8 Months old for Matteo

Matteo's eighth month was somewhat uneventful, as he seems to be working on a lot of the same things he was last month. Here is a quick snap shot of my Tater Tot over the past month:

• Crawling backwards very well, not so much forward. In the past week or so, he has perfected his downward dog.
• Eating more table food. In the past month, he has tried crab cakes, quiche (also with crab...), puffs, apple bread, croissant, french toast, mango (pieces and in the mesh feeder), different kids of beans, shredded cheese, squash (pieces and in the mesh feeder), potatoes, and rice.
• Gets mad when I walk by him and don't pick him up. Actually, distraught might be a better way to describe the emotion. And the face he gives me is just heartbreaking...
• New love affair with the tupperware cabinet. I am fine having the tupperware all over the floor if it means peace, quiet and both of my arms free while I'm cooking.
• Still won't take a sippy cup or bottle. Grrr.
• Has been waking up on his belly lately, or at least he's on his belly by the time I get in there.
• Loves to chew on paper and shoes. Must have picked that up from the dogs.
• Sleeping better overall. His naps are much more consistent, I would say. Down from 8/830 - 930/10 for the AM nap and from 1230/1 - 230/3 for the afternoon nap. Bedtime is still between 6 and 630.
• Still very ticklish :)
• Eyes haven't turned brown yet...maybe they won't?

Here is my handsome guy, all smiley for his 8-month chair picture:

Matteo at 4 months

Matteo hit the 4 month mark on Saturday. This is the age I swore I would do CIO with him if wasn't already sleeping through the night. But, now that it's here, I'm not quite ready. he just seems so young. I did CIO with the twins closer to 6 months so perhaps that's why. Either way, I will probably wait until after our vacation to El Salvador for New Year's to bother with it. Feeding him at 2am is not ideal but it's not so bad either. With the twins, I had to feed them both which took longer, even if I did it at the same time, and I had to pump afterward. With Matteo, I just feed him for 5 minutes and then stumble back to bed.

Other than nighttime sleep, here is what's going on for Matteo these days:

He is napping better, although his morning nap is still shorter than his afternoon nap which surprises me. Usually 1 -1.5 hours in the morning vs. 1.5 - 2 (sometimes more!) in the early afternoon. Most days he usually needs a third nap but if he naps for a very long time in the afternoon, he can make until bedtime without it.

He still nurses almost every two hours during the day. A lot of this has to do with the fact that I nurse him before naps. On the bright side, he only needs to nurse for about 5 minutes so I don't really mind how often it is.

He smiles and laughs so much. He loves to watch his brother and sister play. And the dog, too. He loves when I talk right to him and tickle his belly.

He does not really love his exersaucer yet but tolerates it. He much prefers to playmat with the light-up star. ANd his bumbo so he can get in on the action at meal times. He tolerates tummy time but doesn't enjoy it for more than a few minutes.

My boy is still growing fast. He is in size 3 diapers but I still have so many size 2 diapers left that I am using those during the day and 3s at night. He is in 9 month clothes for the most part but can still squeeze into some of his 6 month stuff.

He is a hand-sucker. I may have my first thumb-sucker with this one once we ditch the swaddle. And he won't take a paci - an endeavor a gave up on a while ago, actually. I don't want him turning out like his big brother, addicted to that thing like baby crack.

And here is, all 4 months of him!

Matteo, 4 months old
(Sebastian and Collette at 4 months)

Upgrade

I'll give Sebastian a break and focus on his baby brother for this post. But, I do thank all of you for your encouraging words. I needed them and we are working on things. Slowly but surely.

So - Matteo. He has finally been upgraded to his big boy crib! It's odd to be "celebrating" this milestone since it's one the twins didn't even have. The closest I had with them was switching from sharing a crib to their own cribs but they were always in their own room. True to form, I am not terribly emotional about the move. In fact, I probably sleep better :) Matteo, too. One night, he made it all the way to 4am! Hoping that's a trend. And now I have my closet back. If you know anyone in the market for a glider and a bassinet, send them my way.

Also, I was right about his size - he's 14lbs 8oz! I bought size 3 diapers at BJs over the weekend because, by the time he finishes the size 2 diapers I have, he will be big enough for the 3s. And while this is all well and good, I just need him to stay below 22 lbs through New Year's because I really want to be able to use the bucket car seat on our trip to El Salvador. Slow down, Tater!!

