnt do it until she was around 13 months. I only did it on her pamper which left more of a noise to startle and not hurt. I used to say no and just turn her around and do it. After a couple of sermons from my pastor on the subject. I told her to turn around that she did x wrong then did it. It reduced the chance of spanking out of anger which yes I did before. And felt sooo guilty. I think because I was so consistent when she was a toddler, I RARELY have to discipline now. I probably spanked Meg twice in the last 2 years. Granted she is much older now. For the boys Daddy says No too much for my liking. I much rather change their focus.

CHanging diapers seems to be just as stressful at my house as eveyrone elses. Now they are recognizing Elmo on the diaper and like to eat him.


Observation-went horrible on Mon. Another principal came to watch me in action. My cool get up and go activity I planned ended up being for the wrong story. I had to tell the kids because I didnt want them to get confused. Then because it was a Mon at 8:30 some of kids were in a daze and didnt follow along or were goofing off. UGH!! It wasnt my first choce in a school but I would be devastated if he said sorry we dont want a face to face interview now. (he wanted to observe teachers before the interview)

Meg is back tan, and sick! She is also soo tired.

I got a new catalog with some cool things for summer. www.onestepahead.com

Being afraid-Ben is my frady cat! He is petrified of the vacuumm. I cant do it when he is awake. He is terrified of dogs. Me living in a mobile home park with seniors and dogs doesnt help. THey all want to "introduce" their babies to mine. When Meg was little she would shriek so loud when Elmo's World came on. THe funny man from Dont worry Be happy came on she'd crack! SHe never got over that so we stopped trying.

okay bad DH just put a bag of cookies on my lap. He is such an enabler when it comes to junk food :(

ok got to go start bath time (yes, Steph everyone gets a bath every night. My kids spit up too much too. Plus I like routines :) )

[lilybug19]

Hello everyone. My name is Kris. I am 31yrs old and a first time mom of 9 month old B/G twins. They were born June 19, 2006 by c-section. I joined this site in August after the twins were born, but I never did any posting. I just never had the time at first and then I just forgot about this site until recently. I wish I would have got involved back then. You all seem so close and I could have used the advice. Better late then never though.

Well about my twins...
Luke- 22lbs. exactly. (75th percentile) He is a handful. He is crawling and into everything. He loves to take anything away from his sister and is always overpowering her. I do step in to protect her at times, but she's been standing up for herself lately. He is a great eater of food, but not so much the bottle.

Lily- 20lbs exactly. (75th percentile) She is more content to just watch a observe. She is in physical therapy for motor skill delay, but she has made great progress lately. She started rolling fom her back to stomach last week and moving around on the floor on her stomach. She has the strength to do it she just doesn't want to most of the time. She is so so about food, but loves her bottle.

They both are great sleepers. About 11- 12 hours per night. Two naps a day for 1-1 1/2 hours each. They both fall to sleep on their own, but this was hard to achieve with Luke. Neither of them holds their bottles( any suggestions on how to get them to do this would be great).

Well that's about it. I look forward to getting to know everyone on this thread.
Kris

[christel]

Hey Kris :wavey:

Just wanted to say welcome to the board. I'm Christel (31), married to Jamie (32) and mom to 11 month old frat twins, Mary Elizabeth and Ruby Claire. I joined the board late, too. The girls were 3 mo., I think. These ladies are WONDERFUL:love: :love: :love: and this board is hoppin' ... So check in often or you get behind :D

My girls are slow to move and I have a refluxer who's not crazy about bottles. Good sleepers, though. Sounds like we have a few things in common.

Anyway, welcome :shakehands:

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[lilybug19]

Christel- Thank you for the warm welcome. My son had very bad reflux too and was on medication for 2 months, but I didn't feel it helped to keep him on it. The medicine helped control the acid until his esophogaus healed, but it doesn't stop the projectile vomit. So I did my own thing of feeding him half of his bottle/ then (by spoon)less than 1 Tbls. oatmeal mixed with formula from his bottle /then the rest of his bottle, and it worked. He slowly started eating better when he realized it wasn't going to hurt because he wasn't spitting up anymore. Your girls are so cute. I look forward to getting to know you better.

I'm still trying to get my picture the right size. It seems so small.
Kris

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Welcome, Kris! I am a "late joiner", too. I love the name Lily. That was my first choice girl's name, but we went with Isabella, which I've always loved as well, because it is a family name on both sides. Luke and Aiden were my 1st choice boys' names, too-- but DH wouldn't go for it because he knew a crazy Luke back in Texas and you know that goes with names....anyway, your kiddos are adorable! I have Mason and Isabella who were born 6/26 as well as a 4 y.o. (almost 5!) named Max. Also, a 12 y.o. stepdaughter, Olivia--she lives in Texas 3/4 of the year (we're in northern New Jersey).

Steph-forgot to tell you that I never brush teeth. I just can't remember to do it. I can tell you that I never brushed DS's teeth until he was probably over 1 and he never got a cavity (also, he is great about brushing his teeth 2x a day now!) . We do baths every other day unless something super gross happens or they want to crawl in the tub with DS (I can't let them see Max in the tub or they go nuts :yippee: ). I'm sure your boys are clean enough : )

We're about to go out to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather :sunshine: with a friend of mine who has 4 y.o. b/g twins--she is my mentor. This is the second day in a row of great weather. I love it! The babies have super runny noses. I'm not sure if they are still getting over the colds from last weekend or if it is Spring allergies. What do you give during the day? The Benedryl makes them sooo sleepy.

take care-
Jen

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Christel- forgot to say that I love your little :bunny: :bunny: They are way too cute.

[SunMoonMom]

Good Morning Mommies...

Well we survived the trip... The boys did GREAT!!!! Some people actually commented on the trip down to TX that they didn't even know that there were babies onboard... The boys sleep schedules are completely thrown off and Zach got the sniffles while we were there but overall they did excellent...

My Dad - Well, he is a very sick man... I think that he realized I was there on Monday (the day we left). Not sure but he seemed to see me... He is running high fevers and the doctors are not sure exactly where the infection is located. So they took him off all antibotics so they could run blood cultures to see if they could pinpoint the exact problem. So far nothing to report. They did change all of his lines and took out the heart line so that if this was the cause of the problem then it should start to improve. Overall, he still isn't out of the woods and we aren't sure if he will ever turn the corner to getting well... The boys could not go back and see him... With him running fever and the doctors not sure of the cause, I just was too scared that he was infectious.

My family just loved the boys... I will post pictures as soon as I can... We still really need to unpack... So as soon as that's done then we will focus on getting pictures posted.

Video - I have to post a video of the boys playing in front of the mirror doors on the hotel room closet. It was hilarious... Ben thought he was so cute, he started making out with himself...

Major accomplishment - Ben took two steps by himself while we were in TX.

Separation Anxiety - Ben is having fits every time I leave the room. I mean screaming and stomping his feet... I am just letting him cry... but I try to reassure him that I will be back... What have you guys done about this?

Pain Management - I found out before I went out of town that I will be having injections in my lower back on April 9th. I really hope this helps... I went yesterday for an MRI and lumbar x-rays so we will see if they find anything else that might be causing my pain. I am so excited that I might actually be moving in the right direction.

Okay enough about me, I need to go back to work...

Kris - Welcome to our boards!!!

Will respond to everyone as soon as I can...

Kerrie

[sgarrett]

Thanks for the all the advice on discipline. My DH and I disagree on this one, he is a spanker and I am not. I spanked Chase maybe 10 times in his lifetime. Aiden is really picking on his poor sister, and she has not figured out how to defend herself. She just SCREAMS!

Welcome Kris: Your description of your babies sounds alot like mine! I have b/g twins born on June 13th at 36 weeks. Isabelle is way more laid back, but loves her food and Aiden is my crazy kid into everything.

Kerrie: I am so glad your trip went well but I am sorry about your Dad. I hope you get good news soon regarding the cause of the infection. Aiden makes out with himself in the mirror too! It cracks me up!

Lisa: I am glad the sleep is getting better. Isabelle is teething and I put ora jel on her before bedtime. It seems to help.


Christel: LOVE LOVE LOVE the bunny ears! How cute! I can tell your DH is going to be in so much trouble when these girls start getting into clothes! I am trying to teach Isabelle how to say "Da Da need credit card!"

Have a great day!

Staci

[vthompson]

Kris - Welcome!! I noticed you are from Ohio...so am I. Where do you live in Ohio? I also have b/g twins, Kayley and Corey. However, they are much smaller then a lot of the babies on this board. Corey is around 19lbs now and Kayley is between 17 and 18 lbs. She is very tiny. Our twins' personalities sound very similar. Kayley has recently started to hold her own more with her brother.

Lisa - YEAH for the sleep!!! I am so happy naps are going better. It sounds like nighttime is getting better, too. Unfortunately, I struggle with the same teething problems at night. I just let them cry for a little bit and they usually go back to sleep. Orajel does not seem to do much for my little ones.

Kerrie - It sounds like you had a nice visit with your family. I am so sorry that things are not better with your dad. Hopefully, they will find the infection and get it treated.

Jen - I have been giving Benadryl during the day, but only 1/4tsp. This does not seem to make Corey sleepy. It does not take away the runny nose, but it does lessen it and makes him stop itching his eyes.

Christel - I LOVE the bunny picture. That is so adorable! You guys are going to have boys calling the house all the time :)

Heather - I am sorry that your observation did not go as planned. Hopefully, the principal realized that when dealing with students, nothing goes as planned. I am sure you handled it with grace and dignity. You sound like a very dedicated teacher!

Steph - I forgot to respond to your post. I NEVER remember to brush teeth. Lisa, I was told to start brushing teeth as soon as they get the first one. Corey has none, so poor Kayley is the one with rotting teeth (lol). As for bathing, we give them every other day.

So, tonight is bath night. I am going to try Jen's suggestion and give Corey a "sponge bath". Wish me luck!! I have been working my butt off the past 2 days cleaning windows, blinds and drapes. The house smells so clean, but I am exhausted and my poor babies are probably feeling neglected!! I promised them my full attention for the rest of the week!!

Have a great day!

Valerie

[vthompson]

Quick question ladies...I booked my massage that I got from DH's hockey team. How much are you supposed to tip? I also booked a pedicure for after. How much should I tip for that? Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

Valerie

[Megzackben]

Kerrie: welcome back. I am very sorry about your dad. How are the rest of the family handling it? How was your sister/you together? Okay so Ben took two steps? Does that mean my Ben will know :)

Kris-Welcome. Kerrie and I both have B/B identical boys called Zachary and Benjamin (her Zach and mine Zack) As for the bottle, only Ben does it well but I am ADDICTED to the Podee bottles. Its a pacifier looking bottle with a straw. www.podee.com

Observation update: got an email stating that the budget had just been changed (which it had) and he no longer has a spot availabe but that would probably change over the summer, he'd keep my info. What a balloon buster! Luckily it wasnt the #1 that I wanted but still sad. thanks ya'll for the kind words....

[newmomx2]

Christel- I just had to post quick those pictures are ADORABLE !!! what cuties


All - I will try to write more later all I can say is noone is sleeping well this week and I am dragging at work every day ugh

[newmomx2]

Hi Kris Welcome - Quick Q my Corey is 10mths and doesn't crawl or rollover (he could if he wanted just happy to sit and play) He recently started to 'pivot' on his belly and move backward - my Pedi said that we probably don't need physicaly therapy yet - curious what was the criteria for them to put Lily in the program and what suggestions did they give you

Hello everyone. My name is Kris. I am 31yrs old and a first time mom of 9 month old B/G twins. They were born June 19, 2006 by c-section. I joined this site in August after the twins were born, but I never did any posting. I just never had the time at first and then I just forgot about this site until recently. I wish I would have got involved back then. You all seem so close and I could have used the advice. Better late then never though.

Well about my twins...
Luke- 22lbs. exactly. (75th percentile) He is a handful. He is crawling and into everything. He loves to take anything away from his sister and is always overpowering her. I do step in to protect her at times, but she's been standing up for herself lately. He is a great eater of food, but not so much the bottle.

Lily- 20lbs exactly. (75th percentile) She is more content to just watch a observe. She is in physical therapy for motor skill delay, but she has made great progress lately. She started rolling fom her back to stomach last week and moving around on the floor on her stomach. She has the strength to do it she just doesn't want to most of the time. She is so so about food, but loves her bottle.

They both are great sleepers. About 11- 12 hours per night. Two naps a day for 1-1 1/2 hours each. They both fall to sleep on their own, but this was hard to achieve with Luke. Neither of them holds their bottles( any suggestions on how to get them to do this would be great).

Well that's about it. I look forward to getting to know everyone on this thread.
Kris

[Jillmami]

WELCOME Kris! Glad to have you here. This is a terrific group of women who are very supportive and understanding. (Especially when you haven't had a lot of time to respond to everyone! :snicker:)
Oh, I have b/g twins born 3/12 at 27.4 weeks. If Valerie's babes are tiny, mine are microscopic! TJ is only 13 1/2 pounds and Noah is almost 17. We are still struggling with getting TJ to take enough milk/day. We are giving her super high calorie foods and I think she just burns it all off. She is non-stop moving and she doesn't even crawl yet! :proud:

Heather, no surprise about budget issues in education. What about your preferred position? Have you heard about that yet? Fingers are still crossed!

Valerie, Noah has been leary of baths lately too. He doesn't like the gurgling from draining the bath nor does he dig the shower sound. He also likes his baths on the lukewarm side. Picky boys!

Kerrie, Great news re: the boys and traveling! They will probably get back on their sleep schedule quickly. I am glad that you got to see family but sorry it was under such stressful conditions. You have definitely had your share of challenges these past few years. I am glad that your dad was aware of your presence. I know that when my mom acknowledged my being there before she passed it was of great comfort to my spirit. I am so excited to see how your pain mgmt. treatment works. Seems like a good path to try.

Lisa, mine will sometimes sleep 7pm-8am straight through, sometimes they wake up once each, sometimes one might wake up twice. Mine usually will wake up to eat a bit and then go straight back to sleep. Since we are still trying to fatten them up, I don't mind that waking up. Luckily dh helps out a lot with that. Congrats on nap times! Mine are good with naps and there are times where they will play for a bit/talk/etc. before napping. Sometimes they have just hung out for an hour and then I bring them downstairs. At least I had some 'quiet' time. (Did I just say, "I had quiet time"? I meant "they had quiet time.") Hee Hee

Baths - every other day unless they need a bit of freshening up.

Playing - they love to play tug of war. Once in a while one will fuss but they usually look at it as a game. Noah is more of a toy hog but TJ could care less most of the time. TJ LOVES to pull Noah's ears which he HATES and will just cry. I have to say that she really does dig in. She actually closed our heavy mirrored closet doors the other day. She has some muscles on her!

Still waiting for ours to start crawling. TJ will hover on all 4's and then collapse to play. When she is ready, I think she'll take off. Noah crawls all over the place backwards and then gets mad when he is stuck. Hopefully he'll put 2 and 2 together soon. :hahaha:

Well, we are off for a trip until Monday to visit friends/family in the San Francisco area. Enjoy your weekends mamas! Sorry that I missed so many posts. You all were busy ladies!

OH, Christel, LOVE the hotties you have there! What cuties in the bunny ears! I have yet to capture TJ with hers on her head and not in her mouth!

If any of you with lower birthweight babies have any success stories with gaining weight, please share them. Any good recipes?

[christel]

:hello:

We went to our IVF clinic's reunion last Sun. ... don't think I mentioned that yet. The girls got their first balloons and desperately tried to chew on them. It was nice to see my RE w/out my legs in stirrups and my undies on. She was thrilled to see the girls. We sent her a birth announcement and she sent us 2 beautiful blankets. Awfully sweet.

I'm planning the girls' 1st b-day party. It's a Ladybug Picnic just for family. I'm going to make ladybug cupcakes and we'll have a picnic lunch. I'm keeping it simple but do think I'll get some balloons since they liked them so much. Should I get mylar instead? If they try to get it in their mouth, is that a bit safer?

Bunny pics :bunny:- all those hours of wearing headbands (to avoid the "are they boys" questions when we go out) finally paid off :rofl: They kept them on for 1/2 an hour. They did keep reaching up to feel the fuzzy sides. So cute.


Jill - it's good to see you back... TJ sounds like quite the scrapper and Noah is going to have to watch out once she is crawling!

Heather - sorry about the budget cuts and the extinction of the position. Better to find out now than later though. I've got several friends interviewing here in TX right now and are being strung along. Last year, as dept. chair, I had to interview people for 4 different positions that we THOUGHT would be available, but we didn't know anything for sure until July. It was so hard, b/c you wanted to keep these people available, but didn't have anything concrete to offer yet and couldn't make a formal offer.

Valerie - I'm a tipping 'tard :lmao: I NEVER know what to do and at restaurants I do the multiplication on the back of the receipt to make sure I'm tipping 20% accurately. I'd guess that it's between 15 & 20%, but really don't know.

Staci - :lol: about the credit cards! Did you know they make a shopping barbie that comes w/ a visa? That's one my girls won't get. Truly... most of their super cute stuff is 2nd hand from our MOMs club. I'm more than happy to have them wear gently used stuff - great brands, 75% or more off means they can have more outfits! A mom in our club has triplets a yr. older than my girls and she has similar taste. I found myself buying a lot of her items. Some b/g twin mom probably snagged the lonely outfits I left behind :D

Kerrie - So glad you're home safe and sound and :woo: for the boys being so good on the flight! I am so happy that your daddy knew you were there and pray for his healing.

