Pumpkin Patch!

Just jumping back in here. The babies are now four months old, and we took them to a pumpkin patch today!

They have some very cute Halloween onesies that a neighbor down the street gave us. She has a baby boy who is a month older than Ingrid and Theo, but he is much bigger! We love hand-me-downs. Ingrid's says "Daddy's Little" and then has a picture of a pumpkin. The pumpkin looks kind of like a very cute time bomb, which is appropriate. She is our little time bomb pumpkin!

Theo's says "My First Halloween." Except you'd never know it, because he is still spending 90% of his time in a bib because he is still a happy spitter. At least he got an orange bib today.

They are getting so big! Ingrid is solidly in the 50% for weight, and she's 75% for height. Theo is in the 25% for height, but he continues to be a peanut, at 5% for weight. The pedi is not concerned, and neither are we. (Have you seen what his father looks like?)

They are giggling and smiling and cooing and sounding like baby dolphins all over the place. I am so glad this has gotten to be more fun!

Lots o' Photos

So, some fun with photos.

I'm amazed at how much more "into" the play mat the babies have become in the last few weeks. When they were brand new, all they would do is cry when we would put them on the

mat, and they had no interest in the little objects that hang down. Now, they love it and will happily stare and attempt to bat at the objects for 15 or 20 minutes.

It has been so wonderful having my friends out here. M was here for a week, and H was here for two weeks. We had a great time going for picnics and walks.

This is my favorite "Ijy smiles" picture so far. She is clearly happy about being two months old.

Theo is more thoughtful about it.

We celebrated David's birthday on August 1. Theo was sleeping during the cake and candles, but Ingrid assisted.

And just when you think they're going to cry forever, they both pass out.

We took them to the National Night Out ice cream party our neighborhood hosted. I saw a lot of neighbors that I hadn't seen since I was pregnant! They were all happy to meet the babies. We also saw a whippet that looked very much like the one that I had growing up. It was the babies' first whippet-sighting! They've seen many greyhounds already too.

This week has been tough without anyone else around. We went to a twin support group meeting on Wednesday and on Friday we had a big outing--to the Social Security office and then up to a redwook park. We walked a bit, stopped and had a picnic lunch in a clearing overlooking the canyon, and then continued the walk. Ingrid and Theo were both very patient while the other ate.

Last Saturday we went up to wine country so the babies could meeet David's aunt and uncle and their poodle. The poodle is a clown and I think inspired the cutest picture of this post!

The Days Are Long....

But the months are short. My babies were two months old on Saturday!

(With Uncle M on July 26.)

We went to the pediatrician, whom I keep referring to as the vet, on Monday. Coming in at 11 lbs, 7 oz and 23 1/4 inches is Miss Ingrid Jill! And from the opposite corner, at 9 lbs, 12 oz and 22 inches is Mr. Theodore James!

(Taken July 18.)

A co-worker sent these onesies a few days after they were born. At the time, I couldn't imagine Theo ever fitting into his--and now here we are!

The month of July flew by with visitors and walks in the park. I am so excited about our new City Mini which can go on trails--so now I can wear a baby and push a baby and go off-roading!

The interactions are getting so much more exciting. Both are smiling in response to our smiles, and they are beginning to clutch the rattles we put near their hands. We have learned that the easiest way to make Ijy happy is to take her clothes off. Yes, my little girl loves the naked time. Theo doesn't mind it, but he doesn't explode with glee as soon as the last shred of fabric comes off like she does.

Nursing continues to go well. I'm working on weaning them off the shields, and that has been mostly successful for them--but a bit painful for me. The nice thing is that if I'm in too much pain I can just pop the shield back on for a session or two. I'm hopeful that once we're off the shields the time it takes them to eat will speed up and we can finish in 15-20 minutes.

We have a walking date in half an hour with a mom from our birth class and her baby. These outings are so healthy for me to get out and enjoy the weather and my babies!

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!

A Big Day!

Yesterday we had not one but TWO outings--first to the lake and second to an art fair.

David needed to go for a run yesterday, and the babies were in a relatively calm mood post-feeding, so we loaded everyone up and drove down to the lake. My dad and I pushed the stroller while David ran. The weather was beautiful! The babies enjoyed the fresh air, my dad and I enjoyed receiving compliments about them, and David got in a good run.

One woman who was jogging stopped when she saw the double stroller and told us about her 2.5 year old boy-girl twins. She's in the twin group too, but we hadn't met before. She was very encouraging. I love how supportive Moms of Multiples are!

Later in the afternoon we drove up to an art festival that was taking place in a nearby neighborhood. We expected the sidewalks to be crowded, so I suggested we wear the babies rather than take the stroller. If there were any major meltdowns, we would never be far from the car or home.

It was a lot of fun! We definitely received less attention as individuals than we do when we have the double stroller. Plus it was nice having a baby snuggled so close. They truly are like little space heaters.

We finished off the evening watching Up. I held Theo and David held Ingrid. I think my dad was jealous without a baby to hold during the movie (tough; I'm not sorry I didn't have triplets!), but it was nice settling in and cuddling as a family of four. The babies were sleepy throughout the whole movie, and then we had a pretty good night.

It's days like yesterday that make me think we're actually going to be able to do this!