Colie is probably feeling left out - my easy going girl does not give me much to write about, other than that she is a cutie pie. Here's a pic of her with Tater:

11 Months

11 months in and things are going pretty well in the Soto house.  Sebastian and Collette are crawling, climbing and standing all over the place.  They are playing with each other (sort of) and loving it.  They steal and fight and cry; they chase and talk and laugh.  All typical, fun baby stuff. 

I am enjoying it, too, I must say.  I think if I were to look back at all these month-birthday posts, all have been pretty upbeat since about 7 months, when they learned to sit up.  So, for people reading this out there with little newborns, it does get better.  You can actually have fun with your kids in that first year, contrary to popular belief.  I hear so many people say, in reference to their multiples, "I don't even remember the first year!"  I hope I don't say that some day, when their first year is behind us.  Because we have had a lot of good times.  And yes, the job of being a SAHM to infant twins is still tough.  Carrying them up and down stairs all day long, feeding them constantly, keeping them entertained, changing 17 poopy diapers per day, dealing with crying for no reason, dealing with crying for good reasons like new teeth, bruises and stolen toys.  But overall, it's a good gig.  I smile and laugh more than I did at any paying job I ever had.  And I cry a lot less.  Like, never.  Always a nice measure of job satisfaction.

Also, I know this post is a day late.  I'm not lazy or anything - it's just that I can't do the chair pictures alone, since I have kamikaze babies (don't we all, though!) and I need a spotter while I play photographer.  As you'll see below, I shouldn't quit my day job.  Anyway, here goes - Sebastian and Collette, 11 months old (and 1 day):

Successful Outings with Twin Babies

In the past few months, outings with the twins have been more enjoyable than ever. Obviously, age has a lot to do with this but us parents make a big difference when it comes to an outing be a success or failure. This is by no means ground breaking but here is the Sotorrific Guide to happy outings with your (older) babies:

1. (capable, caring) Adult:baby ratio

Naturally, having as many, if not more, adults than babies makes any outing easier. Of course, those adults need to be willing and able to help with the babies (playing, soothing, feeding, etc.) for this to actually be helpful. I have been with plenty of people who take a very hands-off approach to my kids and I therefore cannot include them in the ratio. But, when I go to my aunt's house for cook out, there are usually 10+ adults and only my two babies. This is a very sweet ratio that makes for an enjoyable afternoon.

2. Get outside

Sebastian and Collette are very easily distracted when we are outdoors. It seems that I don't need nearly as many toys as I do inside - just watching everything around them is entertainment enough. New England weather doesn't always make this a possibility but take advantage of those sunny enough, not too hot, not too cold days and head outside. A blanket on the grass, a park with swings, a walk around a park - all good!

A fire an a cool afternoon is a great outdoor distraction for babies and grown ups!

3. Lower your expectations

With two babies, the likelihood that something could go wrong is high. Babies are unpredictable little creatures and you can't plan for every possibility. Therefore, you have to take it easy. Don't plan all day activities every Saturday. Maybe stick to activities that will take a couple of hours. This is much more manageable and decreases the likelihood of meltdown. Take on small challenges (quick grocery store trip, farmer's market) instead of big ones (all day IKEA shopping bonanza, day-long beach party).

4. Bring twice as many snacks as you think you'll need

I'm sure this advice holds true through the teenage years but now that we have solid food babies, it is one of the biggest parts of planning an outing. My diaper bag has a canister filled with rice puffs for quick snacks - ideal for giving the babies while you are waiting for their food to arrive at a restaurant. On walks/trips to the park or mall, I always have bagels, crackers or baby biscuits which are easy to hold onto while they chew on them.

5. Respect the nap!

It may be tempting to head to festival downtown because it would be so fun for the whole family. But, if that festival takes place during nap time, I can be sure my kids will not appreciate the trip. I often pass on things that run smack in middle of our naps because it's simply not worth it. And if I say I'm doing something for them, how is it really for them if I am disturbing their precious sleep to do it? If you have to do something, by all means, do it. Maybe fit naps in around it - move naps up and hour so you'll make it in time or move them back so you can stay as long as you need to. But don't mess with naps just because - it's no fun to soothe to tired, crying babies, even if you got some fried dough out of it.

