Makes My Monday: Doctor Visit

Since I am so lucky to have happy, healthy babies, our 4-month doctor visit this morning is Making My Monday! Mostly, I just wanted to find out how much they grew. The gap between the babies is getting smaller: Collette weighed in at 14lbs 7oz and Sebastian 13lbs 6oz! Both are keeping right along on their growth curves so that is great news. They got their shots and did really well. Sebastian actually cried more when getting weighed (all cold and naked and what not) then he did with the shot. And Grammy was with me so it was pretty easy, in and out!

***

We had our MoT club tage sale this weekend and I got most of what I was looking for. We got a jumperoo, matching Peg Perego high chairs, a baby backpack, a 3-1 laying/sitting/tummy-time toy, small toys and a bunch of summer clothes. All this for about $150! And everything is in such good condition - thanks MoTs!! Can't wait for the next sale where I might actually get to sell some things.

Collette, bouncing away!

Sebastian, staring at Daddy!

***

Swimsuit shopping was a success. I was brave and went alone with the twins in the trusty double snap'n'go. We hit up Macy's because I knew that they had a handicapped dressing room that would fit my mile-long stroller. I tried on about ten suits, 2 of them tankinis, but ultimately settled on a one piece becuase it was the only one that wasn't obscene, cleavage-wise. Here is a pic of some other person in the swimsuit.

(I don't think she just gave birth to twins. Sigh.)

That's all folks!! What's making your Monday? Share with us over at Twinfatuation!

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta - Caught! Bed-Headed...

While I was slaving away, making bottles, changing diapers, feeding babies, etc. yesterday morning, the little pug was snoozing. She has decided that my bed is now hers once I get up. Here she is, laying human-style, head on pillow:

Life is so tough for a pug...that walk from her dog bed to my bed is EXHAUSTING!

Maybe in my next life, I can come back as pug...

See who else is playing this week at Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta!

I'd rather be...

Doing anything else. I'd rather...

I'd rather...

Or even...

I'd rather do ANYTHING other than this (cue the Pyscho music):

This is the only bad thing about our upcoming vacation. And there is NO WAY I'm getting in a bikini. I can only imagine the wonderful selection of one-pieces they'll have. Bleh. I'm gonna be the only twenty-something loser in the Carribbean in a one-piece. I can't even wear a tankini because feeding these babies has made me a bit bustier than usual and those tops don't come in a "lactating mother" size. Or a "lactating mother with flabby stomach and Gumby ass" size either. And I doubt Glamour has identified this as a body type for their swimsuit issue. Hmm...

Wish me luck!

Proposal 2.0 - Don't Say It!

I'm jumping on yet another blog-bandwagon and joining the Proposal 2.0 "event" - not sure what the outcome is supposed to be but thought it would be fun to share one of my proposal/wedding/marriage stories on the heels of my "ode to hubby" post from yesterday. Here goes...

Billy and I had met a couple of weeks before he had some friends coming to visit from El Salvador. By this time, Billy and I were already inseparable - I was practically living in his tiny apartment with him when his 3 friends arrived. It was terrific to meet them and get to know him better through his friends. Their second night in town, we all went out to bar for drinks. Well, everyone had their *fair share* of adult beverages and Billy seemed to forget the fact that he was entertaining guests. He started telling me how much he cared about me, right at the table, right there in front of his friends. I turned bright red and told him to stop, that his friends were right here, this isn't the time, not the place!

I know what you're thinking - he proposed. No. Sorry to let you down. But that was the first time he told me he loved me, at that table, in a bar, in front of his best friends. Ironically, they thought, because of my reaction, that we were breaking up! Quite the opposite. :) Since that night, we have probably said those three little words to each other every day. Some people believe if you say it too much, it loses its meaning. Well, I'm not one of those people. I like saying it and I like hearing it. And now its always the last thing we say to each other.

Us, about a week before this little story...

Its something we will teach our children, too. I have known a lot of people that rarely say "I love you" to their parents and I think that's sad. I hope they learn from us that the words are important and that everyone needs to hear it, every day.

