11 Weeks Old

Another week bites the dust. They weren't awake at the same time during the day so I had to settle for individual photo sessions. Probably not a bad thing anyway considering the both threw up like mad. At least my hallway is clean now. 

You can really tell how much bigger Ryan is than Reese in these pictures. He looks like a sasquatch compared to her. I wonder if I'd realize how small she really is if she wasn't a twin? I love these kids to pieces. Some days all I do is look at them, play with them, take pictures of them and then look at pictures of them while I'm holding them. To say they've overtaken every aspect of my life would be a slight understatement.

Progress

Back in the before baby days, this weekend project would've been done. We'd be exhausted, but it would be done. Given the state of the state, the fact that I have all of the frames ordered and mapped out on the wall is enough of an accomplishment for one weekend.

When flip and flop were born I had Joe bring scrapbook paper with him into the OR and told him his one job was to make sure that they stamped the babies' feet onto the paper for me. I just dropped their footprints off at the frame shop to be matted and framed for our stairway gallery. I'm super excited. I can't wait to see how they come out.

All of the "on order" frames will be here by Friday, the footprints will be ready in two weeks. So my weekend project will take three weekends. What else is new?

Weekend Project

I've been wanting to put together a photo gallery in our stairwell forever, but I was holding out for a trip to Ikea so I can pick up some Ribba frames on the cheap. Seeing as the closest Ikea is a 3 hour drive, that's clearly not going to happen with the twinsies in tow. At least not anytime soon. So I'm biting the bullet and getting frames at Target. Slightly more expensive, but less of a headache overall.

We already have a photo gallery in our living room, and we freehanded that arrangement.

It's not so easy to make something look random. Especially when you are a type-a, symmetry is poetry kind of gal. But my love for gallery walls runs deep and I think that random tends to look better. So I've been snapping away at inspiration pictures and I think I'm ready to give it a go.

Here are two that I'm going to model our stairwell gallery after

{ via }

{ blurry iPhone pic taken at my local PB }

If all else fails, there's this handy gallery for dummies layout that came with the last set of frames I bought from Pottery Barn. I'm not afraid to break out a template in an effort to save my sanity (and my marriage).

Between old family photos, our engagement pictures, wedding pictures, maternity pictures and now pictures of the babies I think my biggest problem will be narrowing down what actually makes the wall. Hopefully Joe is game for this project which I have yet to mention to him, since he clearly will be doing all the heavy lifting while I manage from the bottom of the staircase. 

Really some days it's a wonder that the man doesn't get in his car and just start driving. 

10 Weeks

Reese and Ryan turned 10 weeks old yesterday. I can't believe how quickly the last two and a half months have gone. After counting down my life in two week waits and weeks between ultrasounds, my days and weeks are just flying. In fact, I literally just wrote out a check that was sent back to me because I dated it for 2010. Clearly I have major mommy-brain. I've lost all track of time and space. 

Everyday the twins do something new and amazing, I can't believe how quickly they are learning and developing into little people. Each day gets a little easier and a little more fun. Don't get me wrong, there are still a lot of moments where two babies are screaming like banshees and I'm scratching my head wondering what I signed on for. But overall, life is as good as it gets.

I realized I've asked for a lot of advice over the last few weeks, but never followed the advice up with how things turned out. So here's a brief update on all things Sprout-related.

Scheduling

After reading everyone's advice and spending a few more days fighting the kids to get them down for naps, up for wake time and everything in between, I gave up on trying to schedule them. I also stopped waking them up to eat both at night and during the day. This was somewhere around 4 weeks of age.

Now at 10 weeks old, they go to bed somewhere between 10 and 11 p.m. I usually feed them before I put them down. They sleep until 3 or 4 a.m., go back down again and sleep until 7-8 a.m. and *usually* they go back down one more time until between 9-11 a.m.

During the day I feed them as soon as they wake up from a nap. I usually try to play with them if they are awake, but if they're sleepy right after they eat, I don't fight it. They sleep when they're tired and I let them. I never let them sleep more than three hours at a time during the day, but that rarely ever happens.

As it shakes out they eat about 8 times in a 24 hour period, most of the feedings happen between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. They both are excellent sleepers and Reese's disposition has improved tenfold!

Crib Transitioning

I banned the babies from our bed at around 3 weeks old. Unfortunately Joe's grandpa passed away that next week and we spent 5 days away from home during which time there was a lot of cosleeping going on. When we got home they were still in our bed until things normalized for them (and us).

