Oh ya, Matteo is 11 months old now.

I think its clear that Matteo is definitely neglected.  At least when it comes to my dedication to chronicling his infancy.  Let's hope he doesn't hold it against me.

I missed his 10 month old post altogether - mostly because I was in Montreal celebrating my 30th birthday but is that really an excuse?  :)  What I would have said in that post is that is got two teeth and has only bitten me a few times.  That he is saying "mama" and "dada/papa" and waving.  But all that's old news now.

His 11th month has been even more fun than his 10th.  He is taking baby steps, literally.  He knows how to "do" the hat song - those of you in EI know what I'm talking about.  I'm pretty sure he is signing "all done."  He has added "hi" and "uh-oh" to his vocab.  "Uh oh" is his favorite because he gets to drop something on the floor and then say "uh oh" over and over and over and over again.  He's learning to climb the stairs which is not so fun because he hasn't mastered the not-falling-down-once-you're-a-few-steps-up part.

He still loves to eat shoes, paper and chalk.  He has taken to attacking Sebastian when Sebastian is getting a diaper change.  Or he tries to grab the dirty diaper.  In other news, I really need to potty train Sebastian.  Let's just say I was right when I said it would be hell on earth training him.

Eating and sleeping are still great.  Of the three, Matteo is my best eater.  I'm enjoying it while it lasts because that toddler-picky phase will be here before I can say "just one bite, for god-frickin'-sake!!"  While two naps a day are going very well, I am planning to switch him one nap by the start of school.  I know that way early but it will make school drop off much easier.  Not to mention I don't want to be stuck at home now that I'll finally have some time to get stuff done without the twins in tow.  We'll see.

One other thing I notice with Matteo is just how much he learns from Sebastian and Collette.  The Hat song is one example.  He also plays with cars (like, actually pushes them along the floor just like Sebastian and Collette do), tries to do puzzles, uses drum sticks on the drum, etc.  It makes me grateful that they get all this time together.  Not to mention the fact that Sebastian and Matteo have become like peas and carrots.  Watching them play together is just too cute.  The stuff us parents live for.

And here my littlest man in his chair.  Filling it up too quickly.

Boy, does he look like his Daddy. :)

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:

7 Months

My little Tater Tot is 7 months old today. This has been a very enjoyable age, especially since he is now 100% sleeping through the night and on a very predictable nap schedule. He's now dropped that third nap and takes his second nap right after the twins go down. His first nap is on the early side, between 8 and 8:30, so that he can wake up early enough for us to get out and about.

While he perfected sitting up last month, this past month has been all about moving. He isn't crawling yet but damn, does he want to! This boy never loved being on his belly but now I find him that way all the time, trying to get up on those knees. I wonder how long it will take him to figure it out.

The only "issue" we're having is with eating. he still doesn't like to be spoon fed but also won't eat soft pieces of food. Mommy Esq. gave us some of her old mesh feeders and those have worked but he still eats very little this way. On the bright side, he is at least feeding himself.

Overall, Matteo is just a happy baby. Everyone comments on how he is always smiling and laughing. He is terribly ticklish. He loves his brother and sister and watching them play or makes faces at him. And he loves to talk! Mostly just "dadadadada" for now.

Happy 7 months, my baby Matteo!!

Escapee

I think the kids know when Billy is on an overseas business trip because that seems to be the time when they do new, and often naughty, things. This time, Sebastian is the culprit. New (and naughty) behavior: crib escaping.

It started (and ended, actually) on Sunday morning. I went into their room and saw that Sebastian's crib was empty which could only mean one thing. He finally realized he can climb out of his crib. I have known for a little while that he is physically capable of doing it, even while still in his sleep sack. Both he and Collette use toddler sleep sacks that have special foot holes. Also, the sleep sacks are on the long side for Sebastian, who is short for his age. So, the sleep sack still gives him plenty of mobility, being so big. However, I was hoping he would just take for granted that he had to stay in his crib and not realize that "hey, I can just climb out of this stupid thing and do whatever I want!" So much for that.

