I've been keeping notes about things I wanted/needed to know over the last few months regarding the babies. Some things people told me, other things I read in books or online but a lot of this is just learned from trial and error.
So here it is (so far) for any of you who haven't had their first baby yet or even anyone who might be buying baby gifts. I'll probably add to this over the next couple months, although I'm guessing this may fall by the wayside when I go back to work!
Things we loved:
--Dr. Brown's bottles. These have extra parts that mean more washing, but they reduced the gas considerably, making it worth the extra work and extra cost.
--Carter's Roomy Comfy Pants (boys and girls). The sizing on these is a bit confusing. When it says "3 months" it means up to 3 months. And 6 months is up to 6 months, etc. These are great for matching to those cute onesies that everyone gives you for gifts that don't have matching pants.
--Baby Einstein Seek and Discover Deluxe Activity Gym. This has a happy-faced star with flashing lights and bits of up-tempo classical music that my babies just loved.
--Bumkins Every Day Bibs...these are plain terry-cloth bibs without any fancy sayings or anything on them. They did a fabulous job with our spit-up queen, however I just wish they had a waterproof layer in them. Once they got wet, the wetness seeped down onto her shirt. So we had to swap it out frequently.
--Carter's First Years socks. These have some ribbing on them that hold the socks up.I found them at Target. Most other socks don't stay on for even five seconds.
--Fisher Price Aquarium Bouncy Seat. I don't think they make these anymore, but there are lots on craigslist. It has a toybar with a see-through aquarium scene that bubbles and plays other sounds. The babies loved watching the bubbles. It was low on water and after awhile didn't seem to be working very well --- Jamey took it apart and found a way to add more water (not intended by the maker, I'm sure) and it worked so much better. Bottom line...look for a bouncy seat that has a toy bar that they can watch because they'll be using these mostly when they are too small to grab things. Our other bouncy seat has toys you have to grab at. Even now at 5 months, they don't really enjoy it all that much.
--Black and white books. There are a variety of "black and white" image books for babies. Most of them don't even have words, just the pictures. The babies just love them. We got one about baby animals and they particularly liked that.
--Any small toys with mirrors. Lamaze makes a crib mirror that can stand on its own or be velcroed on to the side of a crib or something above the babies' heads. Ben and Maddie's favorite toy so far is Lamaze's Tucker the Turtle (I found it at a garage sale in perfect condition; normally this is $25). It has a mirror on its belly and bells in its feet, and a squeaker in its face. We shake it over the babies while they're laying on the floor and they kick and squeal in delight.
--Jumperoo vs Exersaucer. You basically have a choice between an exersaucer or a jumperoo. Both take up oodles of floor space, so unless you have a huge living room (which we do, thankfully), you can pretty much only go with one. Our babies just LOVE the jumperoos, especially now that we have two and they face each other. The exersaucers tend to have more toys on them to play with, so this is kind of a tough choice. If you can get them free from friends, then I'd get both and try to swap them out (store one in the basement or garage for awhile). These are not worth buying new, however. There are tons and tons of them on craigslist. Both are suitable for babies starting around 4 or 5 months.
--Boppy pillow. These have been priceless from day one and what we use them for changes all the time. Get one and make sure to have a backup cover for it in case the first one gets thrown-up on or something. They flatten as they get used, so it's worth buying these new.
--Happiest Baby on the Block audio CD "womb sounds" track. (see book section below)
--Halo sleep sacks. So much better than a blanket! See section below about swaddles and blankets.
Books that are must reads:
1) Happiest Baby on the Block. This is a necessity for the first couple of months. Great advice on how to keep your baby feeling like he/she is still in the womb. Worked like a charm for us. Also has music CD that you can buy separately that has womb sounds. We used that at night in the nursery for the first three months and I'm positive that had an effect on how well the babies slept.
2) Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. This is great for when you get past 3 months and the baby no longer just falls to sleep easily. That's when you need to have a routine and a plan -- this book lays it all out for you and it really works. There is now a version for twins, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins."
3) Baby Bargains. Buy this BEFORE YOU START SHOPPING or doing a registry. It's like Consumer Reports, but for baby stuff. And it's not just the stuff you buy immediately...it covers convertible car seats, booster seats, all types of strollers, etc.
Web sites:
1) BabyCenter.com. You can sign up to receive weekly emails about the developmental milestones to expect. They also have a great section (sometimes this isn't in the weekly email) with exercises you can do with your baby. Each week there are two or three new exercises, mostly to help with their physical development. You can also join in on the chat rooms. They have monthly birth "clubs" -- so for example I followed the January 2009 birth club chat room because it was all moms whose babies were born roughly at the same time. Lots of the questions and answers and discussions were about issues we were facing at the same time. They also have chat rooms on breastfeeding and other specialty things.
2) Craigslist. Can't say enough about the benefit of this. The baby and kid section is LOADED with excellent condition stuff. The big things -- swings, outdoor toys, good strollers, etc -- go fast so you have to look often if there's something specific you want to find. But we got all kinds of things on here including bottles, bouncy seat, swing, and car seats. Well worth the effort.