I banned them again at 5 weeks. We started the transition out of our room by letting them fall asleep in our bed and then once they were asleep moving them into their crib. Then when they woke up to eat I would nurse them and put them right back in their crib. 

Eventually it just turned into wake to eat - back to crib. To help with the transition we introduced a space heater (their room has the worst heat/cooling of all the rooms in our house because of the way the duct work is set up) and started playing ocean waves (we got an iPod sound dock for their room at Home Goods and I leave the waves playing all night long). Adding those things to the nursery definitely helped signify nighttime sleep. 

After about a week we were able to just put them in their cribs at the beginning of the night to fall asleep.  Now 3+ weeks later we can put them in their cribs and they just go to bed. Very cool.

Colic

Reese was diagnosed as having colic at her one month well baby. Around 8 weeks she suddenly stopped fussing as much. From what I read, colic normally disappears between month 3 and 4, so I'm left wondering if she ever really had colic. Honestly, the timing of her new leaf is awfully coincidental with when I stopped waking her up from naps to eat. 

I don't really think she ever had colic, I think she was just really pissed off that I was waking her up all of the time and I think she was overtired. I mean, if someone woke me up every time I fell asleep, I'd be pissed off too. And let me tell you that kid LOVES to sleep. Sleeping beauty.

Breastfeeding

I'm still plugging right along. Just when I was ready to quit, Joe came down with a 24-hour (nasty) stomach bug, which I then caught. I nursed the twins right through it and neither of them got sick. That was enough incentive to stick with breastfeeding a bit longer. 

Nursing is much, much easier now. It's still an awful pain in the ass when we do long outings or day trips, with all of the pumping and toting of bottles, etc. But it's not painful anymore and I rarely have issues pertaining to oversupply or latch or that sort of thing.

I plan to reevaluate how long I want to nurse for once they hit 4 months and the weather warms up. But, for now, things are good status quo.

Reflux

Both babies have been diagnosed with GI reflux. At first I tried to remedy the situation with liquid probiotics, and while that helped with (some of) the discomfort, the babies were still projectile vomiting two hours after eating. So we started them on Tagamet about a week and a half ago and all is well with the world again.

Ryan sleeps with a wedge, Reese hasn't needed one. Both babies are gaining beautifully. In fact, Reese weighed 8 lbs, 14 oz at her check this week and Ryan weighed 10 lbs, 2 oz.

Baby Carriers

We ended up keeping one of our Baby Bjorns because Joe likes it and felt comfortable using it. I ordered the Beco Gemini and I find it to be much more comfortable than the Bjorn for longer carries. It's a bit awkward when you are walking up stairs or inclines with the baby strapped to you because of the placement of their legs, but overall it's much more comfortable than the Bjorn and I like its versatility. 

I think that about covers the gamut of all the things I asked for help on over the last two months. Thank you for all of the advice and recommendations so far. You are wonderful!

Fabulous Sisal Look-Alike

If you've been around this blog for a while you know the battle I've fought with my stairs (and my husband as a result of these stairs). If you've missed it you can catch up here, here, here and here.

We've been in our house for almost 5 years and I can safely say the stair renovation is complete. Ironically, carpet ended up back on the stairs. Sort of.

We had a runner installed to make the stairs safer and so that Gracie, the wonder dog, would stop geeking out about going up and down them - a process that was causing more nail holes and scratches in the stairs than I care to admit.

The runner looks just like sisal but it's actually a wool blend. I love it so much we're using it in our upcoming basement remodel.

The carpet is by a company called Stanton Carpet and the specific line is Ribcord (our color is Maize). It runs about $5 per sq. ft. if anyone is interested.

We're so close to finishing our house completely that, of course, we're ready to move. Ha. I can't believe after five years of living here we're a shed, some bedroom furniture and a basement remodel away from being "done". What will I do with all of my spare time?
Oh, that's right. I don't have any. 

A Wonderful Surprise

Today my husband found 24 pictures on his camera. Pictures I had no idea were taken. Pictures of the twins' delivery. Because the babies were thought to be IUGR, I was induced and there were a lot of people in the delivery room with us. They whisked the babies away as soon as they entered the world and it was well over an hour before I saw Ryan (Baby A) for the first time. I heard him cry, but didn't physically see him for what felt like an eternity. I figured my husband just wasn't able to get pictures because the doctors were concerned with the babies' health and size. Besides, I was too busy pushing Reese out and then too busy waiting to hear their weights and their cries and that they were safe and healthy to care about pictures.

I now have 24 wonderful images documenting the best day of my life so far. I am so thankful for each and every one of them. I am so thankful to my husband for taking them. I can't believe this was already 63 days ago. It honestly feels like it just happened yesterday.