What's your love story? Join the fun at Proposal 2.o!

Makes My Monday: Best Daddy

This Monday, I want to give a shout out to my husband, my baby-daddy, for being so great. I have been meaning to do this for a while but just haven't - sorry babe! Every Monday, he leaves to go off to work in exotic New Jersey so that we can eat and have a roof over our heads. It's a big sacrifice to be so far away and I know he misses us as much as we miss him. Mondays are tough here but it reminds me how lucky I am to have such a great partner in crime. So, here's a cute story I'd like to tell about him, being a great daddy.

I was putting Collette down for a nap while Billy was occupying Sebastian upstairs. After I got her down, I took the opportunity to shower and put on some clean clothes while Collette slept and the boys played. As I was coming up the stairs, all clean and human again, I heard Billy talking. So, I stopped where I was, halfway up the staircase so I could see them but they couldn't really see me. I saw Billy, with Sebastian on his lap, reading him the Belly Book I had made. He was even giving a running commentary on all the photos I put in there, as well. It was the cutest little scene ever. And that's something I never would have thought to do, since it's not a real book. Which is why I think he is a great dad and partner. He doesn't always do things the way I would do them and that's actually a good thing. He will introduce our kids to things I'd never think of and have a very special, unique relationship with them.

Here's the proud papa, a week after the twins were born:

Love you! You make my Monday...and every other day of the week, too. Head on over to Cheryl's to what else is making people's Mondays!

4 Months Old!

Yesterday, the twins turned 4 months old and I really can't believe it has been that long. I remember reading in the books that by 4 months they will start sleeping through the night and feeling like it felt so far away. But here we are and, lo and behold, they are almost sleeping through the night. They've done it a few times and, when they do wake in the night to eat, its usually 4 or 5am instead 2 or 3 am. Which means I can start going to bed at a normal hour and still function the next day. Sweet.

We celebrated the day in a few special ways. I got highlights to add to my Rachel hairdo. Gay Guile, my hairdresser, did a great job so I guess he's a keeper. He was also doing 5 other girls' hair at the same time - the guy has chops. Two of the women he had in the salon were getting their hair done for a cruise. I thought he meant a booze cruise. Wrong. They were getting their hair styled, blown out, hair sprayed, etc. for a Royal Carribbean Cruise. The next day. Leaving from Miami. Is that normal - to get your hair styled before you get on a plane for a week-long cruise in the always-humid Carribbean? He told me they were "richies" - I guess that's just what richies do...

Anyway, the babies celebrated by being babies. Sebastian was cranky in the afternoon while we had an out-of-town visitor (nice first impression, Sebastian!) and decided he would need a fourth nap. Collette had a normal day but has apparently learned what being in the bathroom and hearing running water means - bath time. She hates bath time. She was hysterical before I even got her onesie off. Awesome.

We also attempted the chair picture and got some good ones of Collette but Sebastian would not cooperate. We tried again when he woke up from one his many naps but, by then, my camera battery had died. So, technically, his 4 month chair picture is a day late. I doubt it will matter to him but I will always know. Hmph.

(Sebastian, 4 months, 1day old - decidely happier than the day before)

As far as growth and development are concerned, things are going well. They are becoming more and more social and aware. They look at faces more and laugh when we smile or makes silly faces. They are getting a bit of stranger anxiety - mostly just with my mom. Sorry, Mom!

They turn their heads to see the tv. The Today Show is their favorite. Except Matt Lauer - they think he sucks. Right on, babies, right on.

The cause and effect thing is beoming big with them, too. They are big into kicking and making something light up. Thank goodness for bouncy seats and playmats. I honestly do not know what I would do without them.

We are still swaddling and I'm not sure when we will give it up. I know that when the time comes, we wil do CIO but I'm not yet sure when the right time will be. I've heard from other moms that its takes 3-4 nights for babies to get the hang of it. Unfortunately, Billy is only home 3 nights at a time and I'm a bit nervous to do it without him. We'll see, though. They still fit in the Uber-Swaddle Sack, so I'm happy to keep things as they are. And 4 months is still young. I don't want to rush them. :)

Four months in a nutshell. I think I may just be getting the hang of this mom thing...