Crib stuff:
--I'd recommend buying the lightest weight mattress you can find. Changing the sheets requires pulling the whole thing out! We bought the one recommended by Baby Bargains. The Colgate Classica I. We had to order online, but it was only $100.
--Bumper pads aren't necessary until they start rolling around (about 5 months). They make it even harder to change the sheets, so I'd recommend not putting them on until you need them. There were lots of them on craigslist or places like Once Upon a Child. Or you can just buy a bumper separately at Target, Babies R Us., etc. Not worth buying the fancy "crib set" of sheets, comforter (which you can't use), etc.
--Sheets: We found good soft cotton sheets at IKEA for something like $9 for a set of three sheets. What a deal! They were just as good as the Carter's version that was twice the price.
What to look for in baby clothing:
--Picking the size depends on the season they are born and the size when they are born. Mine were small (6 pounds) so they matched the typical sizing almost perfectly. A friend's baby was 9 pounds, so he was into the 3-6 months clothes almost right away. Short-sleeved items should be sized for how big they will probably be in the summer. If there's a chance the baby will be less than 7 pounds, you will need some "newborn" or "preemie" size clothing (these are usually listed as being for babies up to 8 pounds). But these should just be sleepers.
--If buying sleepers...look for ones with zippers and thicker fabric. Some of the cheaper brands (such as the Target Circo brand) have very thin fabric that wears out quickly. Also make sure the zipper has a cover that snaps over it. If it doesn't, the zipper digs into the baby's chin.
--Don't buy outfits that require socks for before they are 3 months old. The socks just don't fit -- even the best ones. After they are 3 months, we liked pants and long-sleeved onesie shirts. The Carter's roomy comfy pants (noted above) were the best. For summer, go for cotton (stretchy fabric) rompers.
--All the books said to buy white onesie t-shirts. They seem to think you're going to put those on under their clothing every day. We didn't and our babies were fine. It's hard enough undoing one set of clothing for the frequent diaper changes. I could see putting an undershirt on when going outside in the winter, but otherwise we didn't use them. However, we had long-sleeve onesie t-shirts and that's what the babies wore for the first month or so because they were swaddled all the time, except when they were being fed, and none of their 0-3 month clothes fit them very well.
--Baby clothing sizing is even more screwed up than women's clothing sizing. Each brand seems to have its own sizing. Carter's is particularly interesting. Instead of saying "0-3 months", they just say "3 months" and the same with 3-6 months (6 months).
-- A lot of people told us that the baby gowns were the best. I didn't like them because the elastic at the bottom was so tight (In order to stay down) that it was hard to get it on the baby in the first place. However, once it was on, changing diapers was really easy. Guess you have to decide what's more important to you. During those early months, our babies slept in long-sleeve onesies and were swaddled, so diaper changes were super easy. They don't seem to make gowns for babies bigger than the 0-3 month size.
--Everyone will tell you to leave the tags on new clothing (especially if you have a receipt or gift receipt). I CONCUR!! Before baby is born, I’d recommend washing just five or six sleepers (a couple different sizes) and whatever outfit you want them to come home in. Until you know how big he/she is going to be, you might not guess the right size. Our babies were so little they needed the “newborn” stuff; but we have friends whose babies went straight to 3-6 month size (skipping newborn and the 0-3 size altogether!). Anything that you have receipts for, clip the receipt to the outfit and set it aside somewhere so that you could return it if necessary.
--Overall, I'd recommend only buying cotton or other stretchy fabrics. Things like jeans or khacki's might look good, but don't work so well for babies. Stretchy things are easier to put on and take off (something babies hate!) and I would think are more comfortable.
Bottles:
--We tried Avent, Playtex Drop-ins and First Years Breastflow Technology. In the beginning the Breastflow Technology were good because they were a lot like breastfeeding (and we were doing both bottle and breast). However, once we went to all bottle, we switched to Dr. Brown's and we found those were so much better -- much less gas and less need for burping. Well worth the extra price and the extra washing required with the inner parts.
--One of the things they don't tell you is about nipples. There are different "stages." Very young babies use Stage 1 and these are what most bottles come with when you purchase them. Babies can go to Stage 2 after 3 months.
--You are going to need at least a few bottles, even if you are planning to breastfeed full time. You'll want to introduce the baby to a bottle (with pumped breastmilk) sometime between 3-6 weeks old. If you wait too long you'll have harder time getting them to take the bottle, but if you start too soon they'll have trouble latching while breastfeeding.
Swaddling/Sleep Blanket options:
--You definitely want a "wearable" blanket, rather than loose blankets and you should try to swaddle for the first three months. Our babies loved being swaddled and I'm sure that they slept better as a result. We used the SwaddleMe blankets after the babies were 3 months old, and after awhile, we just wrapped it around their body and left their arms out. Prior to that, we used flannel blankets that I made (that were bigger than store-bought versions) and used a wrapping technique a nurse taught us at the hospital. Since then I heard the "Miracle Blanket' is better than the SwaddleMe and I wish we would've had those. Both the SwaddleMe and Miracle Blanket come in different sizes and they list the pounds on them, so watch those carefully. They also come in different fabrics. Winter babies will want the fleece. Summer babies will want the cotton ones. Sleep sacks are also popular (such as the Halo Sleep Sack); they make some that have a swaddle portion and some that don't. Once they are past three months, then the regular sleep sack (without swaddle) is the way to go IMO. Again these have different sizes and different fabrics (fleece or cotton). We got the extra-small and small sizes for gifts and didn't use the extra-small ones at all.