I called Billy (who was in Beijing at the time - he has since made his way to Kuala Lumpur) and told him what happened. I told him what our options were: get crib tents, use the travel beds we already have, switch him to a toddler bed (shudder). Then I remembered one other suggestion I heard from someone in my mother of twins club, not sure who or when but it was filed away in my brain for this very moment. This person had taken out the bottom of the crib that hold up the mattress and simply put the mattress on the floor but within the crib. This only works if your crib sides come close enough the ground that the mattress can't be pushed out. Luckily, our crib fit the bill. Billy agreed that we should try that way as it seemed the easiest thing to do. I quickly got to work removing the support platform and put the mattress back in on the floor. This gave us about 8 extra inches of depth and now Sebastian's head barely reaches past the crib side.



Now I'm just waiting for Collette to make her escape. It's fine though. I'm ready!

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)

Bad Habits?

I have a mommy confession to make.

I have been trying so hard to get Matteo to take decent naps. I follow the two-hour rule, a la Dr. Weissbluth. I use white noise, room darkening shades. Swaddle. Routine. But my little boy still wakes up after 45 minutes, wanting to eat, or play, or just hang out.

So. I've been doing something else. I've been nursing him to sleep. Not that he needs it to fall asleep. He's pretty darn good at that part. But, miraculously, nursing before a nap help stretch that 45 nap into an hour and a half, two, even two and half hours! It's blissful and he is so much happier for it.

But I have to wonder - am I starting a really bad habit? Will I regret this down the line? For now, I don't nurse him to sleep for the night. He nurses before I change him and bathe him and swaddle him and rock him. The nap thing is different, though. I think part of the problem is that he wants to eat every 2 - 2.5 hours. If he eats when he wakes up, then is up for an hour and a half, he'll want to eat again in less than an hour. So, I am hoping this is only temporary, and won't be necessary when he starts to stretch out those feedings. Lord knows when that will be. In the meantime, I just hope I'm not creating a little monster.

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:

One Month!

Believe it or not, Matteo is now over one month old! And he is doing so well - eating and sleeping are both still great (back to waking up once at night now that his bedtime is a firm 730pm) and as he is more aware during the day, he is starting to enjoy his play mat and bouncy seats more.

The day after his one month birthday, he got to attend his first wedding. My dear friend/surrogate sister tied the knot on Saturday and Tater stayed awake to watch the whole ceremony. The commotion was too much for him, though, and he had to nurse twice during the reception to help him fall asleep. Thankfully, by the time dinner was served, he was out cold for the night. Billy and I even got to dance a bit before packing it up.

Also, I am now officially "on my own" with kiddos - my MIL left after 3 weeks of tremendous help. Tonight went really well though. Not a single tear was shed during bedtime and Matteo only started to fuss right at the end as I was getting Sebastian and Collette into their sleep sacks. I may have to add feeding the baby into their bedtime routine but we'll see. I'll be tweaking things as we go but I now know that its definitely doable. Hopefully things go just as smoothly tomorrow night when I actually have to bathe them...!

Lastly, we will continue the tradition of chair pictures with Matteo. Same chair, new baby! Here he is in his wedding outfit:

Matteo, one month and one day old

Keep an eye out for more posts coming up. I have a lot to share after being away from the blog for so long.

Life with 3 under 2

Now that Matteo is three weeks old, we are all starting to get used to each other. Sebastian and Collette like their new little brother. Or at least they accept him as part of the family. They like to give him kisses and Collette will even go so far as to bring him blankets. They both like to point to his body parts - a little scary when they try to poke him in the eye. And Sebastian especially likes it when he wears onesies that feature cars. Other than that, they pretty much ignore him which is much better than acting jealous. Hopefully things will stay this way once I am on my own with them and they aren't getting all that extra attention from Mimi (my MIL).

As for Matteo, he has inserted himself nicely into our lives. He must now how spread thin Mommy will be because, for a newborn, he seems to be making things pretty easy for me. He nurses like a champ and has since day one. He gets right down to business and is finished within 15 minutes, sometimes just 10! This makes feeding him and watching after the twins manageable. And he is already developing some very promising sleep patterns. He generally takes a longer nap from about 9-11 and then again from 130-330. Otherwise, he seems to take shorter naps, especially in the evening when he is nursing more frequently. Plus, he is already showing signs of readiness for an early bedtime. he gets crabby and needy around 6pm if he isn't asleep. If this goes on, I will probably just incorporate him into the twins' bedtime and that way they will all be down by 730ish. That may mean I have to give up my one night feeding (usually around 130am) but it might be worth it to have my evenings back. Or is that idea totally age-inappropriate?