6. Choose an appropriate place

Going out to eat with two babies can be daunting but its SO doable. As i mentioned above, bring snacks for before the food arrives and respect naps. But, you also have to pick a good place. We have taken the twins out for breakfast, lunch and dinner an d have had mixed success. The key is pick a place that can get you your food fast, has an easy escape route, and won't get mad at you if you end up with two screaming babies you left a huge mess under the table. We made meals work at Bickford's, Legal Seafood (surprisingly!!) and Rain Forest Cafe. We order as soon as we sit down, don't choose things that will take long to cook and get the check as soon as we get our food. When I'm alone with the twins, I try places like Bruegger's and Dunkin' Donuts because they are even faster and easier to get in and out of than a proper restaurant.

What do you do to increase the odds that your outing will be a success?

Reunion

The other day, as I was packing up the babies into the car after a walk, I saw this woman that looked so familiar getting out of her car. For a while, I couldn't place her. She had a baby, but just the one, so I knew she wasn't in my twin moms group. Then, it dawned on me that she was one of the moms "living" in the NICU when Sebastian and Collette were in the hospital. I wasn't 100% sure it was her, not fully trusting my sleep deprived, post-partum memory but asked her how old her baby was, to see if it made sense. Turns out, her baby is now almost a year old, after spending 2 months in the Special Care Nursery. At the time, I didn't realize how long that little baby girl had been there but now it makes sense, remembering how well her mom knew the nurses.

We chatted for a bit, got to see each others babies, big and strong and nothing like the premature little newborns they once were. She asked me if I was going to the NICU reunion, which I had totally spaced on. It's this Sunday and I figured, what are the odds that after all this time I would bump into her this week? I guess that means I should go. I have a bunch of preemie clothes to return to them anyway and it will be nice to see some of the nurses that cared so well for our little ones.

After seeing her, it got me remembering our time in the hospital - short, in comparison, but to us it felt like an eternity. Collette was in the hospital for 12 days, Sebastian 13. To this day, that NICU time has really impacted me as a mother. I get very anxious and stressed when the babies do not finish their bottle/food. There was a time when this was reasonable, like when they weighed 5 lbs and were yet to make it on the growth chart. Now, however, its just insane. Collette weighs over 21 lbs! Big deal if she doesn't finish her bottle. I'm getting better about it but there are times where I get so worked up and frustrated that I have talk myself out it, because those days are long gone now. Its like PTSD, I swear. Their NICU time also made me a bit of a schedule fanatic, but that has been a blessing and a lifesaver and I am so thankful to those nurses for getting us off to a good start.

Of course, I do have other hang ups and regrets about their NICU time that I have alluded to in the past but don't want to get into here. Mostly just about their approach to fattening up babies and how that lead to no BFing for us (and my aforementioned PTSD vis a vis feeding). But all in all, it was not a horrible experience (as I dreamed it would be before I had the twins) and I'll be happy to show off my almost 10 month olds at the reunion this weekend. Since my camera still isn't connecting to my computer, here is photo of the twins from their hospital days - this is the very first one of them together, so its near and dear to me.

I proved you wrong, Daddy!

Although we are thoroughly enjoying parenthood, Billy and I feel like sometimes these infant days/weeks/months just drag. Little milestones and accomplishments seem to take forever. They start to do one thing (sleep through the night, roll over, sit up, etc.) and then it's a month later before they do the next thing. S...l...o...w.

Billy decided a while ago that they will simply never walk, talk or have teeth. Well, he was wrong on that last one. My little boy was gnawing on my finger this morning (lovely!) and I suddenly felt something sharp, Holy crap, a tooth!! Billy almost got me believing in a toothless, wordless future that I had forgotten to expect them. You can just barely see it peeking through so I can't take a picture and even if I did you wouldn't be able to see because I still haven't fixed my camera cord/computer feud.

And, in other milestone news, both Sebastian and Collette are pulling up. The other day, I caught Collette standing up in her crib (that just days before we had moved down - thank goodness!!!) while I was getting Sebastian downstairs. When I saw her, it almost scared me, like some creepy stranger had broken into the house for the sole purpose of standing her up in her crib and freaking me out. But alas, no crazy people. Just a baby girl getting less baby and more toddler every day. Sebastian, not to be outdone, has evolved from pushing up on low pieces of furniture to pulling up using taller pieces, He especially like to pull up on the bouncy seat, the part where the toys hang from - it's sturdier than it sounds and is the perfect height and shape.