Lisa - My girls usually play quietly for 5-15 min. before falling asleep for naps and sometimes up to 30 min. at bedtime. It seems to help them wind down, though. They're quiet and keep their blankies nearby and usually just play w/ them and their crib mirrors.

Jen - YEA for the great weather and being able to get outside! As for outdoor allergies, my pedi said those usually develop in the 2nd yr after exposure to the stuff during the 1st yr. Who knows, though. I haven't given Benadryl yet, but maybe you can get by just using some saline spray in their noses.

Kris - Luke was on my name list for boys but DH wouldn't hear of it after growing up w/ Star Wars and Dukes of Hazards. Silly man! It's a WONDERFUL name and I L:throb:VE it! Lily is a beautiful name, too, and your children are just gorgeous. Ruby, my refluxer, has gone through the gauntlet of meds and tests and we finally had success (at 7 mo. of age) w/ Prilosec (for the acid pumps in her belly) and Reglan (to strengthen the stomach sphincter muscle). She's not outgrown it yet and we just had to up her dose of Prilosec. Hoping that she'll be past it by 14 mo. or so.

Lata Ladies,
:lovemytwins:
Christel

[Megzackben]

Christel-I am SOOOO jealous of the ladybug party. I am a ladybug FREAK!!!!! My entire classroom is ladybugs. All my teacher presents have been ladybugs. My best friend Dawn (lives in TX) sent me a ladybug PInata 3yrs ago. Its still sitting in my closet ready for my perfect bday. She thought she was having a girl so I gave her all of Meg's ladybug outfits which they didnt have alot back then. Now tons! Ends up she had a boy (line backer already in the 95th %) His name is Varick LUKE. Too funny with the Luke name. SO true on at least it happened early. 3yrs ago I was offered my 1st teaching position and at the last minute she had to offer it to someone who was coming back off of maternity leave which she wasnt prepared for. That was stressful. At least now I still have my job if nothing opens up. But I am so ready to move.

Jill-I have to say you have a gift of making people feel so special. You truly make my day. I havent heard from my #1 school yet. I had the interview 2 1/2wks ago. Sent a thank you card last week. I do know my principal has been at meetins all week. So I am trying not to stress. I know that they can really make any formal offers that will stick for awhile.

Forgot who said it but Meg used to be so afraid of the automatic toilets. She would freak out if it happened ended up having to find ones that were manual. For somereason she would also stress out over movie theater types of chairs. She was terrified of falling in. Luckily she is only afraid of creepy crawlies and the night time now.

[lilybug19]

Thanks for the warm welcome, and for all the nice comments about Luke & Lily's names. Lily is the name I've wanted since a child if I ever had a little girl. Her full name is Lillian Irene & Luke William. My husband took awhile to warm up to the name Luke. He kept quoting Star Wars. He got over it & I got the names I wanted. He wanted Kyle, but I wasn't having another "K" name in my family. My sisters are Kerry & Kathy and they have 5 kids between them all with "K" or "C" and I married Keith.

How many of you are SAHM's? I am to this point. I am still on my one year maternity leave. I am a flight attendant of 7 yrs. and still deciding if I will return to the friendly skies.

Teeth- Luke has 4/ Lily has 6. Pedi told me I could use the brush kits for infants or to just wipe with wash cloth before bed until age one. Then see dentist. Which is what I've done up to this point.

Baths- Every other day or so in the winter. Luke has very dry skin in winter so I sponge bathe the parts that get dirty every day and give full baths every other. In summer I will probably give them everyday though because of the heat.

Valerie- I live in the Toledo area. As far as tipping I usually tip 15-20% depending on the quality of service. Enjoy your massage. I'm so jealous.

Missy- At Lily's 6 month checkup pedi recommended therapy beause Lily wasn't pushing up on hand while on stomach/ wasn't rolling over/only sitting assisted. After 2 months of therapy she is now moving by rolling over/pivoting on stomach/ sits unassisted/ scoots on her backside. Therapist put her in a category of mild delay, but said if she wasn't up on all fours by the end of 10 months she would be in a moderate delay category. As far as exercises lots of rolling. Grabbing her ankle and pull it across the body while she's on her back to get her to roll on stomach. Then while on back make sure arm is up by ear and push opposite knee up to armpit to get her to roll to back. Started slow 1 roll then play etc. Moved up to 6 consecutive rolls. Also playing in a side sit position where both knees face same direction. Placing toys to side of body to encourage twisting and trunk strength. Placing large couch cushion on floor and placing her on knees infront to play with toys on cushion. This is what we are working on right now to strengthen her lower half to support crawling. I can explain in more detail if you need.

Wishing all mommies a lot of sleep tonight.
Kris

[swineland]

:wave: Hello Kris, and Welcome! It's so nice to see 'new blood' around here every now and then. Sometimes a fresh perspective gives us all new ideas/tips/suggestions, etc. Your babies are adorable, which, as you will see, is a prerequisite for joining this thread! Haha.....I think we've got the cutest babies in this group. Anyway, which airline do you fly for? I am a 9 year flight attendant with Delta. Like you, I am not currently flying. After the babies were born and Delta started to go into bankruptcy, they offered some voluntary 'furlough' packages w/a 5 year recall right. I decided to take it and so now I am enjoying being a SAHM, but dreading 'the call'. I keep in touch with several other f/a's who tell me that people are being called back every day. Unfortunately, to places like NY or ATL. I live in Orlando and I just don't think I could commute again. I did it twice before and it's horrible. But mainly, I just don't think I'm ready to leave the boys. I have no family in town here, so I don't even know what we would do for childcare......seems like it would cost my entire paycheck to put them in daycare, hardly worth the trouble of 'donning' the ole uniform again :)

I wish I had time to respond to everyone, since there is so much to say!! Unfortunately, I gotta get my butt in gear this morning to make sure that my car is all packed and ready to go BEFORE Kindermusik. I am taking the babies down to my parents house and we are leaving directly from their class. I'm being put to the test this morning, organizationally speaking!

No word on dad yet...still waiting biopsy results.

Jill, oil pulling: I'm doing it right now! I just started 3 days ago and am using unrefined, cold-pressed organic sunflower oil. It is virtually tasteless and the time goes by pretty quick (20-mins). So far, I love it. My teeth are squeaky clean and I seem to have this great energy during the day. Can't wait to see what results I get in 2 weeks or so. DH is doing it too, as is my mom. haha....they jump on the bandwagon pretty quick!

My love to you all.....I miss you and will post soon with updates on dad. Of course, I'll be reading what you guys are up to as well.

Welcome back Kerrie!

xox
Steph

[SunMoonMom]

Good Morning Mommies...

Gosh I have missed you guys so much...

Christel - I WANT A LITTLE GIRL!!! Ladybug party... that sounds so fun... If I suggested a ladybug party to DH, he would kick me out of the house... I guess I will live vicariously through your little princesses.

Jill - Enjoy your trip!! We will miss you.

Heather - I only saw my sister maybe 5 minutes each day except for Saturday night when we went to my Aunt's for dinner. I still didn't say more than 10 words to her the entire night. I saw her son a lot though... My best friend babysits for him and he was over at her house a lot while I was there. He even spent the night one night... I swear I don't know how my sister can not appreciate what a special gift she has been given in that boy... Did find out that my cousin was giving my sister Xanex because she was stressed out about my dad... She ended up giving her 13 over a 6 day period. I told my cousin to stop... That my sister is a pill head and that if she really has a problem she needs to see a doctor... My cousin said she figured it out after the second time my sister asked for some so the last time she gave her some she made it seem like she was out and would not beng getting any more now that she is no longer unemployed and that stress has been eliminated. Overall I am terrified for my nephew's safety and although I am more than willing to call child protective services, I'm not sure that the alternative to my sister is any better... I just want custody of that child so he can see what it is like to be truly and completely loved.

On a lighter note... Yes, my Ben has been sneaking the phone and trying to reach your Ben... So far he hasn't been able to figure out the Talk button but be expecting a call any day now...

I know there are many other posts I haven't responded to but I need to vent a little...

Fussy Babies - I swear I could have taken my kids out to the corner and sold them to the gypsies... along with the dogs and cats too... Everyone in my house is needy right now... For the boys, it could be the upper teeth, it could be allergies, it could be that the moon is out of alignment... who knows... The dogs were spoiled by grandma while we were out of the town and the cats got used to having the run of the house... All I know is that I forgot to take my pain medicine yesterday morning, did not bring my glasses to work and by the time I got home last night I was ready to be put to pasture... Okay so the problem isn't the boys or the dogs or the cats... Just me... Do you think the gypsies would take me?

Well I have to get to work... Have a great day ladies...

Kerrie

[newmomx2]

:hello:

Been really crazy busy at work big projects coming up and I had a new hire start this week our IS (Computer geeks who set up the computers) messed everything up so I have been yelling at people all day.

Kris - THANK YOU VERY VERY Much for the tips from Lily I will start these - I plan to talk to my Doctor in 2-3 weeks if Corey is not crawling - he is starting to draw his legs up when on his belly and he pivots - he does a lot of twisting and turning but stops himself from rolling - I think on purpose. Now he is pulling himself up to stand - I think he just does not want to be on his belly period !!! I am not a SAHM mom just wish I could be I work 4 days in the office and 1 from home - I have a flexible job that allows me all kinds of perks - in fact DH may quit and watch the boys part time so we can get a new house build our is bursting at the seems.

Okay ladies I need to get to bed soon - I go to bed by 9 each night to try to get as much sleep as possible

DH are finally getting back on track in the you know what department :handkiss:

Jen - I am having a harder time with SB this time - I think because no sleep days and stressful work and no ability to cook at night is killing me I need to do some serious planning this weekend on the meal front

[vthompson]

I am loosing my mind!! Both babies have colds. They scream everytime I try to wipe their noses, which is like 18 million times a day. Kayley has learned how to lie on the floor and throw tantrum fits. What the heck am I supposed to do about that??? I have had 2 nights in a row of very little sleep beacuse of sick babies. And of course, DH has something to do tonight so I am all by myself. Terrible timing!! I just needed to vent!

Steph - Have fun at your parents!

Kerrie - I think all the babies have been talking and have decided to give us a run for our money this week :)

Lisa - It looks like the boys did well with the Easter Bunny...I did not see any tears!

Kris - I work from home, usually during naps and when DH is home. I live in Cleveland.

Solrry, I wanted to respond to everyone but both babies having meltdowns.

[mmzill]

Hey Ladies - Sorry so long without posting.......

Well today is the big ONE YEAR mark!! I can not believe it! Last year at this time I had monitors hooked up to me, and everytime I moved the nurse would come in and say...."don't move, we lost their heartbeats again" Oh, so aggrivating! But wow how a year changes things. I just am feeling blessed today, they have come so far.

I've had a crazy week. DD did get sick, a fever and runny nose. The fever is gone, but the snot remains :) Now I've got a cough. I'm just hoping that boys don't get it. Been trying to get things ready for a little party. We are doing a ball/balloon theme. They are crazy about that sort of thing. I made cupcakes last night. I hope they are good. I added blue food coloring to a lemon cake (now it's more green than anything) I'm making what I call Refrigerator cake/cupcakes - after you bake them you pour jello into holes and stick them in the frig. I hope it's good. I've never done it on cupcakes before. We are also getting ready to leave for Orlando. We will be gone for three + weeks. I hope to get together with Steph and Heather! Also I went shopping on Wednesday with our adopted grandma.....and got some really cute clothes for all the kids. The boys are in totally different sizes right now, and it is so hard to get matching stuff. It's so aggrivating - the stiles change at 12 months and Nathan is barely into the 9 month stuff, but Anthony is pushing the 18 month stuff - so hard. Oh well. It was tireing, but fun.
Well, enough about what I'm doing.

Kris = Welcome to the board! It's great to have you here.

Cristel - Love the bunny head bands!! So cute!!!!! The girls look very similar to how Anthony and Nathan look (in size difference that is) :)

Steph, hope you have fun with your parents. It seems like this is a stressful time you your family, so I hope that all goes well. What the heck is oil pulling?

Velerie, so sorry Corey and Kayle are both sick! That is so so hard. I hope that DH isn't out too late tonight.

Kerrie, glad you are home safely and that the trip went well. I hope the kids stop being so fussy for you.

I know I didn't catch everyone, and sorry but hungry babies are calling me.
~Monica

[swineland]

:party: :staytuned: Happy Birthday ANTHONY and NATHAN!!! One year, buddies.....WAY to go!! Love, Aunt Steph :snicker:

[EBTwinz]

Happy 1st Birthday Nathan and Anthony!!!!!!! :party2 :present: :birthday: :partygirls:

[JERSEYGEMINI]

:partygirls: HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN AND ANTHONY! YOUR MOMMY AND DADDY SHOULD BE SO PROUD!:birthday: :party:

Monica--really--it is amazing how healthy and happy your boys are--you did a wonderful job and survived 'twinshock'. Congratulations. I can't believe their sizes are so different--they look similar in your pictures. Enjoy the party!


Christel--Your girls are the next! How exciting and I love the ladybug idea.
Steph-good luck this weekend!

Val- Hope those boys get healthier for you quickly. We have the same thing here-- colds last weekend and tons of lingering snot. All I do is wipe noses and make them scream at me. Why do they hate it so very much??

Missy- Week 2 of SB didn't go so well for me. I am so tired all the time and grab what is easiest to eat instead of what is healthy. I still lost another 2 lbs, but not what I had hoped for. I just joined a neighborhood walking group to get me exercising again after my surgery. I hear you about the too small house--DH and I joke that we should move the furniture out. We are thinking of doing some kind of addition for a family room in the back.

My abdominal surgery is next WEDNESDAY! I am getting nervous about the pain. I had a dream last night that it was done and I had bandages all around my midsection and no body would let me see. I am going to take some 'before' pictures this weekend to document the difference. Maybe if I'm brave, I'll put them on photo bucket :snicker:-- I want to remember how it was so I appreciate my new shape instead of starting to focus on my thighs!! I am really getting excited to excerise and be active again.:workout:

We are off to enjoy another beautiful day. We are going on a big group playdate for DS in the park all afternoon. Also, looking forward to an actual date this weekend. DH and I are going OUT tomorrow night. I found a great evening babysitter through www.babysitters.com (thanks again, steph). She is fabulous, I only wish she was available during the days for when I go back to work at the end of April. She is a full-time naany, so already taken. She recommended the site Enannies.com.

Have wonderful, restful weekends!:)

Jen

[christel]

:woo: Anthony and Nathan:woo: It's Your BIRTHDAY!!!!
:partygirls: :present: :birthday: :dance3: :thrasher: :victory:

[LucasMom]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN AND ANTHONY!!!!
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TJ AND NOAH!!!!
:joytears: :jump:
I cannot believe a year ago I sat at my computer and cried reading Jill and Monica's posts about these little miracles. They were so small and beautiful and have been so brave and strong...and their mommies have been inspirations to everyone on this site...never losing faith in the big hearts of their tiny loves...

I am proud to know you. Congratulations.

Miss you guys. Boys are great. JC is moving out in two weeks, and we are filing paperwork shortly thereafter, still trying to figure out custody, since he can't give me a day that he can actually see the boys consistently, although claims he wants to share custody. Most likely, they will be with me every day but Sunday, and he can pick them up once or twice during the week if he "has the time". It's all just figuring out the details at this point.

I have a secret, but I am not ready to let it out of the bag yet. Let's just say my faith in love is not all lost...Don't worry, you'll be the first mommies to know.

I miss you guys and I check in periodically to see how you all are, but frankly, I am kind of a bit of a mess lately. from the outside, I just appear tired, but on the inside, I am hurting. I knew it would be hard, when you love someone and then you don't anymore, it just hurts. I know I am doing the right thing for the boys, though. They deserve a parent that gives them everything and JC cannot do that. He has hurt Lucas with his ignorance and I cannot allow that to continue any more.

Blah, Blah, Blah!! Sending love and hugs to all my favorite mommas and babes.

Love, Mindy

[vthompson]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN AND ANTHONY!!!! :party2 :birthday: :party: :partygirls: :present:

[christel]

Hey Ladies -

It's a dreary rainy day here and I'm hoping that's all we get. The weather guy won't shut up about the possibilities for severe stuff like all the tornadoes around. I had a little panic moment last night thinking about what we'd do if a tornado was spotted here. Grab the girls, jump in the tub in the guest bath (no windows/interior room). Then I thought, I'll get the girls, DH should grab a mattress to pull on top of us all. Then, I thought... oh, we've got to get the dogs in there, too. But our old man in a dog suit, Buddy, would have to be carried in there... so it could come down to Buddy or the mattress - that would be DH's job. Then, I thought, better make sure DH has his wallet, or I could grab my purse... are you getting the gist of my :silly:insanity yet? It went on from there, but I'll spare you.

I had a thought to get out today and find some pants or a skirt to wear to the Easter service, but not in all this rain! Too hard to get the girls unloaded and inside. I don't understand this new, post pg, body of mine well enough to shop for it online yet. Frustrating.

For all the Mommies and Babies w/ the icky sickies... GET WELL SOON!:xfingers: :aww: :pathead:

Jen - I can't believe it's already time for your surgery! You'll do great and will feel so amazing after the recovery is over. What kind of help do you have w/ the kids? How long will you have restrictions on lifting?