So, all in all, life with 3 under 2 is going well. It's hard to believe that in such a short time I opened and closed the book on having babies. It'll be a tough first year but I know it'll pay off in the long run!

We're Ready!

With Matteo's due date officially on the horizon (tomorrow!!!), we have just finally finished preparing for his arrival. Not that all of it was necessary but I'm glad that everything on my "get done before you have this baby" wish list is actually complete. Even a pedicure! (Thanks, Fav Auntie!).

Matteo's room is not 100% tidied up but beyond ready for what he will need. I still have some hand-me-downs to wash but they are mostly 12-month clothes so no rush. Otherwise, we're ready to go. Sheets are clean, dresser is built and full, windows are dressed, etc., etc. As promised, here is a picture of the finished product:

Hopefully you can make out that it is a jungle theme - Fav Auntie even got us some real-life animal photos that are hanging above the dresser.

But before Matteo gets whisked away to this magical jungle, he gets the privilege of sleeping in my closet. Yes, he will be bunking in there, in a bassinet, so I can easily get up to feed him but we have a door to keep his baby noises a little quieter while we try to sleep. Here is the set up so far, complete with glider:


Hopefully, this will work out for us. Most people I mentioned it to were not horrified, as I imagined they might be, but agreed that it was a good idea. We shall see.

In birth plan/VBAC news, my OB is letting me go until Wednesday before trying to induce with pitocin. In the meantime, I have an non-stress test and ultrasound scheduled for Monday and an appointment with her scheduled on Tuesday. I was only 1cm dialated and 50% effaced at my appointment this past Wednesday so there is a chance it could come down to my being induced. I hope that's not the case, though. We are hoping for him to make his way on Sunday. It's a very special day on the Mayan calendar (don't ask...) and my mom has the day off so win-win.

For now, I'm off to bed, thinking contracting thoughts. We're ready Tater Tot - are you??

One, for better or worse

Sunday we finally made the switch to one nap. I have been gearing up for this big transition and when I looked at the weather forecast I decided that this should be the week! I'm not sure how I will do once the sunshine disappears but for now, things are going pretty well.

To my surprise, the kids don't seem really tired. They will fall asleep in the car, given the opportunity, but out and about, they are full of energy. Even after lunch (at home, so I can get them down for nap quickly), they seem ready to play. Also, their one nap isn't as long as I'd like it be. I've been putting them down at 1230 and they never make it until 3. They are gabbing away usually by 230. I make them stay in their cribs until 3 but it seems like they should sleep more. Or is that just wishful thinking? I'm wondering if it's a timing thing - maybe I'm not putting them down at the exact moment they need to nap so they don't sleep as well as they might.

Anyway, we are a one nap household now. At least until Tater Tot makes his debut. Then all this order goes right out the window!

More on Nap Transition

We started up again with the nap transition, this time opting for the "make the morning nap shorter and shorter until it's gone method" because I thought it would be the easiest to do gradually, which is what I thought would suit my kids.

For about a week or so now, I have been limiting their morning nap. Usually I don't have to wake them up but every once in a while I do. Also, I moved them into the same room for naps as we will be decorating the spare room for Tater Tot. So, I'm not sure if the difficulties I'm facing are because of the nap transition we're doing (gradual as it is) or because they are napping together. As I write this, I can hear Collette gabbing away. It's 2:20 and they went down around 1:10. A few weeks ago, they were napping for almost 2 hours in the afternoon so I feel like things have gone awry.

One side of me thinks that perhaps they are ready to less gradually take away that morning nap and I should be a bit more aggressive. Maybe I'm still letting them sleep too much and it's affecting their afternoon nap. The other side thinks its just a result of Collette napping in a new place, she will get used it, and I should stay the slow and steady course.

My goal is to be on one nap by the end of March, but the sooner the better, IMO. So, wise ones - thoughts?