Lastly, Collette is CRAWLING!! She kind of started over the weekend but yesterday was the day she really got her sheez together and covered some distance. And now, it's like old news. She does it all the time and I'm all, whatevs, you did that yesterday. But seriously, I am excited about this. She can now get to and from different toys whereas before she would just whine and we would have to change things up for her. Of course, the babies get up in each other's business more often now which results in more toy fights. And I realize this is only the beginning but I'm welcoming these changes. I don't think I will be one of those moms who mourns babyhood. I enjoy forward progress and even way back when I was just a mom-to-be, I only ever dreamed of doing fun toddler/kid things. I honestly never thought about baby things, mostly because I never knew any babies. So, bring it toddlerhood!! I'm ready! :)

And here are a couple pictures that I lifted from my cousin's FB page - thanks Brett!! We were enjoying a Labor Day BBQ - I'll post on that tomorrow now that I have lots of pics to steal.

9 Month Check up and other 9 month stuff...

So, we saw Dr. C on Monday and all went well. This was my first solo doctor visit - usually Grammy comes with me but I was under the impression that there would be no shots. Turns out they did have to get one shot for Hepatitis B, which I thought was an STD but I guess not. Collette was a trooper, just a whimper and then she was A-OK. Sebastian cried but calmed down with a little mommy-time. They would have had a flu shot ('tis the season!) but I hadn't talked it over with Billy (I wasn't expecting the pedi to offer it at this appointment) so I said I would wait. I'm not sure if we should do it or not. If they were in daycare or had school-aged siblings, I would say yes for sure. How have other people made this decision?

As for stats, Collette is a whopping 21lbs, 3oz. and 29.5 inches long/tall. Sebastian is 19 lbs, 3oz and 29.25 inches long. Not sure of the percentiles but I know that Collette is up there and Sebastian is average-ish for height and around the 10th percentile for weight. And this officially makes Lola the smallest baby in the house, as she weighed in at 18lbs, 7oz at her vet check-up last week. So, watch out Lola - those babies will be chasing you around the house soon enough!

***
In other 9 month doings, I am considering tweaking our daily schedule. As it stands, our schedule looks like this:

6:00am - I get up.
6:30am - Get twins out of their cribs and have bottle. A bit of playtime in the nursery.
7:00am - Downstairs to play while I make breakfast.
7:30am - Eat breakfast.
8:00am - Up to the playroom for more playtime.
8:30/9:00am - Nap.
10:00/10:30 - Get up from nap. Have a bottle upstairs. Playtime.
12:00pm - Downstairs for lunch. A bit of playtime.
12:30/1:00pm - Nap.
2:00/2:30pm - Get up from nap. Have a bottle upstairs. Playtime.
3:30pm - Outing of some sort.
5:00pm - Back home for dinner. Playtime.
6:00pm - Start bedtime routine: bath, bottle, story, bed.
6:30pm - Lights out.

This mostly works but there are some kinks. First off, Sebastian often gets very fussy in his high chair, to the point where he often eats very little of what is being offered. Now, this wouldn't be such a big deal if I didn't have Collette to keep feeding. My thinking is that he is not so hungry and would rather play. If this is the case, then I am considering doing breakfast before bottle. But that comes with its own issues because they have not been drinking their full bedtime bottle, leaving them very hungry when they wake up. I just feel like feeding times are not well-aligned with hunger times. This also has me considering 3 8oz bottles instead of the 4 6oz bottles - same total amount just spread out differently.

So, my two questions are: At this age, did you do *real* food before bottles? And at what age did you move from 4 to 3 bottles? Eventually they won't have bottles at all, so I assume I have to start reducing the number of bottles at some point...

As always, I am open to suggestions! Your solid food suggestions have been very helpful and I will be trying some different pasta shapes, (very) steamed veggies and more frozen fruits.

9 Months

Is it me, or does 9 months sound like a lot?? Maybe its because that's how long you're supposed to be pregnant, so now they're finally longer out than in? Although, my babies passed that mark over a month ago, but still. I guess anything at this point is going to seem like a big milestone, just getting us closer and closer to the one year mark.

This ninth month of life for Sebastian and Collette has meant introducing finger food, saying good-bye to many of their favorite toys (play mat, bouncy seats, bumbos...), new car seats and, most recently, mobility. We have brought in some new toys that have become favorites, most of which light up, make noise and involve a ball. Peek-a-boo is also a big hit, again, and thankfully does not require batteries. Just a willing adult.

Sebastian is crawling all over the place but this has not dampened his fussiness. He is starting to pull up and can get on his knees but not his feet just yet. He is still working on picking up small bits of food (mainly Cheerios and Rice Krispies) but gets easily frustrated when it doesn't result in actual eating. He much prefers bigger snacks like crackers and bagels.