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta - A very important first...

To finish off this great week in Soto household, Sebastian decided to wear his first pair of jeans. He is a handsome devil if I ever saw one!! These are a gift from Mimi and I'm so glad they finally fit him. If anyone has any ideas of what I can put in all those little pockets, I'm open to suggestions.

Collette has a matching overall skirt but, now that its finally warm enough out for her to wear (well, not today but in general), the mid-section is a bit too tight. Apparently, Zara does not appreciate fat babies the way we Americans do. Don't worry, Collette - Spanish babies are obviously far too slender. You, my dear, are perfect in every way.

***

Dear Stacey,

I hope you enjoy this post. I promise from here on out to consider your reading enjoyment in all posts I write. I invite you to comment freely below and will do my best to meet your high quality standards.

Sincerely,

Your favorite sister (your other sisters have not given you nieces or nephews, remember??)

Head on over to Candid Carrie's to who else is playing this week!

Thousand Word Thursday

This is ripped off from Engrish.com. Culturally insensitive? Yes. Do I lose any sleep over it? No.



















Do must watch out for that radiatino. Dangerous stuff...

Join in the fun:

Wordless Wednesday: Lola's newest toy (VIDEO!)

Kiss Me!! I look Irish!

As you all know, unless you live in Bhutan (yes, that's my favorite random place - Google it!), today is St. Patrick's Day. Hurrah. Well, not so much hurrah for me because I have no hope of drinking anything alcoholic, which is the traditional way to celebrate this particular holiday (see left, two years ago). Maybe I can get a green iced coffee from Dunkin. Anyway, today is a pretty big deal here in Boston as it is crawling with descendants of the Emerald Isle. Bars have been open since 6am (I think they changed the law just for today - lots of Irish cops and lawmakers, I guess...) and that means people have been drunk since about 6:05am. St. Patrick would be proud. Actually, I have no freakin' clue - I don't know the guy.

***

Most people think I'm Irish because I have red hair. And freckles. The truth is, I don't know if I have any Irish blood. And if I do, its not much - at best, my grandmother is half Irish, which would make me a whopping 1/8th Irish. The red hair, as it turns out, is simply a genetic mutation which means that people can make up irritating nicknames for me (Nikki Red, Fightin' Red...), I will have skin to match the hair if I stay out in the sun too long and I have a bad temper.

To this day, my father still points to anything red and says to me, "Hey honey, what color is that bag/shirt/toy?" When I ignore him, he yells "Red!!" like maybe I'm color blind and don't know. Or maybe I got amnesia and don't remember where this is going after 27 years.

My husband was worried that I would pass this genetic defect on to our son. Actually, he still isn't convinced that Sebastian is out the woods. He's waiting for that hair to grow in before he decides if we'll keep the boy or not. Do they make baby hair dye, you know, just in case? I'm kinda attached to the kid at this point...

***

Erin go Bragh!!

Makes My Monday: 7 Hours

Again, sleep is making my Monday this week. For the past week, including last night, the babes have been sleeping until at least 4am. One night they made it until almost 6am! What this means for Mommy is that, after putting the babes down for the night at 630pm, I have time to make dinner, eat dinner, shower and watch TV while blogging. Lights out for me at 9 and I can get 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep!! That is better than when I was pregnant because now I'm not getting up to pee 5 times a night. Hurrah for me :) Here's some shots of what pure bliss looks like to a new mom (or any mom for that matter...):

Also, this later "dream feed" is happening without the extra calories for Peanut Boy. His Neosure can finally ran out and I'm not buying anymore. I think he's chunky enough - we estimate him to be about 13 lbs! We'll find out for sure at their 4-month pedi appointment.

So, if not sweet, delicious sleep, what's Making your Monday? Join in at:

Twinfatuation: Makes My Monday: Guess Who?

Dating Sucks!