From Two to One: Day 1

I have decided to take the plunge and move Sebastian and Collette to a one nap life. My decision is three-fold. 1 - They seem (almost) ready. Not as sleepy when they go down, not napping for as long, etc. 2 - Weissbluth told me this is a normal age to do it. Thank you, good Dr. 3 - Our best playmates are doing it and if we are not on the same schedule, we'll never see each other!

So, today marks the first day of our nap transition. From what I have heard from other moms and from what the Dr. has told me, there are three basic approaches: shorten the morning nap until it disappears, push both naps back until the second nap disappears, or go cold turkey and utilize lots of snacks and Backyardigans episodes. I didn't truly have a preference for one method or another so I'm going with option 2, push both back, because we have our first EI playgroup today at 1pm and I don't want to miss it.

We got up at the normal time this morning, 630am. Usually we play in the living room for a bit after breakfast, then play in the playroom until about 9 and then go to their bedroom to get dressed, read books and get ready for nap. This morning, I was able to keep them in the playroom until 940 with the help of animal crackers, Tyrone, Pablo and Tasha. Once we were in their room, they got a short second wind and went down for their nap at 10:12am. I'm writing this as they sleep so we'll see how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed!

I have no idea how long this should take - a week? 2? a month? I'm hoping it will happen quickly because I have this membership to the Children's Museum and I would really like to use it. But with two naps to get home for, its just been too hard squeezing it in. Plus, I hate being in limbo (who likes it though, right?) so I am already anxious to get used to a new schedule and plan our days accordingly.

Thoughts? Advice?

And on the fourth night, they slept...

Ok, so I'm a bad blogger. I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Monday! But I'm tired. So I'm allowed.

CIO has been going well. Actually, its been going surprisingly well, despite both babies having the sniffles. Here is a quick recap, for those of you playing at home:

Monday Night

Sebastian cried for 50 minutes to get to sleep, 6:15 - 7:05. I had to move him to the other room during that time because Collette was sick and I didn't want her to wake up.

He woke again around 10pm, I did one check and after 5 minutes, fell back asleep.

Collette woke up around 6:45am and Sebastian was still sleeping!.

Tuesday Night

Sebastian cried for just 15 minutes to get to sleep. My mom and Auntie Kim were staying over so I put Sebastian in my room with me. I don't recommend this. While he didn't cry loudly, he fussed on and off from 11pm - 1am. I decided I would sleep better on the love seat in the family room.

Collette then woke up around 1:30am, snot-faced and miserable, so I caved and we (thanks Mom!!) fed her. I think it was the right call, though, considering she really wasn't feeling well.

Both babies started to wake up around 6am.

Wednesday Night

Sebastian was back in his crib because Collette was no longer feeling sick. He fussed for less than 10 minutes and then fell asleep.

Collette woke up at 3am. I went to do the Ferber "check" but quickly realized that it made her cry more. So, I let her cry and naturally she woke up Sebastian but it only lasted about an hour. Maybe 30 minutes. Not sure because once I stopped doing the checks, I kinds stopped looking at the clock. But it wasn't that long or that heartbreaking. It was actually kind of nice to not get up.

They woke up at 7:15am. That one went down as a win for Mommy.

Thursday Night

Sebastian cried again for about 10 minutes before he fell asleep.

We heard grumbling at 5:30am! They fell back asleep and we didn't hear them again until 6:50.
Does that count as sleeping through the night?


We'll see what they have in store for us tonight now that Daddy is home. They always behave their best when he is here. So not fair.
But I have to say, I'm digging this CIO thing. It's...empowering. Like, you mean I don't have to feed you at some absurd hour anymore? You mean I don't have to rock you to sleep? You mean I don't have to swaddle you? You mean I don't have to go in and give you your pacifier 372 times? What am I going to do with all this spare time?? Sleep? Blog.



PS - The 6-month post is coming up but I haven't done the chair picture yet. Tomorrow, I swear.

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.

Congrats, Nikko!!

I feel old. My baby brother Nick, soon-to-be Godfather of my kids, the one who married Billy and me, is graduating from college. Soon enough, he'll get a real job and a real apartment (well, a nicer one, I hope...) and get up before noon on weekdays. Maybe play less beer pong. He's not making any promises.