Monica - My girls have a 5-6 lb and 2 inch difference in size. Emme can wear 18 mo. clothes (they're on the big side) and Ruby can wear 9 mo. clothes really well. I do have Ruby in some 12 mo. stuff that's loose, but fits length-wise. She's got such a long torso and these short little legs :D Truthfully, she could still wear 6 mo. pants in the stride. Your guys are going to have SUCH a good time at their ball/balloon party. Can't wait to see pics!

Missy - my DH routinely comes home cussing the IT (IS) guys. They're pretty young at his office and have a bit of a god complex. They drive him :nuts:

Kerrie - hope the boys are settling down for you and y'all get back to your routine soon. And, you could probably get an "icky bug" party past DH for your guys and sneak in a few ladybugs :lol:

Steph - I know you posted the oil pulling stuff a while back, but I didn't get to look at it... will you repost? I'm intrigued! Have a wonderful trip, enjoy your family. And let us know when your daddy gets his results back, please! Still praying.

Heather - I love ladybugs, too, though I never got to go thematic since I taught middle school. I want to find some lady bug headbands (w/ the antenna) for them to wear at the party - instead of party hats. Any ideas on where I could find these? Or how could I make them?

Kris - Thank you for posting the exercises you do w/ Lily! I'm going to use some of that w/ Ruby. As for work... I'm working 1/4 time from home as a curriculum consultant for a web-based program. My intention is to go back to school to do a masters/ph.d program in science education. If I get started next year, I could be finished up by the time the girls are in 1st grade... oy!

phone ringing.. gotta run
:lovemytwins:
Christel

[vthompson]

Mindy - We must have been posting at the same time!! I so want to know your secret (hee, hee!!). I am sorry you are hurting so much. With time, things will get easier. You are one tough momma!!

Monica - Have a safe trip! I hope it is warm and sunny. I, too, remember reading your posts and Jill's posts with tears in my eyes. It is amazing how far everyone has come!

Valerie

[christel]

Oh, Mindy :pathead: I was posting at the same time and just read yours... I am so sorry for your family. It's heartbreaking, but you are doing the right thing. My Dh's parents split up when he was about Lucas' age and his little sister was the age of all our kids. He has the most amazing relationship w/ his mom (his dad continued to be absentee and that's a whole 'nother story) and thinks she is the bravest and most amazing woman. You are setting a strong example for your boys and they will grow up to tell you someday how proud they are of you, for your sacrifice, the hard decisions you made and the protection you gave them, and the unconditional love you always offer. Keep your eyes on those bright days ahead. You are amazing.

[lilybug19]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHONY & NATHAN!!!!

Well we had a big day yesterday. We went to get Easter pictures taken and Lily got one of her top front teeth yesterday. She already had 4 on bottom and 2 on top but not the front 2. My mom was here yesterday and she left today in the AM. She has been such a big help since the twins have been born. The first 2 months she was here at least 4-5 days a week. She still stays 1-2 days every week or every other week at least. I needed her so much at first because DH did not feed a bottle for at least the first 4 months and no diapers till they were probably 6 months. He is much more involved now, but at first he just kind of did his own thing. He's done a complete 180 since then. He even sold his Playstation.:hahaha: Anyways I am off to my parents for the weekend to see the rest of my family and for a change of scenery. DH is going to a concert this weekend with an old friend for the Air Force. So the twins and I are off to do our own thing too.

Steph- That is great that you could get a furlough for that long. I work for Spirit and they aren't offering any furloughs. They are hiring like crazy so no chance of furloughs anytime soon. I have until the end of June to decide if I will return. I probably won't. I don't think I can leave Luke & Lily. It's the nobody can take care of them like me mentality. Hope that your trip to your parents goes smoothly.

Missy- I think it sounds like Corey is doing just fine. Sometimes just working with Lily 1 on 1 without Luke in the room helps. He's very distracting for her. She is content just to sit and watch him because he is into everything.

Valerie- I'm sorry to hear that your babes have a cold. Being from Ohio too I just always hold on to the thought that summer is just around the corner. That keeps me sane.

Christel- The tornado scenario doesn't sound like insanity. It sounds like mommy brain always thinking 10 steps ahead.

Wishing you all a great weekend!
Kris

[newmomx2]

Jen - not that I am glad you fell of the wagon but makes me feel not so bad...I am bound and determined to get on the wagon - but boy I would LOVE a tummy tuck - good luck on the surgery bring on the before and after shots...

Thanks for the babysitter.com link I am SO STRESSED my awesome day care lady is 'retiring' with her husband and as of 6/1 I will have to make a change - I do not want to do the day care facility want a home day care environment - we only need 3 days a week I have a list and called someone today she seemed okay to talk to I am going to go by her house on 4/9


Anyone have any suggestions?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHONY AND NATHAN:partygirls: :harmony:

Mindy - Chin up and can't wait to hear the secret

Christel - I do think IT guys are cut out of the same mold - of course who am I to talk my team is referred to as the geek squad and I am the head geek :dude:

Okay better get back to work - doing the work from home today...

[Megzackben]

christel-get foam sheets and foam stickers to make the head band or they even have precut foam visors. SOOO jealous :)

ugh post in a minute boys have been up all afternoon becasue........................................... .................................................. ..................

They BOTH got teeth today same side. Zack is on top and Ben on Bottom:snicker:

[vthompson]

I am warning everyone that this is a VERY long venting session...feel free to skip if you do not want to read it.

So, I had a MAJOR mommy meltdown tonight. I had given baths and both babies were so ready to go to bed. I started to give them bottles and Kayley decided to pull her bottle out and roll over on the bed and begin to play. Well, Corey heard this going on and decided to join her. Lately, Kayley is so easily distracted and wants to constantly be moving that she will not drink much and it is very annoying. Anyways, for whatever reason, I began to cry because I was so disappointed in myself for getting so aggravated with them for not following the routine...how ridiculous is that! Lately, I seem to get so worked up and annoyed when things are not going the way they are supposed to...which is crazy because kids never do what you want when you really want them, to. So, I put them both in their cribs and they began to scream. I closed the door and just lost it. I cried hysterically. I really do not know why. Then, I started to feel so guilty that they were crying, guilty that I wasn't being a better mom to them, and guilty for 18 hundred other reasons. I went in their room and got them. I tried their bottles again and they drank them and began to fall asleep. I put them in their cribs and of course, the tears came again. However, it only lasted a few minutes and they were asleep. This made me feel a little better, at least I know I was right about them being tired.

It just seems like I am constantly trying to be perfect with work, perfect at taking care of the house, and I feel like I am falling short at being a perfect mom. It is not in my nature to not have control of a situation. With the twins, 9 times out of 10, they are in control. This is hard for me.

Then I feel bad because I feel like I do not play with them enough during the day. We read together and play with their toys, but after a little while, I get bored. Does that sound terrible or what???? I am glad it is getting warm out so at least we can break up the day with walks. I will usually play with them for a little bit and then go make formula, throw laundry in, etc. They will then play by themselves or play together. I just feel guilty like I should be playing with them more. Does anyone else find it difficult to constantly play with the babies all day? Are there any other moms who do some "chores" while the babies are playing together?

I told you this would be a long one! I just really needed to get all of that off my chest. Thanks for "listening".

Heather - CONGRATS on the teeth!!

Christel - I do not think the tornado thoughts sound insane!! You are trying to be prepared and make sure your family is safe. I have those "what if" thoughts all the time! I think it is a mom thing.

Well, I am really tired so I think I am going to head up to bed. Have a good evening.

Valerie

[mmzill]

Hey Ladies -

Thanks for all the Happy Birthday wishes. The day went pretty well, other than a few miffs with DH, oh well. The boys loved the balloons and balls...and dug into the cupcakes - it was really cute.

Valerie - so sorry you are feeling so overwhelmed! You are the MOST PERFECT MOM for Corey and Kaley! NO ONE WOULD BE BETTER AT IT THAN YOU!!!
I feel all the time that if I would spend more time with my boys they would be doing more developmentally.....like crawling or rolling alot or walking. But the fact is, we as mommies have a house to keep up with too, and maybe another kid, or a job, so we just can't do it all. Please don't beat yourself up about the "Could have's, and should have's" They don't count, what counts is that the time you do spend is quality time. You are doing wonderfully...I have to have a good cry every other month or so (maybe more often). It's just a good way to release all the frustration, joy and stress that you don't know how to put into words (and if you could explain it no one would really understand). :knuddel: Big hug heading your way.

I wanted to send you all an update on Aurelia.....She is doing remarkably well. The doctors think that she can come home next week. She just has to learn to take a bottle/nurse. If you want to read about her and what happened and see pics, here's a link. http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=babybarto
Thanks for all your prayers!

Felisha, it's good to hear from you!,
and Mindy too!!! Mindy I hope that life settles down for you soon and that you and your beautiful boys can have some peace and consistency (minus JC) My heart goes out to you!!!! Love ya!

Kris - glad DH is more involved now! my DH was that way with my dd - but he helped considerably more with the boys - I could not have done it without him!!

Jen - good luck on your surgery! I hope all goes well!!

I'm afraid I missed some of you, but it's getting late. Hope you all have a good weekend!
Monica

[lilybug19]

Just getting over a horrible migraine so I'm trying to get everything done that I didn't get to earlier because of it. I've had very bad migraines since the twins have been born. I've always had them, but since their birth the migraines are more frequent.

Felisha- Your babies are so cute! Sounds like you have every reason to be stressed. Working and caring for 3 children and being a single parent can be overwhelming. When the twins were 5 months I went on medication because I was just that overwhelmed. I am the type of mom who has to be in control of everything. I only stayed on the meds for 2 months. They weren't for me, but I think it's worth a try for anyone who is feeling this way.

Valerie- I'm so sorry that you've had such a rough day. Hoping tomorrow will be better. Luke likes to play all the time especially when I'm feeding him his bottle. He is notorious for not eating his bottle. I've just learned to let it go, but the bottle before bed is difficult. It can be frustrating when all you want is to put a difficult day behind you and just get the twins off to bed. Then you can relax and have Valerie time. As for play time whatever time you have is what you give. Twins are lucky because they always have a playmate. Don't feel bad if you get bored with playtime. Your a wonderful mom I can tell by your pictures that they are very happy and well cared for babies. My mom tells me that in her day moms didn't play with their children all the time like they do now. I read that in a magazine too.

Monica- Glad to hear that the birthday party was a hit!

Off to bed now.
Kris

[swineland]

:wave: Hi!

In Ft. Myers with mom and dad right now....enjoying a long-overdue visit and the boys are eating up all the attention. Of course, their condo is not exactly 'baby-proofed' and so my stress level has gone up just due to the constant chasing, 'no-no-no', redirecting of attention, etc. They have, however, been getting lots o' fresh air, so they've been sleeping till 7 each morning!....which, as you know, my boys don't sleep past 5:30 usually :)

Dad update: He called the dr's office yesterday to actually reschedule his follow-up appt. next week due to work conflicts, but then all of the sudden he was talking to Dr. Lewis. I thought 'uh oh, not a good sign'. Here's the deal: the biopsy results came back 'inconclusive'. Doc said he even talked to the lab and they just couldn't come up with a result, didn't know if it was benign, malignant, anything. Strangest thing I've EVER heard. Anyway, he did say it is pretty much not a lipoma and is some sort of tumor. He said he just wants to remove it, so surgery is set for Thursday of this coming week, after which it will be sent to the lab again and try to find out if it's malignant or not. The doctor mentioned melanoma to my dad, which is traditionally a skin cancer. So, we are all just as confused as we were before! Can't stop holding our breath just yet........ As I was silently predicting, my dad's surgery is 3 days before our cruise, which means the biopsy results will come in sometime when I'm in Grand Cayman or something. I'm just going to have to TRY and not worry about it and trust that everything will be ok.

Valerie, I personally think you are one of the most admirable moms I know! Here is someone who is 1) a first time mom of TWINS, 2) also responsible for taking care of someone else's child during the day, 3) also responsible for being a good employee and doing a regular job from home, 4) also responsible for running a household and doing the cleaning/cooking/grocery shopping......and you DO all of this! Your babies are so lucky to have you and the amount of time you play with them is PLENTY, I"m sure. If I had to sit on the playmat and play with Evan and Bailey ALL day, I'd go nuts. I have a 20 minute limit and then I'm outta there. I get up and go do laundry, clean, pay bills, sometimes surf the net(!), etc. I think that if you are in their face all day it's just going to lead to some pretty bad separation anxiety down the road. THey need to know that, not only is it really cool that they have a built-in playmate with their twin, but also that being alone and playing by themselves is not a BAD thing. I'm not saying they should be alone all the time, but they need to know that they are okay on their own.... a sense of security comes from that. And girl, if you DIDN'T cry hysterically every now and then, I'd ask what was wrong with you. We ALL do! I promise. You're doing a great job :aok:

Well, I gotta run real quick...

I miss all of you!
Steph

[mmzill]

Steph - glad you are having fun at your parents! I hope that your dad's surgery goes well next week.

Kris - having bad headache must be awful. . . do you have any idea what is causing them?

I forgot to mention - the boys are now mobile!!! It's not crawling :( but it's butt schooting - :bootyshake: they are getting into everything now!! It's really cute, the physical therapist isn't too happy with the mode of transportation they are using, but at least they are happier now. We have wood floors in our entire house, and I think that if it were carpet they wouldn't have learned to scoot, but oh well.

Monica

[newmomx2]

Monica - Yeah for the butt scooting, wish my Corey would figure some mobility out he is getting frustrated

Valerie - Vent away I feel that way more days than not ! I feel like I am pulled in so many directions, mother, wife, work, self usually none left for self at the end of the day which is probably why I am having trouble dieting. Remember you are a great mom ----- and if you didn't feel this way sometimes it would mean you did love and care for them sooo much. I let the boys play alone they need to learn independence my SIL dotes on my nephew and I can see it is not good for him.

Steph - HAVE FUN with the parent's hope your dad's surgery goes well I am sure have his handsome grandsons around is really helping !!!!

gotta go Corey is up

[newmomx2]

I am so mad and tired and I can't even type the whole story only to say - DH is switching to nights this week and stayed up till 4am playing video games which means he will sleep till like 1pm today - okay fine but then he could have come upstairs and helped me from 1-3:30am with the screaming children that refused to sleepI I got a total of 4 hours of sleep last night in 4 1 hour increments) - I did CIO patted everything and nothing worked I think it is teeth - I got so mad I went down and yelled at him (which I think was justified) he got mad at me because his 'virtual' team speak buddies heard me yell - and it made him embarassed - oh well I said - now he refuses to talk to me and I am the one up taking care of the boys all day and have to work 40 hours next week and take care of the boys and house - FELISHA you are my hero / inspiration.


Okay sorry for the vent I need to feed the boys and drink a gallon of coffee I feel like a big piece of you know what...

:stress: :boring: :help: :banghead: :banghead: :eek: :banghead2 :boxing: :tantrum:

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Val and Missy- Hugs to both of you :aww: .. .. sorry that you've been feeling bad. This twin care is tough business. You are both doing wonderful and should be so proud of all that you've accomplished. You're both caring for your twins AND doing outside work--that's a tall order. Husbands just don't 'get' it so much of the time. I feel your frustration and think most of us have these experiences.

Val- please know that I certainly do NOT play with my twins all day. I sit with them for 15-20 minute periods to play, talk, sing, etc, then get up and do my work. They already entertain each other for good amounts of time; also, they're big brother is invaluable entertainment. I believe this is good for them! That is one of the benefit of twins- a built in playdate! :lovemytwins:

Monica- I'm so happy for your boys-- they must be thrilled! They'll be running around before you know it! :)

alright-so much to do today!:ciao:

Jen

[vthompson]

Thank you so much ladies for all your compliments and encouragement. Reading all of your posts put big smiles on my face and made me realize, as it often does, how much I cherish all of the friendships on this board. Without you gals, I would be lost, probably in a mental hospital (lol). Thank you again!! I love all of you!!

Well, after my meltdown, some wine on Saturday night, and some shopping yesterday, I am feeling much better!! I scheduled a massage and pedicure for Friday so I cannot wait for that! That should also help to lighten my mood!!

I was so glad to read that the rest of you do not entertain the babies all day long. 15-20 minutes is usually my time frame, too.

Missy - I would be SO mad at DH, too. Who cares what his gaming friends think. He should have been helping you. I hope things are better with the both of you today.

Monica - YEAH!!! Corey and Kayley both started by scooting. I do not see what is wrong with that.

Steph - That is so crazy that they do not know. Well, I pray that everything goes well with the surgery and you get positive results. Although it is very hard, try and not worry. Just stay as positive as you have been.

Well, babies are up from their nap. Have a great day.

Valerie

[sgarrett]

Boy it is tough to keep up if you miss a couple of days on here!

Steph: How frustrating! I am sure that if there was something wrong they would know it, so maybe this is good news?? Try to have fun on your cruise and not worry! And like someone else said, having their grandbabies around is probaly the best medicine in the world!

Mindy: Great to hear from you, I am sure you are looking forward to the next chapter in your life. Sometime the getting there is the tough part. Can not wait to hear the "secret" too!

Valerie: I am glad you are feeling better but I am glad you posted. I too, can only do 15 20 min playing. I always feel guilty about it b/c the nanny plays with them all day long. I worry they will love her more. Silly huh? All the replies to your post made me feel better too!

Missy: OK if I had screaming babies and my DH was playing a video game I would unplug the thing and hit him with it! You were totally justified in yelling! Geesh men!:secruity:

Jennifer: I am excited for you! Good luck on the surgery and have fun bikini shopping after!