When I met my husband, we had a whirlwind romance. We quickly realized that this was it - this is the person we were meant to be with forever. "How wonderful!" I thought. I have this great guy who loves me. And, almost as important, I never have to date again. Turns out, I was wrong. Not about the love - about the dating.

As a new mommy, with no close mommy friends, you discover that your life will be very closed off if you don't put yourself out there and start making some new friends. Ya, you still have your old friends. But, in my case at least, they don't want hear about Dr. Weissbluth sleep solutions, pumping breast milk or car seat recalls. They want to go to the movies, grab drinks after work, and enjoy a leisurely Sunday Brunch. You need to start dating again - dating other mommies. Even the Boston Globe says so. So, that's just what I have begun to do.

I have a playgroup. That's a start and it's going well. But on Thursday, I got asked out on my very first mommy date. A blind mommy date. A woman from our twins club was interested in the playgroup but couldn't make it. We live in the same town so she said we should meet at Starbucks for coffee the next day. I agree because, let's be honest, I am in no position to be turning down dates.

Thursday becomes Friday and I've got pre-date butterflies! I have by husband entertain the twins and get them dressed for the walk while I put on real clothes. And make-up. Make-up! A little desperate, I know, but I want to make a good impression. With my skinny jeans, Uggs, a pug dog and the twins, I head downtown. We are meeting at the benches in front of Starbucks. I said I would be there a little later than her, because of our different feeding time. I finally arrive and here's what I see:

Ya. That man is not a mother of twins. I was stood up. Boo. A do a loop around but come back to the same thing. Maybe she's just not that into me...

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta: Play Group

This week was the third week of our baby play group. All the babies are within a few weeks of each other so it will be really fun to see them grow together. Here is a photo of all the babes (3 sets of twins and one lucky singleton boy). We were so creative and circled the babies up for a photo shoot. Here is the quintessential baby group picture:


So far, I think the group has been a great success. I was always skeptical at the idea of a baby playgroup before I had the babies. What the hell are 3 month olds gonna do together? Have a spit-up party? But now I have changed my tune. At this point, the babies are still pretty unaware of each other but us moms definitely get a lot out of it. We get to share war stories and give advice. Take advice. Its amazing what you can learn just by chit-chatting with other people in the same situation as you. Every group, I feel like I contribute some tidbit of knowledge and take away some knew, helpful info to make me a better mom.

So, if you are a new mom and not yet in a play group, I highly recommend it. And its a great excuse to get out of the house without spending money!

See who else is playing with Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta! You can join in, too. :)

Thursday Theater: Kickin' Up a Storm

For Theater Thursday and the "song" theme, I took a little video of my Coconut girl. Her new favorite activity is kicking the play mat to make the star light up and play songs. She entertains herself and her brother for minutes on end, and that's a lot for babies. :) And it was either this, or the twins laughing at my singing and dancing. Easy choice.

Here she is, kicking up a storm. Lola also makes a cameo - silly pug!

Be sure to stop by Goddess in Progress to see who else is playing along!

All the Way There!

I will be joining Thursday Theater later today but, first, I had to quickly share some awesome news. Well, little Sebastian, not to be outdone by his sister, slept through the night!! Hurrah!

The even better news is that Collette did, too! I got the night off...almost :) I was rudely awakened by the shuffling of a pug under the covers. I guess she decided that 4:15am is a good time to go pee and then eat breakfast. Grr. Stupid dog. SarcasticMom had the idea of microwaving her dog, so I would watch out if I were you, Lola. You might not fit in the microwave but now that I'm inspired, I'm pretty sure I could squeeze you into the crock pot.

Of course, I'm joking. How could you get mad at this face?

Way Back When-esday: The Rachel

When: September 1994

I was entering the 8th grade as the world was entering a new trend in hairstyles: the Rachel.