Exactly 13 months ago to the day, I had a D&C bringing my first pregnancy to a bitter and painful end. We were forced to take a break while my body healed. There were so many conversations about what we would do next. How many IVF's we would suffer through. How many more losses could we possibly endure. My heart was so broken and my life felt so empty.

We agreed that we would do one more round of IVF and if it didn't work out or if I lost another baby we would walk away and move forward living our lives child-free. We talked about cashing in my husband's 401K, selling our house in the 'burbs, selling all of our possessions and sailing around the world for a year. We decided we'd pick whichever country we liked the most at the end of that year and permanently relocate there. We figured there was no need for houses and retirement savings and careers if we had no children to provide for; we'd just travel and live and follow our hearts in a different direction.

I can't believe I ever thought a trip around the world could ever compare to this journey that I'm now on; that I ever thought there was a possible replacement or substitution for being a mommy. The last two months of my life have been the best two months of my life. I don't know why I was given such a beautiful gift, but I am thankful for it every second of every day. What a wonderful year 2011 has been.

Irish Twins

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

{ momentary peace }

{ reality }

{ photo shoot over }

9 weeks old

They're officially not newborns anymore. My tiny babies are disappearing, but thankfully they're being replaced with smiling, laughing, cooing babies. I loved the tiny snuggly stage, but this new bright-eyed stage where everything is new and exciting is pretty freaking fun. What a blessing these two are, I thank God every day for this life I am so blessed to live.

Ryan Talks

I seriously could not love this little boy more!

Ryan: 8 weeks

Good Morning Mister! As usual, you have waited (quietly and contentedly) while Mommy got to your sister first. I have so many things I've been wanting to share with you, but these last few weeks have been quite the ride. Let me just start by telling you what an easy baby you are. Mommy and Daddy are very lucky to have you in their lives, and we are very lucky to have only ONE baby like you. If we had two babies like you, Mommy is sure she'd be pregnant again already. Kids like you make me understand why and how people can have 19 kids!

{ the day you were born }

So let me tell you about your last 56 days of life. When you were born and I heard you cry for the first time, it was the most surreal experience of my life. I kept looking at your Daddy and asking him if that moment was real, if you were real. Your voice was like nothing I had ever heard and nothing I could have imagined. Your voice, to this day, is still one of the sweetest sounds I've ever encountered.

{ 1 week old }

You sneeze in threes and when you finish sneezing you make this noise "guhhh" and it's so adorably funny. We look forward to it now and are disappointed when you sneeze and don't "guhhh" afterward.

{ 2 weeks, 5 days old }

You also make a funny little whistling sigh right after you yawn. Your whole face yawns in an exaggerated O and then you sigh like you've never slept a second in your life. Right after you yawn you find a way to nuzzle in and snuggle down and then you fight sleep like a madman. Your tiny little eyes flutter and roll back in your head and just when we think you are out POP your eyes are open wide again and you're staring right at us.

So back to your crying, that first cry in the hospital was the last cry you had for a long, long time. But mister, when you cry, you really cry and let me tell you it's not the cutest face we've ever seen. Daddy and I call your cry the ugly cry. Your whole face wrinkles and your brow furrows and your lips curl out and you let out the shrillest little whimpers. It's probably not nice of us, but when you break out the ugly cry, we laugh.

But really you're not much of a crier. You wake up happy, you sit happy, you sleep happy. If you're crying Daddy and I know something is really wrong with you and we panic. I guess you're the strong and silent type.

While you are the "quiet" baby, don't be fooled. You are still quite spastic! Since the day we brought you home you jump (and jump HIGH) at loud noises. You are our little monkey. One day I found this picture online and Daddy and I both got a good laugh in. This picture is so you. We call this your WTF face. If you are sleeping in our arms and we start to talk, you jump. If you are sitting in a chair and the dog walks into the room, you jump. If you are falling asleep and the wind blows, you jump. Hysterical.

You are a cuddle monster. There is nothing you love more than laying splayed out on Mommy or Daddy's chest. When you lay on top of us you rub your little hand over our skin and pat us, like you're comforting and snuggling us as much as we're comforting and snuggling you. You nestle right into a nook and move your head back and forth until you are perfectly comfortable. 

You're a sensitive boy who is very attune to the space around you. If your sister starts crying your face just crumples, you can't stand to hear her be upset. Your awareness and focus on your surroundings causes you to look like a very serious baby, like you are pondering the world and all of its problems. We found a picture of Daddy when he was your age and guess what? He has the same exact look on his face, so I have confidence that you won't be serious and worried your whole life!