Felisha: I went to the zoo this weekend and thought of you! We have to get together soon, I know you are crazy busy! I kept kinda looking for you thinking would'nt it be cool if Felisha, Thomas and Maya were here?! It was a mad house there, if you do go soon go early in the morning, the afternoon was packed!

OK, I had a girls night out Thursday, Friday we went to dinner with 10 other couples, Sat day went to the zoo, Sat night my MIL spent the night, and Sunday my nanny moved in. :sleepy: Man I need a weekend to recover from my weekend! I had a blast, it was great to get dressed up and go out with the grown ups all weekend. I had a few too many Thursday but it was fun! :heck: There was cute bartender that kept giving us free shots, who was I to say no? Have you ever tried a Pineapple Upside Down shooter? YUMMY! The babies still do not understand that they are suppose to sleep in Sat morning, when can they start telling time???

This is me Thursday night:itsyourparty: :cheers: :heck: :clink:
This is me Friday morning::cuppa: :sleepy:

Take care all!

Staci

[SunMoonMom]

Hi Mommies...

Sorry I have been MIA... I was out of the office sick on Friday (I believe the true statement would be sick and tired, but who wants to split hairs) and just didn't feel up to getting online this weekend. Ben was up until 1am on Thursday night and I was elected to rock him (I work and DH stays at home, but I rocked Ben... okay)... Then Saturday night, Sunday morning, Ben came down with an awful cold... coughing, sneezing and fever. Neither one of the boys has ever been sick like this so it was a little upsetting... Ben just wanted to be held yesterday, so that's what I did from 7am until 7p last night, then again from 9:30p - 11p when his fever finally broke and he felt like playing...

Valerie - Not enough!! That's how I feel all the time... I never feel like I am doing enough for my family, work, myself or any other person that requires my time and energy... I feel like a failure all the time... I think that it is just part of motherhood... You are doing a great job... I only play with the boys for about 1/2 hour each night when I get home from work... DH plays with the boys for about 15 - 20 minutes at a time then he does his own thing... We are all trying to be everything to everybody... At some point something has got to give...

Steph - Keep us informed about your dad... I know we are all keeping him in our prayers... On the subjects of Dad... My aunt called this weekend and he is actually doing a little better... He is being a little more alert... Will try to get more information tonight...

9 month checkups...

We had the boys 9 month check ups on Thursday... Here are our stats:

Zachary Vaughan
22 lb 1 oz
28.5" tall
2 teeth on the botton
rolling over, crawling, pulling up and cruising using chairs and anything else that is at the right height...
Claps when Happy!

Benjamin Burke
19 lb 4 oz
28.25" tall
2 teeth on the bottom
rolling over, crawling, pulling up and cruising using chairs and anything else that is at the right height.
Took 2 steps unassisted.
Claps when happy or when the mood strikes.

This weekend we were able to get the boys to eat small bites of wheat toast. Not sure if you remember but the boys have been throwing up with anything more solid than oatmeal... We talked to the doctor on Thursday and she said that because of their severe reflux when they were younger, they probably have very strong gag-reflex which could be causing this reaction... So this small bite of toast is like a huge accomplishment for them...

Okay, well I have to get back to work... I hope everyone is having at least a tolerable Monday.

Love ya.

Kerrie

[newmomx2]

Thank you ladies - when DH got up Sunday he apologized and admitted we was a you know what - last night he stayed up again and let me sleep - of course my Mr. Tyler was up again from 1- 2 in fact he pooped at midnight what is up with that - I really think it must be the teeth...we gave IB Profen rocked to sleep and then he stayed in our bed till morning...on my own all week wish me luck probably won't be able to post

later -

[vthompson]

Felisha - I owe you the BIGGEST apology. I somehow missed your post from a few days ago. I was reading the posts and a few people had responded to you. I realized I must have missed yours and I went looking for it and found it. I am sorry that things are so stressful for you. I think going to talk to someone is a great idea. The 3rd party perspective can be a true eye opener. I think it helps you to see things for what they really are and aids you in making any necessary changes in your life. I hope the showings went well. How did the twin's dad do by himself?

Lisa - I am feeling better. I am just really trying to work on my patience level, especially with Kayley. She throws tantrums now when she gets mad, is in her high chair eating, or when I am trying to get her dressed. It really frustrates me. I think that is causing most of my frustrations lately, which then turns into guilt later on. Anyways, I am SO bummed about next week. I could really use some "Lisa Conversation" (lol). Hopefully, we can work something out soon. How are things with you and DH? Any better?

Missy - Good luck this week. I am glad that DH was able to see the error of his ways :)

Kerrie - It sounds like both boys are doing great!! YEAH on the food! I am sure it was a big relief for you that they were able to eat it successfully! I hope the boys are feeling better.

Staci - I was cracking up at the icons you used for your night out. It sounds like you had a blast!!

Mindy - I also saw your episode today on TLC. Lisa is right, Lucas is so adorable!!

So, the bathing of Corey is not going well at all. We have tried sponge bathing and he cried. We even tried the infant tub and he cried. Tonight, DH took him in the shower with him and he was perfectly fine. I just wish we could go back to the days when the little guy LOVED to take a bath!!

Both babies still have very runny noses. How long would you wait before having the doctor see them? It is clear and they have no other symptoms. I wonder if it is teething...

Tomorrow is DH and I's 3 year anniversary. We are going to go out to dinner on Saturday. We are also going to the Billy Joel concert in 2 weeks. I am SO excited. We bought cheap seats, but it will still be a blast. DH did take some time off tomorrow morning. My girlfriend desperately needed a babysitter for her 4 month old so I agreed. DH is going to help in the morning. Thank goodness! I also have to take James to school. I could not imagine loading all 3 babies in the car. CRAZY!!

Well, I better get to bed. Go OSU!! (the basketball team is in the championship game tonight).

Valerie

[lilybug19]

Hello Everyone!
Well I got home this afternoon from 2 nights at my parents house. They only live about an hour from me so it's a nice break from the norm. My mom and I took the twins shopping on Sunday. It was such a beautiful day. Luke was a bit fussy because he can't nap in a stroller. Too busy looking around. He slept great last night though (13 hours). All in all it was a great trip, but nice to be home. The twins miss their dad. DH and I took them for a walk after dinner. It has been so nice here. Too bad it's going to get cold again this week. I want summer to get here already.

Monica/Lisa- Thanks for asking my migraine is gone. As to their cause I'm guessing my period. They seem to coincide.

Steph- I hope your visit with your parents is going well. I'll keep your dad in my thoughts.

Kerrie- I'm so sorry that Ben got sick, but glad that he is feeling better. The only good thing to come of it is a stronger immune system. I'm glad that your father is showing signs of improvement.

Valerie-HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Well I'm off to bed it has been a very long day.
Kris

[SunMoonMom]

Only have a second... Will be back later for a longer post...

Just have to say:

Kris - THOSE EASTER PICTURES OF LILY AND LUKE ARE ADORABLE!!!!!

They are just precious!

Kerrie

[EBTwinz]

Valerie.... Happy Anniversary! :love: :inlove: :dh: :hearts: :dancing: Hope you and dh have a good one.....:knuddel: ha ha!

Kris: Those pics are sooo cute!

Be back later.
Lisa

Here are my kids....:playingball:

[vthompson]

Lisa - I was cracking up at your icon for the boys!!

Kris - Those pics are so stinking adorable! I love how they match in their outfits.

Lisa and Kris - Thanks for the anniversary wishes!!

So, my friend's baby is here. It is so funny how quickly you forget how small the twins used to be. I almost forgot to burp her during her bottle because I am not used to doing that anymore. It is also funny to see how active the twins are compared to her. How easy life used to be (lol)!!!!

Have a great day!

Valerie

[christel]

Hey there :wave:

I'm back at my Mom's for the week. DH and I loaded up the car Sun. night and took off bright and early Mon. morning after the girls ate. He had enough time to unload everything and give the girls a snuggle and then he got in his car and drove to Lubbock. He has a meeting there today and will hopefully back here tonight. Today is his mother's AND my mother's b-day. So, he might stick around later and take his mom out to dinner (she lives in Lbk) before he comes back here. Then, he works out at the field site Wed. and Thurs. and has Fri. off. So, I'll see more of him that I did last time we came here.

My engaged sister and fiance are coming on Thurs. night and there's a shower for her on Sat. Then, Easter service on Sun. It's going to be hopping :bunny: We'll go home on Sun. evening, I think.

And now for my big news!... Ruby has a tooth! It's just visible and still breaking through and she is SO fascinated with it.

Valerie - :throb:HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!:throb:
I know you're going to have such a good time at the concert, too! Great anniversary date (even belatedly). Oh, and 20 min. is my max on playtimes, too. Everyone is SO right... they need to be able to learn to entertain themselves, each other, etc. w/out us there.

Monica - I looked at your friend's blog and sat here and cried for her and her sweet baby. WHAT A MIRACLE! Aurelia will continue to be in my prayers. I've been getting really nostalgic and weepy whenever I come across info. about preemies... with the girls' b-day coming up and all. This time last year we were holding our breath hoping to not have to deliver for a few more weeks. Until the day we checked in for the c/s, I still had this idea that I'd get to 35 weeks at least.

Felisha - CUTE CUTE CUTE pics of Maya and Thomas :throb: Oh Lord, they're adorable! And I so hope you're having a good day today. Definitely talk to your dr. about your feelings and issues. I had a tough year of depression prior to getting pg and never confided in my dr. I wish I would have. Meds might have helped, might not have, but it would have been really good for me to have been monitored and offered some relief via counseling or whatever. Hang in there, amazing mama!

Staci - your girls night out sounds SOOOOO fun! Way jealous here. And don't know if I mentioned this or not, but your story a few weeks back about PB on the babies' feet for the dogs to lick... made me laugh and laugh and remember that old joke: "you were so ugly your mama had to tie a pork chop around your neck to get the dog to play with you!" :rofl: :lol:

Kerrie - :woo: for the non-repeating toast! We celebrate those victories here, too! :victory:

Kris - ditto ditto on the absolutely adorable Easter pics! As for migraines - my girlfriend gets horrible ones and they are definitely hormone related. If you're on bcp, you might talk to your dr. My friend's bcp's were making the migraines worse.

Missy - so glad that dh manned up and apologized. We're having some vid game/ loss of family time issues, too. I HATE them! They're so addictive and I just don't see anything positive that comes from all the time spent on them. Sorry... my soapbox, here.

Lisa - we spend most of our church service in the cry room... sounds like your 2 did GREAT! Especially for a long service. We usually take ours to the nursery AND still get called to get them... so off to the cry room. Kinda dreading the Easter service, actually :snicker:

I know I forgot people... so sorry :(
Andrea, where are you?

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[SunMoonMom]

YEAH RUBY - the first tooth is the hardest!!! Way to go Sista!

Valerie - Happy Anniversary!!!! We didn't get to do anything for our 3rd anniversary last year because the boys came 9 days before... so I think this year we will have to do something special...

Video Games - We have the same problem here... I think its a boy thing... All I know is that recently he has only played them when the boys are napping so I think we might have a compromise that is working...

Ben - My poor baby is sick, sick, sick... DH slept with him in the play area last night... Ben slept on the flip out couch and daddy slept on the floor... We don't have a guest room and our couch isn't big enough to sleep both daddy and baby... Ben would fall asleep, get congested, wake up crying, then when you picked him up he would sneeze a huge glob of snot... Daddy was worried that he would do that while on his tummy and it would block up his nose... I told him that he would cry and wake us up... but DH just wanted to be safe....

I stayed upstairs in bed because I had to work today, but man I felt so guilty...

Zach woke up at 1:50a this morning due to the storms we had here last night... I got up after about 5 minutes of his whining... Waited to see if he would put himself back down... Decided to make a pit stop in the bathroom on the way to the nursery... turned on the light because he was up already, did my business and then realized he stopped crying... I was like :yippee: Turned off the light to go back to bed and he started crying again... Smart Mama that I am... I turned the light back on and he was quiet... I left the light on and went back to bed... Didn't hear another peep until the alarm went off this morning... Apparently the light under the nursery door was all the comfort he needed...

Okay so I have to get back to work... but here is my big news!!!

Wait for it...

The boys ate some cheerios yesterday!!!!

First toast, now cheerios... We might actually have eaters here eventually...

(visions of 10 year old living on pureed sweat potatos and apple sauce have been dancing in my head for weeks)

Of course Ben puked up oatmeal with applesauce last night but I think he coughed and it just came up... I don't think it was his gag reflex...

Okay so now I really have to go to work... Take care everyone... tomorrow is hump day and its all downhill from there.

Kerrie

[swineland]

Today I was cleaning out the cabinets under my bathroom sink and I, for the first time, pulled out the Sharps container that has all of my used IVF syringes. I looked inside and just stared. Lupron syringes (the little ones) and Progesterone syringes (the big ones: 2 1/2" needle!) It seems like such a long time ago, I can hardly remember it as part of my life. Feels like we've had these boys forever. Anyway, I finally threw it in the trash. It just really reminded me of all that we went through to get these little miracles.

Had to share....

:)
Steph

[Megzackben]

Hi yall. I am so enjoying this past few days. I am on spring break and get to spend time with the kids. Meg and I had a "mommy and Meg' day. Poor girl I am the one that actually got pampered. She was just with me. I got my eyebrows done, pedicure, 3 outfits and lunch. I got her a Disney trading pin which she collects and a hair cut. DH took the boys to see MIL I wanted just a few days with no contact. I love her but need some space. Cant wait until the summer.

Well dh and I our actually having our Christmas starting tomorrow. We couldnt afford to exchange presents and decided we would go away for a couple of days. So we are going to St. Augustine (3hrs away). We are going to stay in a B/B- a first for both of us. I have been to St. AUgustine as our 4th gr field trip twice and loved it. Cant wait to see more things. I am holding my emotions in but I am going to miss them soo much. I was never away from Meg for more than one night (military) until she was 3 1/2. Granted I was a single parent so really didnt have anyone to go away with.

Mindy-I am praying for you. I had to move out with Meg when she was 11months. I didnt tell his family and actually celebrated her 1st bday as a "couple". It was a very hard time but it really was the best decision. Please email ifyou ever want to talk. Cant wait to hear your secret. I went online to see if I could see your segment. I found it but nothing. Are you employed by TLC?

[lilybug19]

Hello Ladies. Well today Lily's other front tooth popped through. That's 2 in one week. Luke still only has 4 teeth to her 7. It's nice that she got to be first at something. He's had most of the firsts like rolling over, talking, etc... Well today was a pretty standard day. My mom did come up to help with laundry, and we took the twins to BRU and shoe shopping for me. Tomorrow it turns cold here again. I'm dreading it.

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments on Luke & Lily's Easter pictures. I loved them too.

Valerie- About the matching Easter outfits. It's hard to find outfits that match for b/g twins, but I found these at Childrens Place. I like for them to match for special occasions or at least be similar since we get pictures taken. I can usually find casual wear clothes that coordinate at Gap. Having b/g twins yourself I'm sure you can relate.

Christel- Congrats to Ruby on her first tooth!!!

Kerrie- Congrats on the boys eating solid foods.

Have a great night ladies. Kris

[LucasMom]

Heather-No, I don't work for TLC, just taped a weeks worth of shows with them last year when I was about 7 months pregnant with the peanuts. My shows are on all this week, I think. Thanks for the offer to talk and I may take you up on it. It's hard right now...but I know it will be easier one day soon.

Thanks for the compliments about Lucas. I love him so much and he is a tough, strong little man. (and a ham for the camera...not a shy child)

Congrats on the tooth, Christel!
Steph, have a wonderful, relaxing time at your parents. Sending best wishes out to your dad.
Val, Happy anniversary! Love each other lots!

Answer more later, have to put Lucas to sleep and cuddle.:sleepy: :sleepy: :snoar:

(that's me sleeping, BTW!!!)

Hugs,
Mindy

[swineland]

Forgot to tell you all that I am back in Orlando, home from my parents. (Except for Heather, who knows I'm back b/c we saw each other in Target yesterday!)

Mindy, I so miss you!! Thrilled to death to see you back on the board again, even if it's only every now and then. I'm still jonesing for a girls shopping weekend and some good wine on a sunny day. You let me know when. :) I am so happy to hear, for your sake, that JC is finally realizing the cold hard truth and that you will get some peace soon. I don't know how he could have effed it up more than he did, but you certainly deserve a better husband and father to your children. Speaking of which, when are we gonna hear this secret?? :snicker:

Love to ALL of you....
g'night
Steph

[vthompson]

Steph - Isn't it amazing looking back at things like that! I am sure you had an emotional moment. Glad to hear you are back safe and sound.

Mindy - Does this mean you are going to post more?? I sure hope so. We miss you around here.

Kris - It is VERY hard to find matching outfits. Xmas was really difficult. I will have to take a look at Children's Place for our next holiday. I HATE this weather! It was 82 yesterday and only 45 right now and dropping little by little. YUCK!

Heather - It sounds like you are having a very nice time on break. I hope you and DH have a terrific time. You really deserve it. I am sure you could use some catching up (lol) :knuddel:

Kerrie - Poor little Ben!! I hope he is feeling better soon. I would not feel guilty for sleeping upstairs. There is no sense in both parents being up all night. Plus, DH can try and rest during naps today. At work, you can't do that. I can't believe all Zach needed was the light on. That sure is better then getting him out of his crib and disrupting your sleep!!

Christel - CONGRATS TO RUBY!!! :bouncing: :bouncing: :bouncing: When is your sister getting married? Are you in it?