Yes, those 6 now-familiar faces were debuting as the cast of Friends and it wasn't long before American women were running to their hairdressers, begging to have hair that looked just like Rachel Green's. In case you forgot what it looked like (ya, right! were you living under a rock? in a cave? Bhutan??), here is the a little reminder:

Ok, so that was 15 years ago and who cares? Well, apparently its making a comeback. Via my hair. However, this is an accidental comeback. I did not run to my hairdresser this morning, thinking the time change meant that we aslo warped to 1994. I just wanted a trim to get rid of about 6 months worth of split ends. I was good - I called yesterday and made an appointment, timed perfectly during a nap, right between feedings, so Grammy could watch the babies easily. I would be there and back in less than an hour. Perfect.

Well, not so much. My hair salon, if you can call it that, is super ghetto. I real hole-in-the-wall kind of place. Reminiscent of a crappy nail salon where no one speaks English. Which is fitting because no one does speak English at this place - not well, at least. When I called to "make an appointment" the guy didn't even take my name. Not a good sign. Also, the appointment was made for 10:15 or 10:20...ish. Not very reassuring. I get there, at 10:15 and the lights are out. Seriously??!! There is a note taped to the door in some kind of chicken scratch. I would have snapped a shot of it but, alas, my phone was dead. Here is what the note said:

sorry - we open late today. 12:00 - 6:00pm

Are you kidding me??!! What about the name-less, time-less appointment I made, huh? Don't you know that I have a very small window of oppourtunity? I must not have mentioned the fact that I have two 4-month olds at home. My bad. Guess I thought appointments were honored on their own merit, without some pity story behind them. Sheesh!

I decide that there is no way I'm going home without a haircut, even if I have to pay the girl at Dunkin Donuts to do it. Luckily, I did not get that desperate. As I'm looking around for some other, not-as-ghetto (and open!!) salon, some guys yells out at me from across the street, "Hey! Do you need your haircut?!" Ya, my hair is that bad you can tell from across a busy street on a cloudy, rainy day. Sigh.

I get inside this much better place (although still not that nice...) and Paul, a 6'4" gay man with a blonde beard and crew cut that reminds of Guile from Street Fighter, starts flipping my hair through his hands, talking faster than 14-year old girl on No-Doze, saying, "Oh ya, it's really bushy, thick hair, we can take care of that. Yup, just some layers here, freshen it up, you'll feel so much lighter, you're gonna look great" yadda, yadda, yadda. I tell him to do whatever the hell he wants. As long as it won't interfere with changing poopy diapers. He decides, unbeknownst to me, that the Rachel is the best hairstyle for a new mom and 15 minutes later, I'm back in 1994.

Oh well. At least my hair is clean.

Be sure to stop by Twinfatuation to see who else is playing along with Way Back When-esday!

The Good, the bad and the cranky

This morning was not a fun morning in the Soto household. Collette woke up at 5am (very strange for her) and was super fidgety. She wasn't crying, so I knew it wasn't hunger that was bothering her. But she just would not stop kicking and rocking and throwing her head from side to side. I gave her the pacifier but she kept losing it. I rocked her and that did the trick but as soon as I put her back down, she would start flailing again. So, I brought her into my bed where she stayed awake but quiet until about 6am when Sebastian woke up. So much for sleeping in.

Sebastian then had a very short morning nap, about 45 minutes while Collette snoozed the morning away. As I was making bottles for the day, she woke up and both of them turned hysterical. Twins. I didn't even have time to warm up their bottles! Of course, when I try to feed them slightly cool bottles, they'll have none of it. They were both wailing now and so I abandon them to go warm up the bottles. Well, I guess they did not get warm enough because the hysteria continued. Their meltdown soon became my meltdown (my first one, I have to say - I have been spoiled with meltdown-free babies up until today...). But, eventually, they calmed down, I calmed down, bottles were finished and all was right in the world again. Whew.

