Birth Class Reunion!

On Sunday we went to the reunion for our birth class. It was so much fun seeing everyone again and meeting their babies. I&T are two-three months younger than the other babies because we did the class early in anticipation that I might end up on bedrest (imagine!). I liked seeing what kinds of activity we'll be encountering in a few months.

Ingrid did not enjoy the group pictures. Theo, as per usual, slept.

One of the other moms lives pretty close to me, so we're planning to get together. I am finding that making new mom friends is one of the most important aspects of keeping me sane. Having someone else to talk to who actually cares about breastfeeding and poop and sleeping and knows what I'm talking about is key. My non-parent friends are certainly great, but it's just a different world. Not feeling isolated is really crucial; it seems to me that feeling isolated with a new baby (or babies!) would be a main cause of post-partum depression. Knowing that you aren't alone is an important aspect of the human psyche and I would encourage all new moms to seek out other new parents to go for walks or just watch the babies roll around together while drinking tea (or wine or beer!).

I do need to give a shout-out though to my friend L. David is in Denver this week and my father-in-law flew up to Portland yesterday for his business meeting--he gets back this afternoon--and I was dreading the night on my own. Enter L, who volunteered to sleep overnight at our house and get up with me to help with the babies. She has 14 younger cousins and is great with babies. She can do a mean swaddle and she's learned how to fold diapers. I know she will make a fantastic mom someday. Friends and family support is the best--I don't know how we'd make it otherwise!

On My Own

(insert image of Eponine pining here)

I'm not really pretending that David is beside me, and I'm certainly not walking alone, but it's a pretty song and I've been singing it to the babies today. David's dad arrives Saturday, so I am doing this week with minimal daytime help and managing the second night-time feeding by myself. I know there are lots and lots of MoMs who manage twins (or more!) without any outside help, so I know it could be a lot harder, but this is still hard. For me at least. I'm trying to get out of my "others have it worse than you so you should be grateful for what you have and stop complaining" mindset and just accept that it's okay for me to say something is difficult for me.

We had a nice three-day weekend. On Saturday we went to a huge park near our house and David ran eight miles while I pushed the stroller on a lovely paved trail through redwoods. We saw lots of butterflies and it was great exercise for me. Sunday we went to Target and got some Fourth of July supplies. Sunday night....was hilariously diaster-ific. It was super hot, and neither baby wanted to sleep. So David and I rocked, carried, held, shushed, tried bouncing, swinging, dancing....and finally loaded them into the stroller at 11pm and walked up and down the street. That placated Ingrid but not Theo, so then we moved to the car and drove around. When we got home, Ingrid stayed asleep, but Theo still needed more comforting before he finally went down. David was so patient and positive the whole time--thankfully he didn't have to go to work Monday because of the holiday!

Then on Monday both were absolute angels. We went to a parade (Theo slept; Ingrid wanted to watch some of it), a park, and had friends over for dinner. They brought their two-year-old and five-month-old--hard to believe my babies will soon be that big!

Patriotic Diaper Covers!

(Ignore that part of Ingrid's diaper is sticking out of the cover.)

I love the expression on Theo's face here. He makes the silliest faces. Ingrid has definitely started smiling; I'm not sure if he has yet, but he definitely is going to be something of a comedian, I'm sure.

One Month Old!

My babies turned one month old on Thursday!

We went to the pediatrician last Tuesday for the one-month checkup. Ingrid is up to 9 lbs, 4 oz (birth weight 7 lbs) and Theo is up to 7 lbs, 4 oz (birth weight 5 lbs, 3 oz). I was so excited to learn that they had both gained more than two pounds. Ingrid is pretty solidly in 0-3 month sizes now and Theo is filling out the newborn clothing. They both continue to be excellent, voracious eaters, and I am trying to stop worrying that they're getting enough to eat. They have plenty of wet and dirty diapers and I nurse them as soon as either shows a sign of hunger, so I think it is okay to relax a bit!

Thursday was also my first day without help while David was at work. Theo's expression summarizes how I felt: Really, it was okay. They had slept pretty well the night before, so I wasn't totally exhausted, and there was only one spurt where both were wailing and I had to try to calm everyone. That is simply awful and I don't know if I'll ever be able to hear both of them cry without my heart feeling like it's being ripped in two directions.

In addition to keeping two babies alive, I managed to eat breakfast and lunch and do two loads of laundry. When we went out for our afternoon walk, I ran into another mom of twins in the neighborhood who was heading out for a walk, so we walked together to a water ice shop nearby. It was wonderful having someone to chat with, and I need to make more "mom friends." Her babies are only a few months older than I&T, so hopefully they'll have some friends just down the street who can relate to twin-ness!

My dad's leaving early Thursday morning was sad. But fortunately he and Theo got to have some sports-bonding time.
I love Theo's little outfit in this picture. The duckie-foot pants are beyond adorable. And Ingrid only got to wear them once before she outgrew them, so I'm glad that I can still put Theo in them. I think one of my favorite parts of the day is picking out their outfits and getting them dressed. I like to offer choices and see if they indicate any preferences--talking to yourself all day gives you opportunities to pretend the babies are conversing back.

My dad is such a proud Opa. I am really glad he'll be out here with us all fall. It's good for my relationship with him, and I know he just loves being with his grandchildren! It'll be interesting to see how much they'll grow before he comes back!