Collette is all about the finer things. She LOVES to eat Cheerios and can grab one at a time and get them in her mouth, most of the time. The dog is still eating well, though. She wants to crawl but doesn't tolerate being on her belly for very long. She has been saying "mamamama" and "babababa" - not really words (says spell check) but getting close.

Happy 9 months, Collette and Sebastian.

Too many cooks?

Lately, I have been getting the feeling that children "misbehave" more when other people are around. I'm not sure if this is just coincidence or if they are simply seeking attention. Not sure if they are seeking my attention or just any adult.

For example, all week, my sister (Auntie Kim) has been staying with me. She still has to go to work but is home by 3:30 so she spends a nice chunk of time with the twins. And all week, they have been so cranky. I was dreading today, knowing that once she left to go to work this morning, I would be on my own with two 8 month olds who seem to hate life. But today, they have been happy angels. Maybe they are taking pity on me. Maybe they are as sick of hearing themselves whine as I am. Or maybe the gods have intervened so that I don't resign as their mother and give them up for adoption.

I realize I am seriously jinxing myself by writing this post but I am just curious to know if other moms have experienced this with their infants. I also do not want to sound ungrateful for all the help I get from my sister and mom while Billy is gone - it is a life- and sanity-saver!! Even if it does make my kids whine and fuss...

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta: Cardboard, Please!

Here is a new toy I bought for the twins (they seemed to like it when we were in the store):

And here is the box it came in:



Everyone knows this will happen, so why do we not have stores that simply sell cardboard boxes for children? We could save a lot of money and I'm pretty sure it counts as recycling so we'd also be helping the environment.

Check out more Friday Funness at Carrie's place!

Theater Thursday: Blowing Raspberries

This is not a new skill but a skill that both twins have been perfecting lately. Sebastian practices blowing his raspberries in this video, while Collette does some light whining in the background. I'm not expecting any Oscar nods for best action short film but FavAuntie requested some videos of the babes. And I'm happy to oblige!




Check out other (better) videos at Goddess in Progress!

Finally, some *solid* solid food

My days of pureeing fruits and veggies are by no means over. But we have added some actual solids to the babies' solid food menu. 8 months is just around the corner and I figured, what the hell, close enough!

I got a 3-ton box of cheerios at BJs and assume it will last me until enroll the twins in preschool. At least at the rate they are going. Their pincer grasp is not so much developed yet so success has been limited. Unless you define success as feeding Lola Cheerios. I'm pretty sure that's how Lola defines it.

Sebastian's method of eating Cheerios is to completely ignore the fact that he has an opposable thumb and simply scratch the food tray. This mostly results in Cheerios reaching the far edges of the tray, totally out of reach, or Cheerios flicked onto the floor for Lola. See! Success.

Collette's method is a bit more advanced although she lacks in follow-through. She uses the stickiness of her hand to get Cheerios onto her palms. Then, she brings her hand to her mouth. However, her hand doesn't actually touch her mouth - it comes close and then she starts to chew air. Her hand then falls to her side, Cheerios fall to floor for Lola. More success!!

My next attempt at solid baby food was pasta. This would have to turn out better because I can still feed it to them on a spoon. Well, little grasshopper, you are wrong again! I've heard about all these babies making themselves throw up because they don't like the texture of some food they're eating. And now, my Sebastian gets to join this not-so-exclusive club. And I get to join the not-so-exclusive club of moms who have to clean up multi-colored alphabet pasta throw up.

So, how long does this last? When will they start to get the hang of non-pureed, non-liquid nourishment?

Two for Twos-Day: Sebastian - 2 Collette - 0

A couple months ago, I posted a little video of Sebastian's mad rolling skills. Well, he is at it again but now he has become a master at rolling from his back to his belly. Each morning when I wake up, I peek at the monitor to see him on his belly, either still sleeping or doing the baby version of push-ups.

Meanwhile, Collette has decided that rolling is for lesser babies. She would much rather work on her abs by grabbing her feet and trying to sit up from a laying position. Hmmm. Maybe I should join her...

Here they are, in their preferred positions. Sebastian just flipped onto his belly and Collette is reaching for her little feet.