So, Corey is really cruising on the couch now. He walks from one end to the next. He just started doing it yesterday. I forgot to tell you a great "toy" I found...plastic Easter eggs. I put a bunch in a basket and the twins love them. It keeps them amused for eat least a few minutes!!

We have to go to BRU today for formula and diapers. It is really yucky out, but I used all the formula I had last night. These are the times I wish all stores had a drive thru!!

Have a great day!

Valerie

[christel]

Morning girls :wavey:

I'm thinking I need to run to Walmart or Target and find sweaters for the girls to wear on Easter w/ their dresses. A cold front is coming through today and the temps won't climb about 60 for the rest of our time here. When I checked noaa.gov before we left home, they were predicting Easter weekend temps in the 70's, so I didn't bring a contingency outfit :( No tights, just sandals... I hate having to buy stuff we already have at home, but I don't want them to freeze, either.

Valerie - If the weather is really yucky and you HAVE to get out for formula, you might try a neighborhood pharmacy w/ a drive through. Ask for something over the counter - like Tylenol and see if they'll run grab a can of formula for you, too. Explain that you've got twins in the back and they might be helpful. I've used the twin thing to garner the kindness of strangers before and it's really helped out on occasion. As for my sister - yep, I'm in the wedding (June 2). Not excited. This is the 9th or 10th time for me to be a bridesmaid... I've lost track. So glad for her, looking forward to the wedding and reception, just not the bridesmatron part.

Steph - Welcome home! How did the boys do? Are you packing for your cruise, yet? Are your parents keeping the boys at their place or will they come to you?

Mindy - my girlfriend's daughter (15 mo.) is SUCH a camera ham that all you have to say is "Chloe, smile for the camera" and she starts cheesing. I wish my girls were as camera happy as her and your Lucas.

Kris - :woo: for shoe shopping! My favorite past time :D Did you find what you were looking for?

Kerrie - :five: WTG smart mommy w/ the light! Necessity and mother of invention and all :)

Gotta run - fussy baby + poopy diaper = nasty wriggly sh!tuptheback mess

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[swineland]

Well, Evan got his first molar today! Didn't seem to bother him, actually, he's been really pleasant. I've been feeling their gums every day so it must've just popped through overnight or something.

Christel, your posts always have me laughing. Congrats to Roo on her tooth! I hope the shi!uptheback mess wasn't too gross :puke:. And yes, I am packing for my cruise today. :clap: We leave on Sunday. I'm trying to be as organized and proactive as possible so that I'm not running around like this: :burnout: the day before we leave. This'll be me on Sunday :captain: hahaha

[EBTwinz]

I just wanted you all to see the boys in their plaid pants. They were so freaking cute, they looked like little golfers. I will check back later.

Congrats to Ruby!!!!!

~Lisa

[sgarrett]

Mindy: I always miss your show! I will have to try and check out TLC tomorrow and see if I can catch it. I too left Chase's dad when Chase was about 1 1/2. It is tough but you know, it is harder when there is someone else you that should help but does not. When it is only you, you know this and are more prepared. Does that make sense? I struggle putting my thoughts in words. Another offer though if you ever want to talk, ever, please give me a call. What you are going through now is the hardest part, I promise, it is all up from here!

Steph: HAVE A BLAST ON YOUR CRUISE! BTW I love the pic with them both in the swing, how funny! I gave all of my left over IVF drugs to a friend about 6 months ago, and now she is preggo! It is weird to see that stuff, I found a spreadsheet on my computer about a month ago that I had created to keep up with all the shots. The 1st time I went through IVF did not work, and that is what this spreadsheet was from. I discovered that the very 1st shot I took was on June 13, 2005 and the babies Bday is June 13, 2006! How weird is that?

Christel: They had some really cute 1/2 sweaters at Target that are adorable with dresses that I got for Isabelle about a month ago. Good Luck!

Valerie: With you on the drive through, when I lived in Atlanta I could order my grocerys on line and they were delivered in a refrigerated truck. (the delivery boy was a hottie too!) It was great, now I live 25 min from Publix, what a pain!

Kerrie: We had the bad storms last night too, it woke both babies up. The thunder was literally shaking the house. My eldest had to go to the college he is attending next year for some basketball thing and ended up driving through a major hail storm. I was so worried. I saw it on the news and started calling his cell phone, when he did not answer I called the BBall coach and told him to have Chase call me as soon as he got there. He was so emabarresed! Teach him not to answer the phone when Mommy calls!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Staci

[sgarrett]

Lisa we were posting at the same time, I swear those boys get cuter every time you post! Love the pants!

[SunMoonMom]

Good Morning Mommies..

I am sleeping this morning with my eyes open... Not sure why but I can not wake up today...

Ben is doing better. He actually played with his brother yesterday and this morning DH said he is doing fine and hasn't had any cough medicine... Although he did have a coughing fit at 2am, he slept really well... Went back to sleep after DH gave him some medicine.

Dad News - He is doing much much better. He sat up on the side of the bed twice yesterday without minimal assistance. He was off the ventilator for 2 hours yesterday to start strengthing his diaphram and lungs. They hope within the next 5 days or so to get the trach out. So all I can say is that the power of prayer can create miracles... Thank you.

Steph - Have an absolutely wonderful time on your cruise!!! We will miss you.

Lisa - Those pants are darling... Where did you get them? I would love to get something like that for my boys... Love plaid.... DH thinks I'm trying to make our boys gay or British...I told DH, all of his taste is in his mouth and to let me worry about the boys clothes....

Staci - I can barely handle having my boys in another room at night. I don't see how you can handle your son away at college... No matter how old they get, we will always be their mamas. So they better answer those phones...

Your twins got the best birthday... Mine is June 13 and I just love that date... My boys were born on June 12th and if I hadn't been so miserable I would have asked to wait 24 hours to have them so we could share our birthdays... Of course, DH pointed out that the boys already have to share a birthday so its good that they don't have to share it with me too...

Heather - I hope you are having a GREAT spring break... Miss ya around her though... Always like to know what my twins doubles are doing...

Okay, I should at least act like I'm working...

Hope everyone is doing well...

Kerrie

[EBTwinz]

Thanks for the compliments on the boys. I just love dressing them up. I swear, God knew I couldn't afford a girl right now, that is why I have two boys. Don't get me wrong, I love my guys to death, but if I had a little girl, I would probably spend 100's of dollars a month in clothes for her, no lie! I have a shopping problem. I spoil my two little neices, instead. I love to shop for them. At Christmas time, my SIL gave me $200 to buy clothes for them. I think I should be a personal shopper. She always jokes that I am their fashion consultant.

Kerrie: I got the pants at Gap. I looked online and they are no longer available but check the stores. I paid $20 for one pair and then found another pair a month later in their size for $10. There are always better deals in the store. Glad to hear Ben is doing better.

Steph: Have fun on your cruise! I am jealous!

Valerie: How did the day go w/ your friend's baby? I can't even remember when mine we that small. How did we manage? Although, I thought it was hard then, but I think it's harder now that they are all over the place. I still think you should meet me next week... :snicker:

Staci: I would have called Chase's coach, too. I am putting tracking devices on my boys so I always know where they are going... ha ha!

So, I have been watching the discovery channel and TLC a lot, lately. Reminds me of this time of year, last year, when my fat a$$ laid on the couch all afternoon, preparing myself for the twins. I actually missed being preggos and thought about having another kid. I think I must be going crazy. Dh and I are looking to buy our dream home. We just built a house last year but bought it before I even got pregnant, let alone knew I was having twins. We already outgrew the house. The new home has a master bath w/ whirlpool tub, a sitting room in the master bedroom, 4 total bedrooms, an office/parlor, breakfast area, etc. I LOVE it!!! I just hope we can afford it. DH just bought a mortgage business and is partners w/ another guy. So we'll see how it goes....

Well, I gotta run. Talk to you all soon. I am going to my parent's house tomorrow so I don't know when I will check in w/ ya'll. If I don't check in, Have a Wonderful Easter!!! Don't eat too much chocolate!

Love,
Lisa

[vthompson]

Lisa - I LOVE the pants!! They should go golfing with daddy!! They look so different in the bottom picture. You know I want to meet you REALLY bad!!! ...I just really do not want the responsibility of traveling with someone else's child. I am so sad, though!! :bawling: Maybe you could come to Cleveland for a play date (hee, hee!!) :snicker: Think about it! :snicker: Things went ok with the baby. She actually napped when the twins napped so that was great. I am not sure I want to do it again, though!! It was a lot of work. DH helped out A LOT in the morning. I so remember the days of just laying in bed pg and watching TLC. That is all I watched. After watching the baby, I have actually had thoughts of another one, too. However, I still want to wait until the twins are preschool age, like 3 or so. I hope you can buy your dream house. Is it in Cleveland (lol)?

Kerrie - I am so glad that Ben is feeling better. Poor little guy!! That is GREAT news about your dad!!

Staci - I would SO call his coach, too. I bet he will think twice about not answering your calls next time!!

Steph - Congrats Evan!! I think that may be the first molar on the board!! Good luck packing...I am so jealous!! We woke up today to snow and bitter temps!

Christel - I hear you on the bridesmaid thing...I have not been in nearly that many weddings, but I hate it. It is so expensive! We have been to SO many weddings over the past few years. We actually have none this year. I am so excited. I know that sounds awful, but a girl can only handle so many weddings.

Well, I am supposed to be spending the twins' nap time working, so I better get to it!!

Have a great day!

Valerie

[christel]

:hello:

Dh is back in town and I am so glad :woo: I've had about as much of my mom as I can enjoy (between Christmas and Easter I've spent more time at her house than mine)! She's a professional violinist and also teaches lessons to students ages 4-40. Some are good and others will make you poke out your eardrums. Her studio is in her house and she's got an open floor plan - so there's no place to escape. Even the upstairs bedrooms where we stay seem to get the full force of the "music". So, last night, after her last lesson was taught, we ate dinner and then she announced that some of her friends were coming over to work on their smocking... she sews, too. It was going to be a lot of fun and why didn't we hang out w/ them :dude: :thrasher: Yeah, that sounded like a way to rock the night away. Dh and I made a hasty escape. We grabbed all the toys, picked up the family room, and on a whim threw a bottle of wine and 2 glasses AND a plate of cheesecake in the diaper bag and smuggled it all upstairs :rofl: (Mom's pretty straight laced. She approves of a tiny bit of wine w/ dinner... for the heart, you know). Felt like sneaky teenagers again and we had a lovely evening... :knuddel:

Lisa - I L:throb:VE those pants on the boys! They totally rock them! So precious. Dream home sounds amazing...WOW! I so hope that works out for you guys. We're tossing around putting our house on the market and shopping for something closer to DH's office. The sellers market isn't great right now, so I think we'll wait a bit longer. We're ok on space, just not crazy about our location anymore. We're a suburb of a suburb of the town DH works in.

Kerrie - that is WONDERFUL news about your dad and I'm also so glad Ben is on the mend. We went through the congestion stuff in Jan. and those night time coughing fits are scary. By 2 am, the bedtime meds are worn off and it's like clockwork w/ the coughing starting up again. Ick!

Steph - So so envious of your cruise and know you and dh will have a fabulous time. Did you get some cute new outfits for it? Oh, and the sh!tuptheback mess was mercifully not there... 3 minutes later though, and it would have been a disaster :hahaha:

Staci - I would have been calling the highway patrol, the coach, anyone! That'll teach Chase not to pull over an answer the phone :D Scary! And thanks for the Target tip... went last night and found 2 cute sweaters on the clearance rack for $3 each. :jump: I bought big sizes, so they can wear them in the fall. It doesn't matter if they fit perfectly on Sun.

Later Gaters
:lovemytwins:
Christel

[newmomx2]

No time to post still on my own and up to my eyeballs at work today.

Tyler and Corey waved good morning to each other it was cute.

Tyler started to dance to banjo music !

Both are cutting teeth but I think they are almost through.

Miss you all have a good Easter if I don't post. We are going out of town.

DHs Bday is on Easter and our 7 year anniversary is 4/15 - not sure what to do ...been togehter for 11 years in total

[vthompson]

Lisa - Please do not feel like you have to travel here. I know it can be hard by yourself. However, if you want to, we would love to have you :) Monday or Thursday of next week is better for me. We could meet here or at a mall. Let me know. Vera Wang!!!!!!! That is going to be SO expensive!!

Christel - I was cracking up at your post!! YEAH for DH!!! I am so glad he is back. I have always wanted to take violin so I decided to take lessons before the babies were born. I was TERRIBLE, but I loved it. I took them for about a year and a half. I quit after I got pg...I was just so sick all the time and I had to constantly cancel my lessons. It is a very difficult instrument. Everyone made fun of me because I was so old...oh well!!! I should sell my violin on Ebay!

I have to go get the crazies up from their naps!

Valerie

[sgarrett]

Kerrie: That is wonderful news about your Dad! I am so happy for your fam.

Christel: Sounds like a fun date with DH, why is it always more fun when you are sneaking it???:crazy: I am glad you found the sweaters, I just got back from Target and got the babies a radio flyer wagon that has seat belts and cup holders in it for Easter. It is too cute! I cannot wait to pull them around the neighborhood in it!

Weddings: When I was 7 months prego I was in my sisters "commitment ceremony" with another woman. And the other girl I had to walk down the aisle with was preggo too! It was so funny! Of course she was this little petite thing with a cute little bump for a belly and I was fricken COW! But hey how many people can say they where a bridesmaid at a lesbian wedding while pregnant?

Aiden is standing all the time now, he stood for like 2 full minutes last night, I am just waiting for that first step!

Take care all and Happy Easter!:bunny:

[sgarrett]

Oops, Kerrie I forgot to mention GREAT BIRTHDAY!!! Did you all know that most of your babies sign is the sign of the twins? Pretty cool huh?

Take care!

[swineland]

:wave: Hi y'all!

Staci, that is so cool that Aiden is standing!! We've had like max 5 seconds of standing, but that's about it. Hilarious mental vision about the lesbian pregnant bridesmaid thing. :hahaha:

Lisa, how are the naps going these days? Still better since the CIO/don't go back in method was started?? Also, are things sorta back on track with DH?? I hope you don't mind my asking....I just know you've posted a few times during some 'unsure' times. Hope all is well and life is happy for you :)

Upgrading houses....yes, please! Our house is not as big as I would like and I would love to move, but we're kind of stuck between a rock and hard place. We have a ton of equity in our house and a very very low mortgage. If we decide to sell and 'trade up', we're looking at a much higher payment. The area we live in, if we want to get anything substantially bigger a.k.a worth the hassle, it's going to be about a half million dollars. It would just make NO financial sense to do that for what, 500 more square feet? So, I think we're going to stay where we are, put in a nice pool, house will be paid off in 11 years. Of course, that's my plan as of today, check with me tomorrow :snicker:

In-laws are on their way down today for the big week of babysitting. I'm so nervous about things not getting done right, etc. but I'm doing my best to 'let go'. They are such nice people and have a lot of 'book' smarts, but not a whole lot of common sense. That's the part that scares me. I've got things labeled and organized around here as if an idiot will be watching them....haha.

Kerrie, SO happy to hear about your dad.....I hope he continues to be on the mend. Hugs to you and yours.

MY dad: He had the surgery today to remove the tumor and when I spoke to my mom he was still in recovery. Dr. said it was very large and had grown some, but didn't seem to have grown outside of it's self-contained area. Here's the crazy part.....Dr. said he will have to send it to several places to figure out what it is. He said whatever it is, it is extremely rare and he didn't know WHAT to make of it. I'm like, what??? Anyway, still praying it's not malignant. Dr. DID say he didn't think it was melanoma, which he had previously indicated it could be. Dad has a drain in his arm now :puke: and will have it taken out on Monday. Dr. told my mom that it might be up to the end of NEXT week before they hear anything...it's that baffling. I wonder if he'll be in the Ripley's Believe It or Not? Sorry...that's my family's sick Irish humor keeping us afloat in times like this.

Babies asleep and I should be cleaning instead of typing.....but I'd rather be doing this anyway :)

xo
Steph

[SunMoonMom]

Hey Steph -

Just a couple of things...

Letting Go - I actually had to go to therapy about this very issue... I am a perfectionist and a control freak, so when Dh and I were planning our wedding (which we did by ourselves - decorations, invitations, etc) I was going crazy... I would give DH an assignment and he would do it but not the way i would have done it... It would drive me crazy... After 6 months of therapy, I was able to at least say to myself... He is doing it his way and it may not be perfect but no one died... I know your in-laws will do a great job and you will have an awesome time on your trip...

Okay next thing - Are your boys identical? They look so much alike (which is precious by the way)...

Okay... Enjoy your trip...

kt.

[swineland]

Kerrie,

Yes, the boys are identical. We did IVF, so we know this for sure. They are not, however, identical in personality. :snicker:

We don't leave til Sunday, so I'll be checking in several more times I'm sure.

Steph
p.s. did you guys hear about the lady in Tacoma whose house was listed on Craigslist as "contents free to anyone, take what you want". It was a prank, the actual homeowner knew nothing about it til she came home and her house was EMPTY.....kitchen cabinets, sinks, water heater...everything! Crazy....

[mmzill]

Hey Ladies, It seems like forever since I’ve typed anything on here. I read probably 10 times a day, but it seems so hard for me to find the time to sit and type. Right now though I just got Nathan to sleep, Anthony is in his crib and DH is giving DD a bath……so hopefully nothing will disturb my angels……

We have all had a cold. First DD, then Me, then Anthony and now Nathan. Although we all still have runny noses. Ugh, I hate being sick!