So, that was the bad. The good part was the aftermath. Once they were both calm and happy, it was like heaven on earth. I got to put Sebastian down for a nap and then snuggle with Collette for a while. Since the day was already wacky, I tried not swaddling Sebastian and what do you know - it wasn't so bad! Ya, the nap was only 40 minutes, give or take, but that was better than expected. And Coconut napped on the couch (that's her in the pic), also swaddle-free, so I guess that was the silver lining of the day. While I really rely on the swaddle, I'm pretty sick of having to do it 3-4 times a day, times 2 babies. Today may be the start of weaning, not sure yet though...might want to wait for Daddy to be home to tackle that one.

Deep breaths. Its only 1:30pm on Tuesday and I'm exhausted. Friday can't come fast enough.

Makes My Monday: NOT!

Sorry, blog-world, but this Monday sucks! Personally, Mondays suck for me no matter what (which I guess is the whole point of Makes My Monday, to cheer us up...) but this Monday is special. This Monday follows a gorgeous weekend. According to weather.com, we "observed" 60°F on Saturday and then 58°F on Sunday. I think it was warmer but my perspective is always skewed by the frigid New England winter - 45°F and I'm in a skirt and open-toed shoes. OK, well, maybe I was before my mommy days. Now its a t-shirt and yoga pants. Don't judge me.

So, of course, Mother Nature could never give us too much of good thing, not yet at least. The lovely weather man told us it would rain this morning and turn into a wintry mix by the afternoon. Sorry, Mr. Meteorologist, but I woke up to snow. Just snow, no rain, and the kind that's heavy and sticks to your shoes and the wheels of the stroller and gets tracked inside and needs lots and lots of shoveling. WTF!!!!!!!!?????????? I hate you, New England weather.

It can snow all it wants in December and January and February. But once we hit 60°F in March, I'm done. Done with winter. Here's what Makes My Monday: looking at expedia for a one-way ticket to El Salvador where its always warm and my in-laws have a place at the beach and house on an island that's in a lake that's in the crater of a former volcano. Ya - autumn is beautiful in NE but when was the last time someone here swam in a volcano?? If you don't believe me, here's proof (back when I could wear a bikini):

(I'm on the island in the lake - the hills in the background are actually the edge, or mouth?, of the volcano)

OK, weather rant over. I'll be singing Mother Nature's praises the next time it's warm. I guess I'm capricious just like her.

What Makes (or breaks?) your Monday? Play along with Cheryl at Twinfatuation!

Escape!

Tonight, I get to take the mommy hat off for a few hours and have an adult evening, drinking adult beverages with other adults. Glorious.

This all happens in about an hour from now and the kids still need to be fed and rocked and swaddled and put to bed. I still need to make myself look human (thank you cosmetics industry). Thankfully I have a no-charge babysitter coming over, aka Grammy, so I will have at least half an hour to de-puke myself and slap on some mascara.

Now, I just need to pick my poison...I've narrowed it down to Sauvignon Blanc, French Martini, Magners or maybe something with Bailey's in it.

Here's Billy and me, pre-twins, enjoying Mimosas all afternoon long...those were the days.

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta: #1 Reason Why...

I won't be winning mother of the year...













Play along with Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta!! Happy Friday everyone :)

Thursday Theater: Newborn Yoga

The Goddess in Progress is hosting Thursday Theater for the first time this Thursday and Sebastian would like to get in on the action. (Collette - you'll have to wait until next week for your video debut!) This video is old but is in keeping with the "playing" theme for this week. My kids don't "play" that much, what with the gross motor skills of 3-month olds, so it's slim pickin's. However, I think this video is pretty impressive, especially considering the fact that little Sebastian is just 3 weeks old!! (and I'm his mother so I think everything he does is impressive)

note: for the yoga enthusiasts out there, this is the "Locust Pose" and, for a grown up, its wicked hard to do (I tried - no dice). Oh, to be 6 lbs again...