Again, this is one of those things that I like about having twins. In most respects, Collette is developmentally "ahead" of Sebastian. She slept through the night long before he did, she is bigger than him, she has much better head, neck and core control than he does. But the rolling thing, its all Sebastian. He can do both with no problem and she does neither! It's just a nice reminder that the range of normal is BIG and most things are no cause for concern. Both babies are alive - and healthy, happy and loved, to boot! I've heard those are the important things so I've got that going for me.

Check out some other two-fers at Who Says 8 is Enough - and its not just for twins!!

Makes My Monday: Thank God for Small Favors

Last night was the worst night of sleep I have had since the babies came home from the hospital. Even worse than during our vacation. Weren't they supposed to be doing this months ago, so we could all be past it by now?? Here's a little timeline, as best I can recall:

6:30pm - Put babies in crib (both unswaddled - this was Sebastian's 5th night after 4 successful nights)

6:45pm - Pacify Sebastian

7:10pm - Pacify Collette

7:50pm - Pacify Sebastian

8:25pm - Pacify Collette

9:05pm - Pacify Sebastian

10:10pm - Sebastian is hysterical; give him a bottle (1oz)

12:30am - Pacify Sebastian

1:15am - Pacify Sebastian

2:00am - Collette is hysterical; giver her a bottle (1oz)

2:30am - Pacify Sebastian

2:35am - Pump

3:30am - Pacify Sebastian

4:00am - Sebastian is hysterical; give him a bottle (1oz)

4:50am - Pacify Sebastian

5:20am - Collette has a very stuffy nose (from crying??); rock her for a few minutes and back to bed

5:45am - Daddy pacifies both babies. Leaves for work.

6:10am - Pacify Sebastian. Make Coffee. Pump. Watch Desperate Housewives.

6:30am - Get babies up.

So, what is Making My Monday?? I was certain that after getting approximately 30 minutes of sleep, the twins would be little hellions this morning. But as soon as I turned on the light to get them up, they showered me with delightful smiles. Thank God for small favors!

And starting this weekend we will be doing CIO/Ferber/SOMETHING!!! Because I'm not doing that again. Ever. I would like to keep the morning smiles though.

Start you Monday off right with more stories at Twinfatuation!

PS - They aren't teething; not even the slightest bump under their gums. Unless they have the Princess-and-the-Pea syndrome. In which case I'm screwed.

Twins Do Grand Cayman: Part 2

Obviously, I'm not going to give a blow-by-blow of our whole time in the Cayman Islands. However, to help others and myself (for future trips) I will just recount what did and didn't work for us. So, without further ado, here are the highlights, good and bad...

What went well:

1. The location of our room. Originally, we had a "suite" (just one big room) because we thought the extra space would be necessary. When we went to the pool the first day, we realized that they had ground level rooms with a patio door so you could walk right out into the courtyard. This was sooooo much easier that going into the hotel, up an elevator and down three hallways to reach our suite. We checked out one of the available courtyard rooms and realized that it would still be big enough for two cribs. The switch made things so much easier. And at night, we could sit in the courtyard and order dinner/drink/talk/relax and still hear the babies, just in case. This will now be a "must-have" for us in the future because I am a big believer in early bedtimes, even for toddlers, and don't want to be trapped in silence after 7pm on my "vacation." If anyone has any recommendations of other hotels like this in the Caribbean, I'm open to suggestions!

2. We cheated and hired a babysitter. Everyone warned me that vacations are no longer vacations; they're trips. This is oh-so-true. However, having a babysitter made some parts of the trip vacation-like. We had the same woman, Sandra (in the pic with Billy and Collette), the whole time and she got very good at handling the twins by the end of our trip. The company came highly recommended by the hotel so we were very comfortable working with her. She could watch the babies during their naps or walk them around in the stroller while Billy and I could go for a swim in the ocean, eat lunch, dip in the pool, do a little sunbathing, etc. And it was cheap!! For a 7 hour day, it cost us less than $80! And I'm sure it would be even cheaper in less expensive countries like Dominican Republic or Jamaica.

3. Get a spot at the pool early! The first day, we scoped out the pool and decided where the best spot would be for us and the babies. We needed shade and extra space, and an easy get-away is always nice, too. So, each morning, we brought our stuff down to the spot to stake our claim and went back and forth throughout the day. We set up the sundome next to our chairs and there was still room for the double snap'n'go.