Well, Monday was the boys’ 1 year check up……
Anthony 19 lbs 10 oz, 28 inches long
Nathan 14 lbs 15 oz, 26 inches long
Nathan only gained one lbs in three months. :stress: The dr seemed to be concerned. She said to feed him anything fattening. She was glad that Nathan is proportionately small, his head is small as is his length. He had been maintaining his own curve (be it well below the “normal” range, but this time he dropped off of that a bit.) Needless to say I feel like I’m not doing my job at feeding him. He really makes me work for it. So I’ve started adding oil to all his food, just pouring in some Olive oil to everything, also going to start grinding nuts (I’m a little concerned about allergies though so don’t want to do that too fast.) High calorie stuff….I don’t know what else to do.

What is up with the crappy weather?!?!?! Ugh, it snowed here all day long, of course, none of it stuck, but what the heck? So over cold weather!!!

Steph – do hope your trip is a blast. I’m sure your boys will be well taken care of! They really do look alike, they also look so big, almost like toddlers (my guys seem so much like babies still!) I do hope we can get together while I’m down there!

Christel – glad your dh is back. That’s so funny about sneaking it…..recently dh and I were going to watch a movie (had a babysitter) and instead we took the seats out of the van……..the windows are tinted…….I’ll never look at Olive Garden’s parking lot the same! :snicker: (sorry for TMI)

Lisa – I do hope that you can upgrade to a bigger house! That would be so exciting! The pants are adorable too! I know what you mean about dressing boys vs. girls – I would go broke dressing two girls (I almost do it with ONE!) Girls are so much more fun to dress than boys.

Kerrie – so glad that your dad is improving!!! Go Daddy Go!!! Also glad Ben is feeling better. Illness is no fun!

Valerie – that’s great about Corey cruising!!! GO COREY!!!

I'm sure I"ve left someone out....sorry....but I hope everyone has a good evening!
~Monica

[josie88]

:hello: Everyone!!!

All you have such adorable babies. Having twins is really a special thing.:love:

I hope you could welcome a new member to this tight knit group. I admire how all of you are so close, there is always someone to uplift your spirits.

I found this site last spring and ordered the magazine, but didn't find out about the message board until a few months ago. It would have been so nice to have the support all this time. God knows we need all we can get.

I am pretty much on my own, don't get me wrong my DH is here but he works outside of Pittsburgh and that is almost a 2hr drive, so I only seem him for a few hours in the evening and weekends. As for my family,well that's just a bunch of empty promises.

My little ones are Meghan(16), Madison(6) and b/g twins Ethan 4.15 and Emily 4.6 . They were born vaginally,5 weeks early on June 6 and spent 7 days in the NICU. The hospital they were born in atomatically puts you in the NICU if you are born before 35 wks. We missed it by one day. They were healthy but were given IV's and I wasn't permitted to nurse them for some reason at first. Then when the IV's were removed it was before my milk came in and they lost weight. Emily went to 3.8 and the neo DR wanted to put in a G tube, so I chose to supplement them instead and they started to gain.

At their 9 mth ckup Ethan was 16.2 and 27' long, Emily was 15.8 and 25.5' long. Ethan has his 2 bottom teeth and he is rolling everywhere. Emily has no desire to become mobile, she is content to just sit and play. I can't get her to eat solid food, she makes herself choke until she pukes. SorryTMI. They both get EI therapy 2x a mth. Which is really helpful for me to work with them everyday.

Well, I''ve got to go. Ethan is crying.

Talk to you later. Have a sleepful night everyone.:sleep:

[vthompson]

Hello Ladies!

It has been snowing here for 2 days now!! I am SO over it!

Josie - Welcome!! We can always use some more twin mommies!!

Monica - What about high calorie dairy, like cheese? I can tell you are very stressed about all of this. However, you are doing the very best job possible. Do not ever doubt this!! You are a terrific mom!! BTW, I was laughing at your Olive Garden story!! Who would have known you were so adventurous :snicker: :snicker:

Steph - I am glad that everything went well with the surgery. Keep us posted with the results.

Staci - I was cracking up at your lesbian pg bridesmaid story!!

Well, today is my fantastic massage day! I am so excited. Of course, I have a ton of errands to run after, but at least I will be relaxed!!

Have a great day!

Valerie

[swineland]

Monica, yes my little monkeys are definitely looking more like toddlers than babies these days. They are so tall, and mix that with adventurous personalities and lots of energy and they become little boys all of the sudden! And you with the Olive Garden story!! :knuddel: You should put a bumper sticker on your van under "Mom's taxi" that says "If this van's a rockin....." hahahahah :lmao:

In laws are here and I'm slowly watching my precious routine slide right into the shi++er. The most important thing is that they don't eff around with naptime/bedtime. If those boys fall off the track there, we're in big trouble.
I already told them, NO ROCKING to sleep anymore! In the crib, blanket and soothie, lights off, close door. That's it.

Office: SO hilarious. Michael and that ladies suit...oh my god. MISSterious....hahahah. Getting really irritated about the Jim and Pam story....can't they just get together and make out like crazy, have sex and get it over with!? Even if they work it into a dream sequence....I've gotta see it! And one of my new faves is Toby. I mean, he's always been funny...but his facial expressions and general 'blah-ness' crack me up!

AndreaR, where ARE you??

I did get an email from Daniele, so don't worry everyone, she is still alive! She's been very busy since returning from Orlando and I believe they have all been sick.

Oh, Monica, what dates will you be here???

Gotta run....
Steph

[mmzill]

Steph, I PM'd you with the dates.

Valerie - enjoy your Massage!!!! That sounds awsome!

Lisa - glad your boys are sleeping better! It makes all the world of difference for mommy!

Josie - Welcome! Hope to get to know you better!

[SunMoonMom]

Josie88 - Welcome to the boards... New mommies are always welcome. You have definitely come to the right place to get advice, support and laughs...

To introduce myself... I'm Kerrie, Paul is my DH and he is a SAHD. I work for a publishing company in the marketing division. We have two boys... Ben and Zach...
Ben is 19lb 4oz, 28 1/4"
Zachary is 22lb 1oz, 28 1/2"

Wanted to say that I totally understand about the problems with solid feedings. Ben has a awful gag reflex... So we are having trouble with getting him to each solids... I have had some success over the last week with cheerios and wheat toast but other than that it is up chuck city... All we can do is keep trying... I've never seen an 18 year old that throws up when eating so eventually he will learn...

Monica - Happy 1 year!!! You made it... I know you will get Nathan on track... Don't you wish we had the problem of needing to eat more fatty foods... Oh and if I ever convince DH to let someone baby sit the boys, I'm sure to go to Olive Garden... Now that I know they offer special parking... :snicker:

Okay so this is where I get to celebrate some success!!!!

1. Zachary has a new tooth... one of his top teeth has broken through... So he now has 3!!! Yeah Zach!

2. Last night the boys split a #3 Apple Sauce. They also had about 8 cheerios each... Here is the best part... There was no :puke:

Funniest thing was me sitting in front of the boys, slowly putting the cheerio in my mouth, showing it to them on my tongue, then chewing it up then making a show of swallowing... When they put a cheerio in their mouths I would make the chewing motion and the boys would mimic me... If someone walked in at that moment that didn't know about our eating trouble would have thought I had lost my mind... There was so much "mmmmm", "tastey!!", "chew, chew, chew"

Okay so I got to get to work...

Have a wonderful Good Friday and an excellent Easter if I don't get to check in until next week...

Oh... Monday I won't be around... I am finally getting injections done in my back to try to help with the pain I am having... I will have to be sedated for the shots and they say I can't work that day because I have to rest...

Wish me luck... I hope this works.

Kerrie

[lilybug19]

I've missed so much in the past few days. DH has been off work sick. He feels alittle bit better today, but still in bed. So I have been on my own with Luke & Lily for 3 days. Also Lily has been screaming when I put her in her crib since that time. I think it's because she is used to a bedtime routine and when it was different due to DH's illness she got scared. She went down for her nap alright today so hopefully we'll be back on track soon.

Valerie- Yeah for Corey cruising. Luke pulled up on the sofa yesterday and fell straight back & hit his head. I'm with you on the snow I'm sick of it too.

Christel- Yes I did find shoes X2! :woo: I can totally relate to the
sh!tuptheback mess. I get those all the time. When I put Luke in the jumper it's time to go.

Steph- Yeah to Evan on his molar!!! Your boys are such little movers! I'm so jealous I wish Lily would get a move on. Enjoy your cruise!

Lisa- Love the pants. I watched TLC when I was preggo too! I think it was a requirement.

Kerrie- Great news about your dad. Also I struggle with the letting go issue everyday. Yeah to Zachary on his tooth and congrats on dinner staying down. I can relate to showing your boys how to eat. I did the same thing when Luke & Lily first had cherrios. Good luck with the injections. I hope they help.

Monica- This weather stinks!!! Where is spring already!

Josie- I am brand to new to the board too. Everyone is very welcolming here. You'll enjoy having experiences that you can relate to, and other moms going through the same things to get advice from and talk to.

Got to run! Have some cleaning to do before the babies wake up
Kris

[sgarrett]

OK sorry if I am not replying to anyone I only have a sec and I am coming on to *itch!

My MIL got divorced from DH's dad when she was around 45, she had DH and his twin in her 30's. She is one of those woman who never dated again and hardly leaves her house. ( I mean literally, she has a 1985 Caprice Classic with 35,000 miles on it!) She is in horrible shape and can not get around very well. She is very sweet to me, send us cards and notes all the time. She lives about an hour away. OK enough of the history, she spent the night last Sat night. All went well, I am always worried when she holds them she is going to drop one! She calls my DH yesterday and tells him we give Isabelle more attn than Aiden and that it is not right! First off this is soo not true! There may be days where one is teething and more upset than the other and yes they will get more attn. She went on to say we feed Isabelle more, like we intentionally give Aiden less food! I am so pissed! When we feed them Isabelle does woof her food down, and wants another bite immediately, where Aiden packs his food in the roof of his mouth (like a chimpmunk) and sucks on it for a while. She comes in spends like 2 hours with them goes to bed, wakes up and leaves and calls to critique our parenting?!! I know she is lonely and bored and I should not let it bother me, but it does! DH went on to tell her she is just a crazy old woman who does not know what she is talking about and she kept saying I saw it with my own two eyes it is true! When Aiden was little his head was flat in the back, she called my DH's twin brother and told him we must never pick him and that is why his head is so flat! What a $%*&!!!!!!! ARGHH, thing is she is always so sweet to my face I can not say anything, I wish she would say this crap to me! God, I wish we were closer so I can meet someone drink a few margaretias and really vent!

Josie: Welcome, sorry for the negative post, these ladies are wonderful and supportive, you will find your self reaching out to them to celebrate and vent!

Happy Easter - sorry for the long post

Staci

[swineland]

Ok, I know you guys have all said that letting go is hard to do and that the boys will be just fine with the grandparents for the week. I wish I could just settle down about this!! I am scared to death about leaving and so far today I have seen so many screw ups that I can't imagine not having been here to say, uh, that's not right. It's like they are complete idiots! I can't say too much about it to DH b/c they ARE his parents after all. He thinks everything will be fine. I'm nervous as hell. I told MIL to go ahead and prepare the bottles while we were in the car today....just so she could have it under her belt and know what she was doing when they did go out this week. (You know, using the little formula dispenser thingy). So I said, these will be 6 oz bottles, there is only enough powder in each compartment for a maximum 6 oz bottle. I then handed her the bottle and the thing of water....she starts pouring, past the 6oz mark, past the 7 oz mark, up to the 8 oz mark! I'm like, what are you doing? I can't help it....hope I'm not mean, but it's like "Oh my GOD!" is this THAT hard?? And I know it won't kill the babies to have had a 6oz bottle with 8oz of water...but still. This is just turning out to be really a lot harder than I thought. I don't know how I'm going to relax about this all week. Arggggggghhhh!!! :banghead:

I hope the patience fairy hits me over the head tonight while I"m sleeping and I wake up not caring about a THING!

xo
Steph

And Staci, I know this sounds hostile, but it's just the kind of mood I'm in....I would tell MIL that she doesn't even take care of herself, how can she comment on how you are taking care of the twins??

[josie88]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes!!

The twins were at the doctor's yesterday. They have ear inf., ironically they both slept through the night. That hasn't ever happened i feel like a new woman. I'm worried about Ethan though he lost about 1 lb. since Mar 15th. He is my good eater. Any suggestions?
[
Steph-Enjoy your cruise! It probably will be hard to relax. My advice is to have a few drinks! That works for me. I'm sure the boys will be fine.

Lisa- I live in Ligonier, it's about a 1/2 hour from Greensburg? Where in PA do
you live?

Staci- Family can be so cruel without really meaning to upset you. They have no idea what is like to do everything x2. My sister has made comments about me propping bottles. "That's why their heads are flat" I let her have it. When she has come to watch the twins for me (2x) She has to bring the calvary for help!

I realized I didn't end with my name on my first post. It's Joy, Josie is what my father has called me since I was little. I liked the cartoon Josie and the pussycats.

Have a Happy Easter :bunny:

Joy

[Daniele'sTwins]

Happy Easter everyone. Just know even though I am MIA, I am thinking of you all. My grandmother is on life support and has been in the hospital for 3 weeks (since I was in Florida). The boys are both sick with 103-104 fevers! We went to the doctors yesterday after a full week of this and they say it is just a virus and has to run its corse. I am so tired and sick over my grandmother. I love you all!

[Megzackben]

HI everyone. I am back. We actually came back late Friday. I immediatately checked the board after the boys were napping. I am so addicted!

St Augustine was great. I didnt realize how much I didnt see on fieldtrips. We had a little bit of :knuddel: the first day but after walking up a lighthouse, this out of shape momma was so tired. We also stayed our first time at a B/B. I never want to go back to a hotel again. The inn keeper was sooo sweet. Felt like we knew her forever. SHe has the inn for sale. I wish we could afford $1,999,999.!!!!!!!!!!!! It did inlcude everything including her two story house "cottage" behind the property.

Kerrie-I am soooo happy about your dad. Miracles do happen! Okay another thing in common??? My mom's bday is June 11th and my BEST friend;s bday is the 12th!

Daniele-I am very sorry for your Grandma. We dealt with my grandma's health in Jan. Was this all of a sudden or is she elderly? Is this your mom/s mom or your dad's mom? Let them know their "daughter" in Fl is praying for them. I pray the boys are feeling better too. Has their fever finally broken? Hopefully they dont have what Steph's boys and Meg had.

Staci-Okay I had the image of the commercial where the college boy moved in and mom called him every few minutes. He would be a good boy and answer. Until a cutie came to his room. He let the answering machine get it. Luckily you had the coaches number. Really glad he was safe too. Mom's imagination is horrible. I am more than dreading Meg's transition. I know it is years away but the last 8 yrs flew in a blink. We were outside of Flagler College for a tour and all I could think about was Meg leaving. I hope that Chase keeps in touch with you alot,.. for his own sake!................................... So sorry about your MIL. You know how I already feel with mine. She watches the boys and makes it a point to tell me all the stuff I have missed. Not sure what is up with them. I pray I am not that type of MIL

Joy-welcome to the board. Kerrie and I have Ben and Zacks so you are seeing double double. I am a 4th grade teacher in Florida. I have a 8yr old daughter in 2nd grade from my previous marriage. I am married to Patrick who I went to high school with. We got in touch after my divorce and 13 yrs later we finally got married. Zack and Ben are identical boys born at 36.1 days (1 day after they were supposed to be transported to a special hosptial-thank goodness they held on)

Lisa-I am not sure how many 80 year olds you know but I think 2x a week is just fine. We only make it about every 10 days or so. I always wanted my dh to have a higher drive but I definately couldnt handle every day. Hopefully things work out.

Monica-missed your post the first time. Finally found it. So exciting! I have to mention that to dh. Maybe he'll tint our van for my bday! :)


Christel-Loved your little wine and cheescake sneak away. How cute!

Steph- You are probably on board the cruise already. I hope that you get to enjoy your time.


okay hopefully I didnt leave too many people out.

School transfer-finally got a response back from the principal that came and observed me. It isnt my 1st choice school so I feel better but I am pretty devastated. He is a straight forward princiapl and not sure my philosophies would fit in with his. Okay so he said that I got the students attention and had proof of academic work up,etc However I am not what he was looking for in that grade level. PERHAPS in another grade if funding became available. I do appreciate his feedback but my biggest down fall is I always second and third guess myself. I am beyond too sensitive. (I rewrite and edit my posts on here) So for the past few days I have been replaying my lesson and truly questioning if I should stay in teaching! I am such a crazy woman. I know its only one persons opinion. I am still waiting for another principal (my 1st choice school) to schedule an observation-we already had the interview. I cant imagine not transfering this year. Everyone at school knows I put in and I am already starting to pack up. I would be so bumbed to have to stay.
Okay sorry for the sob story.

Have a great Easter. (Trish does your daughter still believe in the Easter bunny and Santa) My daughter COMPLETELY does. I am so thrilled but in a way it is getting so hard to act shocked becasue she is so very smart and in tuned with me. I found out in K and she is going into 3rd!

[swineland]

:wave: Bye everyone!! Have a happy Easter :bunny: and a great week. I will miss you all and will check back in upon return!

:captain: Gotta go!

xoxo
Steph

[Megzackben]

Bye Steph...Have a blast!

I have loaded some of the pictures on the photobucket link. Hopefully it works.

[Jillmami]

We're back, settled, and finally have our internet service fixed. So.... I will take some time to get caught up on how busy you mamas have been!