For the first two weeks we had you home all you did was sleep, and then one day you woke up and never shut your eyes again. We actually felt bad because you would be wide awake staring at the world and we'd put you in your crib or bouncy chair so we could sleep. At three weeks old, you could stay awake for three hours at a time! And, of course, your favorite time to be awake is late at night (a night owl like your mama!) so there you'd be, staring at us from your bassinet in the dark, at 11 p.m., just absorbing everything around you. 

It didn't take long for you to hate being swaddled. By three weeks you fought to have your arms free, and so we would just swaddle you from the waist down. By four weeks we abandoned the swaddle completely and somewhere in that space of time you began sleeping with your arms above your head like you just scored a touchdown. 

For a while you and your sister slept in Mommy and Daddy's bed. Reese slept with Daddy and you slept with me, right next to my side. We've spent many hours just looking at each other through the dull glow of a night light. You and I both like to have our space when we sleep, but we held hands every night. 

It wasn't long before you found your voice. You started out with tiny grunts, umphs and ughs, and soon you were moaning and groaning and grunting LOUDLY. Of course your favorite time to chat was between the hours of 2 and 5 a.m. Your sister sleeps right through your grunts, but Mommy and Daddy could not. There were several nights where we'd wake up and say "shut up Ryan!" but you never listened to us, you just kept chattering away. 

Even though the sound of your voice is the sweetest thing I've ever heard, I needed to get some sleep and so we moved you guys to your nursery and you started sleeping there at night. Now that you are sleeping in your crib like a big boy, I very much miss the feeling of your tiny hand wrapped around my finger when I sleep. 

Speaking of sleep, you poor thing, you went through a period where something I was eating was giving you terrible gas. Oh goodness, you would be sleeping so peacefully when all of a sudden you would scream and scare the bejesus out of Daddy and I and *poof* - just like that - you'd fall back asleep. It would have been funny if we didn't feel so bad for you.

You've always loved sitting up and looking around a room - you take in all of the shapes and objects. Once you turned six weeks old you were able to turn to face me or Daddy when you heard our voice and you could follow us in and out of a room with your eyes. Right around 7 weeks you started smiling at us on purpose. The first time you smiled at your Daddy it brought him to tears. You have the sweetest smile, it takes up your whole face and your eyes light up. You smile most when Daddy rubs your forehead and cheeks or I talk to you in a high pitched voice. 

Right now you are working on sitting up on your own. You are fascinated by lights and shapes. 

{ 3 weeks, 5 days }

{ 7 weeks, 6 days }

Your favorite toy is your Rainforest Playmat, but you also love your bouncy seat and watching sports on TV with Daddy. You were fascinated by your first lacrosse game (something that made Daddy very happy). 

From the day we brought you home you were very aware of your hands. Constantly folding them and manipulating them, putting them in your mouth, grabbing on to things. 

{ just a week old}

Sometimes the use of your hands is quite comical, especially when you use them to cover your face. Like you're already telling me, "cut it out Mommy you're embarrassing me!" 

You've been able to grip things like shirts and my hair for weeks, and now you can hold toys, like a rattle and move them around. 

You are a big boy, Mommy's little meatball. From the day you were born you had big hands and big feet. 

Your feet look just like Daddy's, from the big space between your big toe and the one next to it, to the sideways little toe. A mini version of Daddy's foot, how crazy is that? 

I'm so impressed by you every day of your life. Your joy for the world and your love for your Mommy and Daddy and Reese is evident in your tiny little face. You brighten every one of my days with your animated facial expressions, gestures, smile and voice. And Mister, you make the funniest faces we have ever seen.

You talk all day now and your tiny voice is amazing. You coo and make the sweetest sounds. The noises come out of your tiny mouth so forcefully and intentionally now, like you can't wait to be able to communicate all the things going on in your head. 

Every day we are impressed by how solid and strong you are, already you have deltoids and biceps and superhuman strength. I watch you grow up and it fills my heart up and breaks it all at the same time. I can't imagine that there's going to be a day when you are going to tower above me, where your hand will be bigger than mine, where your little arms will be the arms of a man. My eyes are filling with tears as I type that. My little man, I want you to stay this small and sweet forever and yet I can't wait to see the man you become.

It is impossible for me to tell you how deep my love for you is and how full you make my heart. It has been an absolute joy being your Mommy. I'm so excited about our future together as a family. Thank you so much sweet boy for bringing such light to our lives and love to our hearts.

{ 7 weeks old }

Happy Two Month Birthday angel!

Love, 

Mommy