What did not go well:

1. Sleep. Well, I should have known that they would not sleep as well as they do at home. Naps were abbreviated and nighttime sleep was, in a word, awful. I think we had to get up to pacify a baby every other hour. And they woke up very early. Sometimes before 5am. And they were just so restless which means they were loud, even while sleeping. So, in that respect, the trip was not so relaxing. I can imagine that a 2-room suite would be great, but they didn't have any. Our friends suggested using the bathroom (that's what they do) but, alas, they have one baby, one crib. I think if we had brought their crib bumpers, that may have helped but who knows.

2. The heat. Ya, the Caribbean is hot. Duh. And we have winter babies so they just were not accustomed to all that heat and sunshine and it made them fussy. Also, it was very hard to find shade during the afternoon, so our time outside was often cut short. Thankfully, no one got heat rash or sunburned. Just cranky...


All in all, the good outweighed the bad. I would say it was definitely worth it - you just have to lower your expectations a bit and prepare for everything! We are going to El Salvador for Christmas so I'm glad that we already have one trip under our belts - lots of valuable lessons learned.

Twins Do Grand Cayman: Part 1

One of the biggest challenges was what to bring on our trip, so I will start there. This was an issue, of course, but for me especially. I am a super-procrastinator when it comes to packing, much to my Grandmother's dismay, and because of that, I tend to over-pack. I don't put a lot of thought into what I should bring, so I just bring tons and tons of stuff. For this trip, we obviously needed the basics and plenty of things for the babies. What that meant for us was:

Clothes for me and Billy (duh)
Toiletries
Every single baby short-sleeved or sleeveless shirt/outfit
100 diapers (5days X 5 diapers per day X two babies X 2 for good measure = 100 diapers)
All "good" bibs (about 15-20?)
Approx. 10 burp cloths
2 sleep sacks
Sebastian's swaddle
Baby swimsuits
Sun Hats
Baby Bjorn
Baby sling carrier
Approx. 20 small toys (small for carry-on, other packed)
2 Boppies (for the plane ride)
Activity with all the fixin's
2 floaties for the pool
6 blankets
Stuffed Diaper bag (diapers, emergency clothes, baby toiletries, bibs, burp cloths, baby Tylenol, bottles for the plane)
6 pacifiers
12 cans of Nestle Good Start
Breast pump
24 extra oz. of breast milk in Medela cooler pack
3 sets of pump parts
6 sets of nipples and bottles
100 bottle liners

So, maybe I have a packing problem. But in all seriousness, we used 97% of the things we brought and needed about 90% of it. For such small people, they require a lot of crap!

As for the actual travel, our flight was at 6am (I just threw up in my mouth a little bit, remembering that...) so we woke up at 330am, got the babies up and in the car seats at 415am and started loading the taxi (a minivan one) about 3 minutes after that.

At that time, there is no traffic so the ride was about 20 minutes. We were flying first class, so check in was quick, too. We got 8 boarding passes (4 people, 2 flights), checked two enormous suitcases and had four carry-ons: my purse, my pump, the diaper bag and an extra bag with randomness. And the boppies on top of the twins in their car seats in the double snap'n'go.



As you can see, this is A LOT to get through security. This was the worst part because TSA employees all get mandatory frontal lobotomies before beginning work at Logan airport. Since both babies were awake, we had to take them out of the car seats and send the seats through the x-ray machine. Why it's ok to wand a sleeping baby in the car seat but an enormous security risk to do so with an awake baby makes no sense to me at all. Thanks TSA. We put all our bags on the belt, and then unloaded the babies. We forgot about the stroller. Oops. Its not very easy to fold a double stroller while a holding a 5-month old baby. Even harder to get said stroller onto the belt while still holding baby. Do you think any of the TSA people helped us? No. Of course not. They simply stared at Billy who was willing his body to grow extra limbs so he could pick up the stroller without dropping Colie. Finally, the guy behind him helped get the stroller on the security belt and we were on our way. A few seconds later, I saw another couple coming through security with a baby, a single stroller and a toddler (walking) and they had their own security guy escorting them through!! WTF!!!! I hate you, TSA.

Anyway, we made it through, headed to the gate, changed the babies diapers and boarded the plane. The flight was fine - we gave them some baby Tylenol and their morning bottles on the way up. Collette slept the whole way after that and Sebastian took a 45 minute nap. I had to walk the aisle with him a lot to keep him from fussing, but that was no big deal overall.

Our layover in Charlotte was no problem either. We had plenty of time to eat, change the babies and play a little. Luckily, Sebastian used this time to have a diaper blowout and we used our second emergency outfit (Collette used the first one in Boston - pee leakage). While this was gross, it was sooooooo much better dealing with it on the plane.