Way Back When-esday: Pilgrim Twins

Twinfatuation's Way Back When-esday is here and the Sotorrific Twins are going all the way back to...November! :)

When: November 26th, 2008

Billy and I were back home but the twins were still in the Special Care Nursery, chunking up. Because of my blood pressure, I could only leave the house once a day so our time with the babies was limited. Being away from them when they were so small was really hard - especially with all those post-partum hormones ruling my body. So, you can imagine my reaction when I get to the hospital and see a little gift for me in each bassinet. One of the nurses has little costumes for each holiday and dresses up all the babies and does a holiday photo shoot. Here is what we got, all wrapped up in a little diaper:

I SWEAR that these are not photo-shopped - she really put them in these costumes, complete with Thanksgiving blanket as a background and turkey stuffed animal as a prop. I was a wreck - a happy wreck, but a wreck nonetheless. Even looking at them now, I tear up...I'm such a softie for these two!

Two at a Time Twosday

Eight is Great hosts Two for Twos-Day - and the Sotorrific Twins are joining today for the first time.

For our Twos-Day, I got my inspiration from a fellow MoT and a fellow rugger (woo woo!) who let me in on a little secret: those double breastfeeding pillows can also be used for double bottle-feeding. She knows that I can't BF (cue the world's tiniest violin) and thought this would be a nice way to snuggle and feed both twins simultaneously. Well, Rugger Mom, you were right. Here we are, snuggling after a nice brunch-time bottle:

Twin love... :) This will now be added to my repertoire of feeding tricks!

Makes My Monday: Half Way There

While lots of people are excited by the snow (or sick of it, take your pick...) I have something way better Making my Monday: one of the twins finally slept through the night!!!

Let me say that again: SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT

Sometimes I feel like this is happening a bit late for me when I compare my kids with others but whenever it happens, it's cause for celebration! Collette, who I knew would be first, is the blessed one of the duo to accomplish this feat. Both babies went down at 630pm and our little missy did not open those little eyes until 5:53. Close enough to 6 for me! Now, this did not mean a "full" night of sleep for me even though Billy was here and fed Mr. Sebastian. I thought Collette was waking up around 345 and I even heated up her bottle but by the time the bottle was warm, she was fully asleep, not a single wiggle. By then, there was no way I could go back to sleep without pumping as it had been 8 hours. Then the dog had to go out. No rest for the weary. Still, I'm pretty psyched right now. And well-rested. Ish.

I think this would have happened sooner but we have been having swaddle issues. When we brought our bundles home from the hospital, we swaddled them the regular way they teach you, with just one waffle or receiving blanket. I also had a Swaddle Me, a Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle and a Miracle Blanket that I received as gifts for the twins. The traditional swaddle worked well for a few days on Collette. She very quickly learned how to wiggle her arms free. We tried the Swaddle Me, the Sleep Sack Swaddle and the Miracle Blanket on her but had the same result - arms coming free. Luckily, the Goddess had a solution: the "uber-swaddle" - aka my dream come true. So, we have been using this on both twins now for almost their whole lives - and up until this last week it has not failed me.

However, these twins have beaten the uber-swaddle and, in doing so, have been waking up when I think they might be able to make it through the night (well, Collette at least - I think it will be longer for peanut boy). I had two choices. 1 - wean them from the swaddle. 2 - find a better swaddle. I tried option 1 for one day - I didn't make it to bedtime. They couldn't even nap without the swaddle. So, I decided it was too early for weaning. I needed to find a better way to wrap these babies up.

After many nights of swaddle escapes, I realized that it wasn't their arms but their legs that were casuing the problem. With the uber-swaddle, they simply cannot move their arms up or out. At least not yet. But the second part of the uber-swaddle covers both arms and legs. My babies have started kicking like it's some sort of contest and in doing so, they have been kicking their way out of the swaddle. I need something they couldn't kick out of but that would also restrain their arms. I figured out that if I used the arm-straight-jacket part of the uber-swaddle with the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle, I could solve my problem. And I did! Collette has not escaped since we started her on it and we just got a second one for Sebastian. Hopefully, he will follow suit and sleep through the night soon enough. Here are some photos of what I call, in honor of the Goddess in Progress, the Uber-Swaddle Sack:

Sebastian may look alarmed in these photos but, as I write this, he is napping sweetly in his crib and has been like that for almost 2 hours, along with sleepy sister. Ok, little boy - you're next!!!

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