FavAuntie, Jenn., Yours Truly, Auntie Kim and Amanda dressed for the occassion, back at Nick's HS graduation.

*On a side note, when telling my mother about this T-shirt idea, she asked, "Where are you going to find white T-shirts??" Really, Mom? Are you sure you don't drink when no one is looking?

The graduation is in dowtown Boston at noon, otherwise known as nap time. Awesome. Thankfully, I will have FavAuntie and Auntie Kim to help me wrangle the twins and of course Grammy and Grampa will be there, too. FavAuntie is coming in from San Diego for the big event and will be watching the kiddos while I escape motherhood for a couple days. Still working on the list of "how to get through two days with 5 month olds infants and not commit any major crimes" - as you can imagine, the list is rather long. I'm on page three and going strong. Good luck, FavAuntie. You're in for a treat.

***

In baby news, Collette slept unswaddled for the first time last night. I have talked about ditching the swaddle for so long that when it happened, I thought it would be a much bigger deal. But it happened so randomly. First off, she hardly fits in the uberswaddle sack and actually has chafing on her pinky toes where they rub up against the sack. And I can barely get the velcro part wrapped around her and that's how she broke free, undisturbed, Tuesday morning. So, I figured we should ditch it - it obviously wasn't working and she slept even after she escaped it. I put her to bed in the same sack we use for naps and that was that. No issues, no waking in the middle of the night. One little nugget of success to get me through what has been kind of a rough (half of a) week. I'll take what I can get!

Sebastian - you're next!!

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.

Wordful Wednesday: FREEDOM!

Seven Clown Circus hosts Wordful Wednesday. Hop on over to check out some other Hump Day stories.

Yesterday empowered me to finally try it: a nap with no swaddle. And it worked. I cannot believe it, but it did. I used these cute sleeper blankets that have sleeves, not that I think it makes a difference, I just don't want their little arms to be cold. After an hour, I went in to peek at Collette and she was still fast asleep. Here is the proof:

What an angel!!

A few minutes later, I checked on Sebastian and he had just woken up. So, they both got a little over and hour long nap with no swaddle. A true success, in my book. I will be going for it again tomorrow since my mom will be around to help out. And then we can do it all weekend with Daddy comes home tomorrow. Hurrah! The week is almost over...so far, so very good!

Today was a good day...

Today has been one of those days where things just go very well, from start to finish, with little to no effort on my part. How rare that is, especially with twin infants!! And so, I feel I must document this day in hopes that maybe writing it all down will make it happen again. Kind of like The Secret that Oprah is always squawking about. Who knows, right? It's worth a shot. :)

First off, today was the first day that I started naps in separate bedrooms for the twins, on the advice of the very wise Mommy, Esq. Yesterday, after the kiddos were in lala-land, I wrangled the pack'n'play up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. It's a tight squeeze but I got it in. As a bonus, the room is nice and dark because of the burgundy shades so its ideal for napping (I say this from personal experience, from my former life when I used to nap). Sebastian got his first taste of life away from Collette (sniff, sniff) and seemed to enjoy the experience. Nap #1 was still a short one, 50 minutes, but nap #2 (drum roll please...): OVER 3 HOURS! And Collette must have liked her privacy because she also had a +3 hour nap. And 2.5 of those were overlapping hours. Hell to the yeah!! I mopped, I watched DVR shows, I ate lunch uninterrupted, I played outside with the dog. It was glorious.

This afternoon, Sebastian had all this good energy from a such a restful nap and showed off with lots of rolling. He did it 4 times in a row! Atta boy!




To make this great day even better, my sister came over to help with the babies. It's always nice to have another adult around. Here she is, showing that even Auntie's of twins can earn their stripes - and how!



Lastly, it was a gorgeous day, so all 5 of us (twins, me, Auntie Kim and Lola pug) took a nice walk downtown, met approximately 17 other dogs, drank cokes, and walked back. I also discovered a new Reese's product - the Crunchy Peanut Butter Cup. Why didn't they think of this sooner?? Hello - crunchy peanut butter has been around for eons and you guys are just getting on this? Anyway, it was delicious and complimented my coke very well, not unlike a fine wine with a good meal. It was the perfect little surprise for an all around awesome day.