Real quickly, I know I missed out on an important 1st birthday...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Nathan and Anthony!! Welcome to the 1 year club! Love Noah and TJ

Happy Anniversary Valerie!

Steph enjoy the cruise!

Kerrie, glad to hear that things are improving with your father. I know how powerful prayer can be. My two little babies are definite proof. We'll keep those prayers coming!

I know there are a few new people too so I'll say a general WELCOME and look forward to getting to know more about you and your little ones soon. Real quickly, mine were born at 27.4 weeks and are doing well today. Still working on getting fatter and more mobile! Noah 'thinks' he can walk and tries so hard. :snicker:

OK, I'm off for our Easter Sunday with some friends. Enjoy your day mamas! Missed you all this past week and look forward to catching up on everything!!

[lilybug19]

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!

[mmzill]

Hey everyone - I hope your Easters' were wonderful......ours was nice, just cold. But I'm guessing that was the case for many of you.

Heather, Jill - it's great to have you both back! Heather, glad you had fun in St. Augustine. It sounds like a really neat place, the BB sounds really neat too. Dh and I stayed at one near Gettysburg once, we weren't too impressed, but then again we kind of like to stick to ourselves and do our own thing, and at a BB it's a much more "friendly" environment. I guess I"m saying we aren't friendly. (just kidding) Anyways - so glad you had fun! Don't second guess what you are doing with teaching. It sounds like you are a wonderful teacher! Keep your chin up, it will all work out.

Jill, that's great about Noah trying to walk. My guys are no where near walking.....oh well. It will come soon enough I guess.

JOy, hope the ear infections clear up soon. Glad you got a good night's sleep though.

Well, I better jump off here, EI is coming this morning at 10, so I got lots to do before they get here! Talk more later.
Monica

[Jillmami]

Monica, DO NOT get discourage about the mobility issues. TJ has no desire at all to even crawl. She gets on hands and knees, rocks like nobody's business and then just lies down to play and then rolls over. She is content for now to just hang out wherever she is. She gets mad when there are other kids around and they are moving about; but for the most part she is happy to just chill. Noah gets frustrated because he crawls backwards EVERYWHERE and then gets stuck in the corner. He also gets mad if he can't get to a specific toy. So, I let him stand and then he starts to walk to what he wants with my help. All he can do alone is pull himself to his knees. His brain is more advanced then his body and he gets SO MAD. Some days I wonder if TJ will ever crawl. I feel she will when she really wants to. Hope the EI went well! Oh, and once they are both walking/crawling, and in different directions, you will reflect back upon non-mobile times and wish they were like that again. :snicker:

Welcome Joy! You won't find a better group of mamas then the ones right here! Glad to have you!!

Heather, re: the observation. It sounds as if that isn't where you are meant to teach. Nothing worse than working for a principal who has different philosophies than you do. That could potentially be a nightmare situation. (Previous experience... yuck) So, keep that head up and know that you will be teaching where you will do the most good for the students and for your sanity/health. Just keep doing what you do in the classroom and try not to get discouraged. Oh, glad that you had a nice vacation! Pics look great!

Daniele, you and your family are in my prayers. I hope that your grandma is not experiencing any pain during this process. I also hope that the boys are doing better. You definitely have your hands full.

You know, thinking back over the past year certainly brings to light just how phenomenally strong we are. To endure the twin pregnancy, some of us with other children already in the picture; dh issues; family issues; health crises; etc. it's been a rough year (and then some) for us and we are still here. We have survived. It has not been an enjoyable or pleasant road for certain parts and some have been bumpier than others, but we are still here. Stay strong mamas. I always chuckle a bit to myself when someone says, "I don't know how you do it with two." or "We have one and it's crazy." Life has its plans for us all and we deal with them and move one to the next day. It seems like the light has been lost at times, but we make it. Terrific support like I find here definitely helps. Thank you mamas!!

Enjoy your week! I don't know how I can get caught up on the past week, so I am planning on reading during my breaks today and then I'll work on getting caught up as the day develops if possible. I never know what will go on at work. Love you all!!

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Hi Ladies. Like Jill, I need some time to get caught up! I'm sure that I've missed a ton in the past week. I survived the surgery without any major hitches, but it was incredibly painful. This was worse than a c-section, and I really wasn't expecting that. I ended up having a much more complicated hernia than the drs. originally thought and the operation took longer than they anticipated. Today is the first day that I'm really up and moving around well. I am going to try to read some back posts later today. I hope you all had happy easters/passovers, and everyone has been well and healthy.

In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if I post a question. :questionmark: :questionmark: :questionmark: Of course, it is about sleep! Could some of you with kiddos sharing a room post your bedtime rituals? The reason I ask is that I (well, right now my 'helpers') are putting one baby to bed, waiting ten minutes, and then putting the other one down. Do any of you put both babies to bed at the same time? If so how do you do it? :shrug: Do you need another person? I would appreciate it if you would share your "procedures" in the area.

Thanks and stay well!!:)

Jen

[Megzackben]

Jen-I hope that you are healing better. Hopefully not too much gas!
Bedtime: Dh and I each have a baby. I usually give them both a bath at the same time while DH is making dinner. Then we both dress the boys. Feed them and by that time they are so drunk. We usually rock them for about 10 min in case of burping or spit up but they are really asleep by then.

If I am on my own I usually do Ben first because he doesnt really rock to sleep. He will fuss for only 5min in his bed then out. Zack has to fall asleep to be put to bed. Just like Meg did.


Teeth-Well boys teeth are now popping up. Zack has 3 one big one on top and 2 on the bottom. Ben has 2 on the bottom. Zack looks like Chip/Dale from Disney.


I am not looking forward to tomorrow. Back to school. I guess with my feedback I have been really unmotivated. I know it will pass and I just need a good self talk. I am sure the moment I walk into my classroom it will feel just like I am supposed to be there. Just ready for a new setting.

ok got to go take a shower before the boys wake up.

[LucasMom]

Can't believe after all this time on here, I have to ask this, but...
How the heck do I get my pics on here the right way? I feel so silly, I have done it a thousand times, but when we all went to those slide things, and now, I have totally forgotten!

Boys are going through a rough patch, I am assuming with the teething, because Dylan is waking up at 2:30 every night, kind of inconsolable. They are both pulling to standing and crusing along things slowly, as well as having figured out how to climb steps.

Well, as of this weekend, JC and I are going to see a mediator and get papers filed by end of month, which we have both agreed to sign off on. He is still in the house, taking his time looking for a place, which is frustrating, because we have to stay apart or we are at eachtothers throats. We seem to have agreed on custody terms for now, I am having them revisited in 6 months. I will keep the house, but am giving him a nice chunk of change and alot of furniture and things. At this point, it is all formalities, and the sooner it is done, the better. I am having good moments and bad moments. Trying as best as possible to keep it together in front of the boys, and after they are in bed, I go upstairs and he goes downstairs. He goes out on Friday nights (until 4 am!) and I go out Saturday nights, so we stay away from eachother as much as possible. Since he could not give me a commitment on even a single day each week that he would see the boys, we have agreed that he will give me his schedule 2 weeks out and we will decide what day he will see the boys that way. Amazing, even after divorce, he still continues to care solely about himself and inconvenience the rest of the people around him, but whatever...

Steph-Have a GREAT time, I know you are gone already, but get some vacation in there for me!!!
Jen- I want to know how your surgery went, as that is something I would really consider doing. Hope you are feeling ok.
L and D go down at the same time, usually Dylan is the fussier one, but Logan pays him little to no mind. They get baths every other night, and then bottles and I take one up and then the other, within a few minutes of each other. Like said, we are having some middle of the night issues right now, but all par for the course.

Thank you all for your support and letting me vent through these issues. I have to say sometimes, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! That's what I feel like. I can't believe this is all happening, but I have to remain positive. Right!!!???

Love to all the mamas...

Mindy

[vthompson]

Not such a good Easter here...we woke up Sunday morning and everyone seemed fine. Then, we got to the IL's and Kayley was very clingy and just layed on either myself or DH. She was pretty fussy so I walked around the house with her. We stopped to look out the window and she threw up all over my arm and her new Easter clothes. Poor thing was crying and frightened. After we cleaned up, she layed on DH and feel asleep, I ate, then I took her and DH ate and we went home. Once we got home, the diarrhea started. She pretty much slept on and off most of the day. I have been giving her pedialyte. Just before her pm nap, I gave her some formula to see how she does. She also had a small amount of toast this morning. She has not went diarrhea since 5am, but she is still pretty lifeless. I feel so bad for her. I am sure Corey is next. He is being so whiny and needy today, I think he is jealous. My BIL is supposed to pick Corey up and hang out with him and his kids after the nap, so hopefully, he will get some much needed attention. It is so hard when one is sick and you are by yourself.

Mindy - I cannot believe he is dragging his feet. Why would he want to stay there if things are so hard. Are you at least getting some much needed time to yourself on Saturdays? I hope so!

Heather - It sounds like you had a much needed great time on your vacation. As for that principal, I agree with Jill, the last thing you want it to work for someone who has different teaching philosophies then you. I think you are a wonderful teacher, do not let him bring you down!

Jen - I have been thinking about you and hoping you would post very soon. I hope the pain subsides soon. Did you at least get some good drugs!! How has it been with other people in the house doing things for you? Take advantage of it now!! As for sleeping, we put both babies down at the same time. If DH is home, we each take a baby. If not, we have our bottles, I put Corey down first, only because he finishes his bottle so much quicker. Then, I put Kayley down when she is finished. I do the same thing for naps.

Jill - What you wrote was so nice. It really made me smile! It is amazing when you stop and think back as to what all has transpired in our lives. Truly amazing!

Monica - I love the new pic of you and all the kids. It is really cute!

Daniele - I am so sorry to hear about your grandma and the the boys' sickness. You certainly have a lot on your plate. Hang in there! We are all praying for you and your grandma.

Steph - I know you are long gone now, but have a great time! We all want to see pics when you get back. Try not to worry while you are gone. Everyone will survive!!

Joy - Is it possible that he lost weight because of the ear infection? Maybe he has not had an appetite lately.

Staci - I would be absolutely livid at your MIL, in fact, I am angry at her for you! Do not listen to what she says. You are a great mother and your babies are lucky to have you!!

Lisa - 2 days a week is a very good sex life! 80 year old women are lucky to have it 2 times a year!!

Kris - How is DH feeling? I hope better!

Kerrie - Good luck with the injections. I hope you are resting today!

The Office - SO funny last week! I was dying laughing, especially at the suit! I am very sad for how far away Pam and Jim's relationship seems to be now!

Massage - I have one word to describe...AMAZING! I wish I had the money to go like once a month!

Well, I have been on here forever...I better go!

Love ya ladies!

Valerie

[josie88]

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. We spent it with my IL. It's always crazy with all my nephews running around, Madison and Emily are the only girls.

Valerie- Ethan's appetite wasn't normal but I didn't think it would cause him to lose that much weight. Sorry to hear Kayley is sick. Hope she is feeling better and that Corey doesn't get it.

Mindy- Hi! I'm new here but, I wanted to say I was sorry to here about your relationship. BE STRONG for your boys they need you. I will pray for you.

Jill- TJ and Noah sound exactly like my two. Emily refuses to be on her belly, she immediately rolls over and smiles. It's like a game to her.

Daniele- Sorry to hear about your grandmother. We will all pray for you and your family.

Heather- Your vaca sounded great and very relaxing.

Gotto go. Madison wants the computer.

Joy

[newmomx2]

Hope everyone had a nice Easter ours was insanely busy ! My FIL got a really bad cold so now I am waiting for my guys to get sick...bound to happen with so many people holding them - they flipped out last night.

Mindy - Hang in there one day at a time.

Well on my own all week again (DH is on nights again). Hoping they sleep good - I figured out why Tyler has been up every night at 2:30 SCREAMING 3 teeth came in the last 2 days PHEW I hope this means he will sleep for better now !!!

I was asked to travel for business so my ILs probably will come for the night...which means I had to cancel our anniversay plans BUMMER.

Okay so SIL who I generally like - just had a baby end of Jan (2nd child oldest is 4 1/2; she was told she could NEVER have kids and while on birth control got pregnant) anywho she kept saying how her one baby weighed more than both of mine so it was just as difficult of a pregnancy - okay I bit my tongue ladies but HELLO I carried my guys 39 weeks and they were a total of 13 1/2 lbs my nephew was 9lbs 8oz (big baby) not to mentioned I delivered one and had a c-section with the other NOT THE SAME. She likes to be the center of attention and had to keep saying how we both have 2 kids now and it is so hard to take care of both...I just said yeah it is hard but fun...

okay off my soap box now had to get that off my chest before I start the work week.

Corey started to sleep on his side part of the night YEAH that should help his head also his appointment is Wed. wish us luck I really really hope that the neurosurgeon says it is okay and he does not need a helmet I really don't want to put a helmet on my little guy...

Love to all

- Missy

PS - jen I hope you feel better soon

[Megzackben]

Missy how are things between you and DH now? My SIL (brother's wife) is the same-having to be the center of attention. You seem to be able to handle her very well. Good luck with Corey's appt.

[lilybug19]

Hello mamas! Well today Lily had her physical tharapy. It went alright. She got her into a crawl position where Lily moved her arms forward and therapist moved her legs. She was crawling towards a cherrio. Therapist suggested using food to get her to move.
Monica & Jill- I'm with you on the mobility issues. I try not to get too excited over the whole thing. I just work with her the best that I can, and know that eventually she'll get it.

Jen- Glad that your surgery went well. My babies sleep in separate rooms so I don't have any tips for you there.

Heather- Yeah to Zack & Ben on the new teeth!!!

Mindy- What your going through is very difficult, but it sounds like you have a firm grasp on the situation. My DH was very neglectful when our twins were first born till about 6 months, but he has seen the error of his ways. I still struggle everyday though with moving on from that. Even though he has changed it's still hard to forgive, and that's where I'm at now still figuring out if I can.

Valerie- I hope that Kayley is on her way to a fast recovery. DH is much better, and we all managed to stay well while he was sick.

Missy- DH works nights as well. Also Lily was screaming in the middle of the night last week too. She got 3 teeth. Hang in there if it's the teeth it doesn't last more than a few nights. My best friends baby has a helmet. He has been in it a month and his head is much better. She sees the Dr. this week so I'll let you know how much longer he has to wear it. Originally the Dr. said only 1-2 months. So that's not bad.

Just wondering if any of you feel like you are always feeding babies? Mine still don't hold their bottles so I'm feeding 4- 7oz. bottles per day each and 3 solid feedings. Just wondering what everyone else's feeding schedules were like. Any tips on bottle holding would be appreciated.
Have a great night.
Kris

[Megzackben]

Kris-for feeding my boys JUST starting holding their bottle (Zack throws his most of the time) but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Podee bottle. I got mine at Babysrus and the replacement tubing online. I go shopping, everywhere and they feed themselves. It has saved my sanity. Good luck.

Okay think I am getting my period. I am still all messed up because of the Mirena. Got a thing of b/c pills but I am so absent minded that I have only taken 1 weeks worth in the past 2-3weeks. The main reason for the mirena. But I can't tell if this is the breakthrough bleeding I had for 2 months or the real thing. I am soo grumpy yesterday and today that I am assuming it is my period. Poor DH....

Okay night. I have to go to bed at a normal time tonight. School starts tomorrow YUCK!

[Jillmami]

Jen, glad surgery is done and you are on the mend. Here's to a speedy recovery! :cheers: As to the sleeping question, not sure how much help I'll be. I put mine down around 7 each night. Some nights they cry for a bit, some they don't. Noah is the town crier while TJ just goes to sleep. (Love that girl!) :snicker: If he is still crying after 20 min. I'll go in to reassure him someone's there with a little butt pat, pacifier/blankie check and then he's on his own. About once a week he needs a little rocking. When TJ is in the nursery with Noah, she will go down fine, but wakes up several times and is in a playful mood. Once put back down, she will still play. If I put her in a pack n play in my office, she will sleep until 8 without waking once. Weird! I used to space out their goodnight times as you do but decided to put them down at the same time. The first night Noah did his usual crying and TJ slept right through it. Sometimes she will cry if he does but it's more of a "shut up and go to sleep already" irritated cry. But they learned to fall asleep just fine.

Mindy, good luck at the mediator appt. I am sorry that you have to go through this. It certainly can't be easy to deal with all of that stress and then trying to stay positive for the boys. You definitely seem to be doing a tremendous job of juggling all of those feelings. Make sure that you are getting a release somehow/somewhere with friends/family/professionals. I admire your strength in all of this and respect your decision and perseverance with dh. Stay strong and keep going for you and your precious boys.

Valerie, how is Kayley doing? Any more serious symptoms? How awful! I am dreading the first 'real' illness with vomit/diarrhea. Did anyone else catch it? Wishing you all a healthy week!!

Missy, hope that yours are sleeping better especially with dh gone. I'll be flying solo for 9 days soon and don't look forward to it. Still have a few months of pumping to go (goal is first week of June). Luckily, I'll have a few friends come over a little each day to give me some pumping/shopping/napping breaks. Hang in there and tell those teeth to wait until next week to start bugging the babies! Yeah Tyler with the teeth! Go Corey with the side sleeping!! Re: SIL, what is it with people who need all of that attention? I think that people either think that having twins means you are part crazy and it's impossible to do or else they think it's a piece of cake. My mom had 3 kids in 4 years. She said to me last summer, "wow, having two at the same time is really a challenge. You almost always have a baby in your arms and if not, you are doing something to get ready to have a baby in your arms." Unless she handled the twins, she will never know. Good thing she didn't have the twins and you did! :snicker:

Kris, mine have been holding bottles for a LONG time. I think it's because of the pacifiers they have used since in the NICU. They are attached to a stuffed animal. It really developed their grasp skills early on. Of course they like to do a version of Flashdance that I call "Splashdance" where they shake the bottles up and down while doing a booty bounce and end up with splashes of milk on their faces. What we did was lie them on the boppies and give them their bottles and place their hands on it during all feedings. They just caught on after a while. Good luck on this!