The second flight was pretty much the same as the first, except we had an hour delay, on the runway (grrr). So, what should have been a 2 hour trip ended up being 3. But the babies did fine, much to the amazement of the first class passengers who were sure they were doomed to hours of infant crying.

We landed with two happy babies, in 85 degree Grand Cayman. They had our stroller and carseats waiting for us outside (no walkway, you just deplane directly outside) and we headed to customs. They let us cut the line (sweet!) but we still ended up being the last ones to leave. Why? you ask - because of my illegal immigrant husband. (JK - he's not illegal, just foreign). Apparently, Salvadorans need visas to enter the Cayman Islands. After 20 minutes of back office hoopla, Billy offered his Mexican passport (ya, he's Mexican, too) and that did the trick. Whew - that was a close one!


And so, we successfully got there. Being there was almost as challenging as getting there - more on that later!!

Makes My Monday: Home Sweet Home

Back again for Twinfatuation's Makes My Monday...

We had a good time on our trip to the Cayman Islands - a good time, not a great time. It was the perfect length and when we left, I was so ready to come back. Today, getting back into our regular routine (mommy and two babies, hanging out at home) is Making My Monday.

I have to say, it was as hard for me as it was for the twins to be out of our regular activities and atmosphere. I will write some posts about our trip (getting there and being there) but that will take me a while. For now, I will just use this little post to say this: as much as I think I am not, I am a creature of habit. When it comes to this new life I have, I am a bit inflexible. I never thought I would be this way - I was always a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of person. I'm not (wasn't??) a planner or a scheduler. I like to procrastinate and improvise. And in some ways, this hasn't changed. But with the twins, I have found what works and am loathe (scared?) to stray from that. And that's ok. We have a whole lifetime to improvise. For now, we are happy to live in our predictable, routine world and enjoy the little moments of spontaneity as they may come.

While I work on my vacation posts, here is a picture of the babies (and us!) from our trip:

5 Months and counting (with Thursday Theater)

So, we have successfully hit the 5-month mark. Not that 5 months is some huge milestone but its another month down. Babies are still alive and well and I guess that's all that matters. And I'm alive and well. Does that matter??

So, I really thought that by this point, we would have ditched the nighttime feeding but, alas, we have not. Billy and I decided we will give them until after our vacation to correct this on their own or else they get Ferberized. Actually, I'm not sure if Billy know about the whole plan but I'll fill him in. Eventually. Or I guess he could just read it here with the rest of you. What a considerate wife I am.

Anyway, the fact that they haven't dropped the night feeding has led us to think that maybe they are just really hungry. According to the good Dr. Ferber this is probably not the case. Oh well. It was worth a shot. So, we figured we would give them a bit more milk in each of their daytime bottles (4 a day) and add in 1-2 *solid* food meals. And I have to say, so far, so good. As far as favorites go, its a toss up between bananas and sweet potatoes. Avocados were fine, they just don't seem to really love like they sometimes do with the others. Not sure what we will try next...In the meantime, here is a video of our first attempt at baby feeding. This video will of course be burned onto a DVD and stored next to their first bath videos so that we can easily embarrass them in front of their prom dates.

The challenge for this week was to add a soundtrack. I did this but it just sounds like we are listening to music in the background. Not sure yet how to get the music to play INSTEAD of hearing us on camera...

In other 5 month news, Sebastian is rolling and Collette is almost sitting (although I'm sure real sitting is still a long way off) and kinda/sorta standing with assistance. I have already shared a video of my rolling boy but here is Collette, "standing up", during our chair picture photo shoot.

So, some good gross motor stuff going on. In the fine motor department, the babies are definitely getting more grabby. I can no longer wear my hair down near Collette and Sebastian love rattles. He doesn't actually know to rattle them but he likes to hold them and try and get them in his mouth, albeit unsuccessfully. Practice makes perfect, Buddy. We're rootin' for ya.

And now, for posterity, here are their chair pictures. 5 months and counting.

This is also Collette's "First Jeans" Picture. I like to kill two birds with one stone.

I wonder what was going through her mind in this one. "Pose for a pretty picture" was definitely NOT it. Although she still looks cute. Naturally.

Sebastian hamming it up. Atta boy!

To find some other fun videos, head over to Goddess in Progress. I'm sure you will find much better editing than you did here.