For those of you trying to fatten up a baby... our NICU nurse was here today for our monthly visit and told us to put 1/2-1 tsp of olive oil, butter, or marg. into fruits/veggies/pasta/rice/etc. That will fatten up the nice healthy veggies and fruits that otherwise don't have a high calorie content. We are also trying cooked egg yolk as finger food, shredded MJ cheese, and waffles with butter. She also recommended soups minus the broth. Has lots of meat, pasta/rice and veggies that are nice and soft. Plus it can be frozen for those nights where they can't really eat what dh and I are eating. Then I won't have to fix anything special for them.

OK, pumping done and I'm off to get ready for school. Take care and enjoy the week mamas!

[AndreaR]

Hi Everyone!

I feel like I am so far behind that I will never, ever catch up. I haven't read all the posts, but I hope to later today. I don't know how all of you do what you do. I'm the one who stays at home, with a live in nanny, and no other children. I feel like I can't do half of what all of you do! YOU ARE ALL ROCK STAR MAMAS in my book.

Things here are good. The girls are sleeping together very, very well. DH & I are kicking ourselves that we didn't put Maddie in the nursery sooner. They sleep through the night most nights. Maybe two or three times a week I have to get up for one of them. Usually they don't wake eachother up, only if it's close to morning.

Jen, I think you asked about bedtime rituals. If it wasn't Jen, I'm sorry.... Anyway, we feed the girls around 6:00, then they stay in their highchairs at the table while we eat (and Izzy gets scraps of whatever she can; Maddie is holding firm with Stage 2 foods only). Around 7:30 DH & I take them upstairs and he plays with them on the floor of their room while I get the bath ready. They are finally in the regular bathtub. It is so much fun. They get a bath every night - I don't know how we couldn't - they get so dirty from dinner. After the bath, DH takes Maddie into our room and gets her dressed and rocks her and sings to her. I take Izzy into their room and get her dressed and nurse her. He usually puts Maddie in her crib while I am still nursing Izzy. Maddie falls asleep right away; Izzy takes forever. She does laps up and down and around the crib. She talks to Madeline...She waves to Madeline....She turns on the aquarium....She turns off the aquarium. Then, finally (after 45 mins or so), she lays down, buries her face in her lovey, sticks her bum in the air, and she's out! We've been giving them a bath every night for a really long time. I think it helps them transition.

Maddie is working very hard on her tummy, and she's made some progress, but she's still not up on all fours. PT from EI comes every other week.

Shoot, I hear them both crying, so I should go. Sorry this is so short.

Hello and welcome to the new mommies!

Daniele - I saw your post and I am praying for your family.

Mindy - Stay strong, mama - you are one amazing woman.

Everyone else - I LOVE YOU!! I will try to be back later.

xoxo
Andrea

[SunMoonMom]

Good Morning Mommies...

Well the injections went fine... I was more drugged up afterwards than I thought... ended up falling asleep at 2p and not getting out of bed until 4:30p.

I really should have taken notes as I read over the posts so if I miss anyone, please don't be mad...

Danielle - My prayers are with your Grandmother and your entire family. I have been there and I know how difficult this time is... Plus with the boys, its like being pulled in too many directions and felling that you are being torn apart from the inside out... just know we are here for you if you need to share your pain.. We can handle it...

Jen - I am so glad your sugery is done and you are healing... I know that once you get past the pain it will have been all worth it...

Sleeping - We put our boys to bed at the same time... Well there is like a minute or two between because I can't carry them up the stairs yet... (soon hopefully after the injections in my back). DH normally puts Zach down and then Ben... Ben will cry for about 15 - 20 minutes (we had a record the other night of 45 minutes, found out later that Ben had actually made himself throw up after crying for so long... Can you say we are the worst parents ever?) Needless to say that was an anomoly... Normally they go down fairly well... Jill, I'm with TJ on the irritated crying to make brother stop... Zach's cries mostly should be translated to say "Shut the H*ll Up" Ben just doesn't like going down.. Scared he will miss something...

Valerie - How is Kayley? I am terrified of the first vomit/diarrhea illness... I think I will have to invest in a hazmat suit... Not good with other's puke or sick poop... not that I've had a lot of experience but I'm more of a snot and cough caretaker...

Kris - My boys have just now started holding their own bottles... And only if they want to... Overally they like to hold them, shake them up and down (enjoying the Splashdance) then put it back in suck two times then start over again... And yes, we feel like we are feeding them all the time...

Mindy - You are in my prayers... I wanted to think of something inspirational to say but couldn't... Just know we are all here for you during this difficult time... You are definitely one tough mama... and doing what is right for your kids...

Kids Calling Each Other - Okay so for about a week now, Ben has been getting up about 3p and is unconsolable.. Now his brother is getting in on the act... I think it is because they both have teeth cutting through right now... Zach with his 3rd already through the skin and number 4 coming right along... Ben with his 3rd slowly inching toward the skin... I believe all of our kids are calling each other and creating a huge plot to keep us from sleeping... All I know is this has got to stop soon... DH and I are planning on going to bed at the same time the boys do tonight just so we can get some sleep before all heck breaks lose...

Lisa - Yeah Brady!!! It is just a tiny step from walking with the walker to walking on his own... Also Yeah Ethan!!! Crawling makes causing havoc so much easier!!! GREAT JOB BOYS!!!

Heather - Welcome back... Great pictures and so glad you had a good vacation... Missed ya though...

Oh My Dad - I talked to him this weekend... He still has the trech in so it was only quick "I love You" and "I know" kind of thing but I at least got to tell him how much I love him and see if he knew we were in town... He says he did...

Ben - Ben is now officially walking... He has taken a step here and there on his own but starting yesterday morning the boy is walking like 2 - 3 feet on his own... He doesn't want any assistance and when he falls on his butt, he just gets back up and tries again... DH and I were struck stupid yesterday the first time he walked across the play area unassisted just to get a toy he wanted...

Zachary - He is now trying to walk too... He doesn't want any help with balance even though he really needs it... Well, I'm sure he will figure it out too...

Food - last night the boys had some rice... Not much and not a lot at one time but they didn't throw up or spit it out... Slowly but surely these boys will eat true solids...

J*ck*ss People - Okay so I have to vent to you guys because you will understand... Saturday we were at Barnes and Noble... I had the boys with me and a stack of books in my arms... I was looking over the bargain books when this woman comes up with her daughter to look too... She notices the boys and says "Oh My God... There are two!... I had a total of 5 but only one at a time... You must be crazy! They must run you ragged... " On and on this woman went about how awful it must be to have twins... I finally had to say "No, really its a lot of fun and they are a delight... They make my day, everyday... Okay boys lets go find your daddy..." then walked away... I just don't understand why people have this desire to make twins such a negative... While on the topic of J*ck*sses... I am officially hanging a sign on my stroller that says "Don't touch the babies... They will bite!!!"

Okay enough of my attitude this morning...

Have a GREAT day ladies.

Kerrie

[EBTwinz]

Kerrie: We must have been posting at the same time. Your posts always crack me up. I really enjoy reading them. Don't feel bad about letting Ben cry that long. I have done it before and walked in to find puke, too. Ethan is so afraid that he will miss something, too, and hates to sleep. They are finally just going to sleep w/out too much of a fight. Sorry to hear about the teeth. Mine still wake up once a night, too. They will go a few days w/out waking up then a few days w/ waking up. I just go w/ the flow.

Heather: I am so sorry I forgot to respond to you! Your vacation sounded like a lot of fun! I am so glad you got your well deserved break. Hope school isn't too stressful for you today.

Christel: How's it going??

Felisha: You still hangin in there??

Okay, so I had a dream the other night that we all went on the Rachel Ray show. We got to meet each other and then she showed us how to make a quick meal since we have twins.. ha ha! Maybe one of us should contact the show and see if we all can really meet and go on the show. Wouldn't that be cool???

Really going this time. I posted like 4 times today!

lisa

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Hi Mamas! I am actually in sitting position and typing. It's a good day-- I get the yucky drain tubes taken out this afternoon.

So many posts! Let's see what I can remember (I'm still on percocet so you know...)

Lisa--glad to hear the kids are sleeping! Good for you! Also, I wanted to tell you that my husband would think he had died and gone to heaven if he got regular sex two times a week! I think that is just fine when you have a housefull of babies.:) I've been watching TLC and discovery all the time in the past week since I've been confined to the couch....oh, memories....DH thinks I've lost it and can't understand why I'm watching baby shows.

Mindy-Did I miss the big reveal??Or are you torturing us?? hee hee Honestly though, I'm glad that you're moving forward. It will be such a relief to get the house to yourself. I can't imagine living with that tension. You are awesome, and really taking care of your boys. So many woman don't do what is right for their kids--be proud and I know that it will all get better from here because you are a strong woman. I have put my pictures up through photobucket--they explain what to do. I'll talk about my t.tuck in another post.

Missy- Your SIL is crazy. IF pregnancy was a competition, which it is NOT, you would win! hee hee You do have impressive stats for a twin pregnancy! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for corey's head.

Felisha- How are you doing lately? I hope you find some support. My SIL has an 11 m.o. and was just diagnosed with postpartum depression-- she has been trying to fight it, but is now going for conseling-no drugs. I hope you can find a way to feel better about things.

Val-poor kayley! What a miserable Easter! Happy Anniversary to you, though! You new pics are adorable. Your boys have really matured lately and look so much older! I'm glad you enjoyed the massage, too. I would love a full body massage once a week. Don't we all deserve that??

Christel-You were cracking me up with the cheesecake, wine and :knuddel: story. Congrats on Ruby's tooth, too! That's great!

Monica- I checked out baby Aurelia's link. I'm SOOO happy for them--what a strong little baby! DH and I have a few parking lot stories of our own-:love: -you do what you have to do when you have kids, right? ; )

Heather-sorry about the observation. Let your students remind you of what a great teacher you are-- they are the ones who count! Please know that you always write with such openness, caring, and sincerity that it is touching. I'm sure these qualities carry over to your teaching!

Staci- Your MIL needs to be spoken to-- will DH do it? After that, just ignore that bull sh!t. You have beautiful children. Aiden is obviously well cared for. Way to go on the standing! Your lesbian wedding pregnant bridemaid story was hilarious. Thanks for sharing!

Danielle- I'm thinking of you and hoping that your grandmother isn't suffering. Let us know how things are going if you get a chance.

Steph- Hope the cruise is AMAZING! I am having some "letting go" issues right now myself--I'm here watching everyone do things "wrong" but I'm helpless! Ugh! DH has really stepped up to the plate, though. I'm proud of him. I can't believe Evan has a molar. Incredible! Your boys think they're 18 months. Will you please share your bedtime routine when you get back?? It sounds like it is right up my alley!

Jill-thanks for the sweet post. It always nice to be validated for all we do. You are pretty incredible yourself for the way you've nutured those babies.

Kerrie-:clap: for your dad. Glad to hear it!

Kris- hope things are running smoothly in your house now. I know you've been told a million times, but great easter photos of the kiddos!

Joy-Welcome!!

Thanks for the bedtime responses. Much appreciated! I'll hop on later to tell you about the surgery, experience, results, etc. I'm going to get my hair washed in the sink. NO baths for two more days. You wouldn't want to sit next to me right now! :snicker:

Jen

[christel]

:hello:

We'll we're home again... at least the girls and I are home. We got home at lunch time yesterday and DH had to leave for a field site early this morning. He'll be back Thurs. night. "BIG SIGH" He thinks the travel should slow down by the end of the summer, but he's got trips lined up to Washington state, Nebraska, Wyoming and the UK between now and then. I'm tossing around the idea of trying to go with him on at least one of those... WITH the girls. I wonder if we just camped at the pool in the hotel if it wouldn't be ok. Guess it depends on how many days we're there. I've just got cabin fever and want to go somewhere other than my mom's!

Easter was good, but COLD. It snowed on Sat. (didn't really stick) and we got cute pics of the girls experiencing their first snow...CLICK HERE (http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/snelsonc6896/?action=view&current=IMG_2156.jpg) :)
And HERE (http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/snelsonc6896/?action=view&current=MVI_2274.flv) are the girls on Easter morning. And HERE (http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e318/snelsonc6896/?action=view&current=IMG_2287.jpg) they are in their Easter dresses getting their baskets. Church went well, they stayed with us through the service (didn't want to put them in a strange nursery w/ workers I didn't know). So, I was really happy :jump: Although, Ruby did let out 2 burps worthy of a sailor, but it wasn't during a prayer, so not too humiliating :D

They're waking up from their nap, so I've gotta jet... will post later and respond to everyone!

:lovemytwins:
Christel

[christel]

I'll be posting in pieces today... I can already tell... the wimpering child put herself back to sleep for a few moments.

Jen - SO glad that you're on the mend! Just take it easy, keep "letting go" and follow the dr.'s orders. Complications from lifting or trying something you're not to do yet would NOT be fun. And, if you wanna laugh, read THIS! (http://othejoys.blogspot.com/2007/04/practical-in-nature.html) On the subject of tummy tucks and all.

Sleeping - we put the girls down and the same time. Bathing takes place a bit earlier, so the girls don't associate it w/ bed time. The routine goes like this: jammies, in bed, story, peek-a-boo with Nannie Blankets, tuck in, prayers, kisses, lights off, cd on, close door. Last night they played for 30 min. and then went to sleep. They usually play and wind down for a bit, admire themselves in their crib mirrors, explore the bed, talk to each other, etc. But they always fall asleep w/out us coming back in and w/out crying (unless they are WAY overtired).

gotta run... here them for real now. Be back later
:lovemytwins:
Christel

[SunMoonMom]

I have no idea what is wrong with me today...

Here is me at work today... :hmpf:

I was looking for a smile that was just flipping the middle finger but didn't find it...

If I roll my eyes one more time today I think they will fall out of my head...

I am not safe for human consumption today...

Maybe its PMS... or just plain old grumpiness...

Okay just needed to verbalize it to someone or I was going to explode...

Smiles on the outside, screaming "You FREAKING idiots" on the inside...

Gotta love working.

Kerrie

[JERSEYGEMINI]

Val- Brady is a cute little walker. He looks shocked!

Andrea- Missed you before-- it's great to hear from you!

Christel- Your girls looked beautiful on Easter-- but so did YOU. You are just glowing! Read the blog, too, and totally related!

Kerrie- All I can say is that I hope you get home soon! Hang in there!

Alright, my mom took all three kids for a walk. Ahhhh...peace and quiet.

For those of you interested in the tummy tuck, I'll describe it for you. For the others, sorry if this TMI (you may want to skip ahead). This was PAINFUL and I do not recommend it unless you have a serious excess muscle/skin issue--do not do this if you are a little bulgey or loose! In another week, I'll put up before/after pictures so you can see how bad my middle was. It really did swing in the breeze and I am not a large person. Now, I am so tight that I can't stand up straight, but hopefully that will not be forever!

It hurts so much because the incision goes from one hip bone all the way to the other. This is a skinny incision so supposedly it will be barely noticable after a year. I am so sore because they also do liposuction and sew your muscles vertically up to your ribs. I also had the massive hernia so my belly button is brand new. I wear a girdle 24/7 and only take sponge baths. Womanly parts really need to be bathed more than every six days if you know what I mean. I have two drains coming out of me around my pubic area. I have to empty these three times/day and record how much fluid comes out. It is as gross as you might imagine. The gas pains weren't as bad as post-c-section, but trying to go to the bathroom was HORRIBLE. I thought I would die. HOWEVER, after almost a week on percocet (I had a terrible vomiting reaction to morphine), I am going to switch to tylenol, get these drains removed today, and hopefully stand up straight. It has been an agonizing, gross week, but I peeked under my girdle (I was forbidden to do this, but common on!) and I am amazed. I am no Victoria's Secret model, but I believe my pre-baby belly is back. Woo Hoo!! My belly had always been my one "good" spot because I gain weight in the tush/ thigh areas so it is so wonderful to see it again. I actually got a little teary, even with all the stitches, tubes and tape still there. DH is so cute and excited to get me to himself for some :knuddel: He said he loved me just the way is was, but he is hoping that I am more confident now when we're getting busy. I hope so, too!

SO, I would say that if you have a serious problem with your middle, you have lots of help available for 2-3 weeks, and you are prepared for some intense pain for about five or six days, the results are worth it.

I am doing fairly well letting others care for the kids (although
DH tells me I'm bossy and my mom reminds me, "we might not do it exactly your way, but they're eating, sleeping and happy, right?"). I feel terrible not being able to put them to bed or pick them up when they fall. I can hold them with a pillow on my lap and give them hugs while someone else holds them.

I am going to try having these babies go down together tonight. Kerrie, Val, Lisa, Christel, Jill and everyone else who wrote-- your suggestions were so helpful. They are starting to find comfort in having each other in the room at night- they sometimes have midnight "conversations" and then go right back to sleep. I am hoping the change in routine will go smoothly.

Have a great evening!
Jen