Medicines, Diapering, etc.:
--There's a huge debate about diaper rash cream out there. Our pedi recommended Butt Paste and we liked that. Others will recommend A&D ointment. Ben had a weird looking rash at one point and the A&D seemed to work the best, then. Later, we learned about Triple Paste (not to be confused with Triple Cream) and we've been huge fans ever since. It's really expensive compared to the other stuff, but it works ten times better. The first week they both had diaper rash and I think that was because the meconium is tar-like and really sticks to their skin. Otherwise, if you change their poopy diapers as soon as possible, you should be good.
--All the books say to have Vaseline on hand. Mainly they say to use it on the rectal thermometer. Thing is, it's not good for the thermometer. Use KY jelly instead. You will, however, need the Vaseline for their faces once they start drooling. The pedi said to put this on their cheeks and chin after washing their faces to protect it from the drool on their bibs and clothes.
-- Regarding thermometers, I'm reading online that taking temperature under their armpits (with the modern thermometers) is just as good as a rectal temp. Books are outdated on this point, too. We've been using the ear ones -- same as the doctors office -- and have been pleased with the results.
--They also talk about having rubbing alcohol for cleaning the umbilical cord stump. Our doctors said that's outdated. They said to just leave it alone and it would be fine. And they were right.
--Things to have right away: saline drops (for their stuffy noses), Baby Tylenol (generic is fine), Little Tummy's gas relief drops, a nose aspirator (the ones from the hospital don't work very well. I like the Red Cross one), nail clippers, and later you'll need brush and comb.
--The books say to buy syringe and medicine dropper, however you don't really need to. If baby ends up on a prescription, the pharmacy gives you the dropper or syringe. And other baby meds (tylenol, etc) come with built-in droppers.
--Don't use baby powder
--Aquaphor or Cetaphil is the best option for a lotion when they have dry patches of skin.
--Hooded towels...I found some great, plain towels from Pottery Barn Kids and Bumkins (at Babies R Us). They don't have characters on them and they're nice and thick, but not as thick as an adult towel. The ones with characters and images on them tend to be so thin.
Basics for week one (assuming one baby):
--Diapers. Get a small package of newborn size, (unless you know for sure that your baby is a 9-pounder!) and a bigger package of size 1 diapers.
--Wipes, with refills. You will need lots the first few weeks.
--Some sort of place to put dirty diapers. (garbage can, diaper genie, etc)
--Also see section above about medicines, etc.
--I'd recommend a changing table, with contoured pad and at least two covers. Getting down on the floor or bending over a bed or a crib is okay later, but when you're recovering from delivery, you'll want a nice changing table.
--5 or 6 Sleepers (this assumes you will do laundry)
--Burp rags (6-ply cloth diapers are the best)
--Boppy pillow, with two covers.
--Anything you might need for nursing or bottle feeding. Even if you are going to nurse, I'd recommend having at least a couple 4 oz bottles on hand in case you need to supplement or something goes wrong with nursing. Babies R Us is not open in the middle of the night! (You should be able to get formula samples from the hospital)
--Blankets for swaddling (or a swaddle product as noted above). Make sure to have a couple extra as replacements when one gets spit up or pooped on.
--Crib (or bassinet or co-sleeper), with sheets and mattress pad.
--Car seat. You’ll also want the head supports that go inside the car seat.(if it’s winter, you’ll want the car seat cover)
--Vibrating bouncy seat (seems like this shouldn't be a necessity, but you will discover it will be. Great place to put them down. Sometimes they might need to sleep there. Vibrations put them to sleep in no time when they are newborns!)
--Bath towels and wash cloths, plus baby soap and baby bath tub
--A couple very simple, stretchy, hats. Avoid the frilly ones cause they usually don't fit very well. You won't need these for long, so don't buy many.
Random advice:
--If the baby is peeing or pooping out the diaper, it's probably time for a bigger size. Or the diaper is on wrong.
--Once you get to sleeping through the night, Pampers Baby Dry diapers are great for holding tons and tons and keeping it away from the skin. Other option is to use one size larger for nighttime.
--We're using Costco "Kirkland" brand diapers and they seem just as good as Huggies. They cost 14 cents per diaper. That's the cheapest I've been able to find. Diapers at grocery stores or drug stores are ungodly priced -- easily 40 or 50 cents per diaper. If you don't go with the generic (Target also has some pretty cheap diapers), then watch for sales and become a coupon queen.
--It's really important to "train" the babies to fall asleep on their own right from the start, but especially around 4 or 5 months. Read the first couple chapters of "Healthy Sleep Habits.." to learn more on this.
--We didn't offer a pacifier very often and I think that has made a difference in the fact that neither baby "needs" them now at 5 months. We tried other soothing techniques first and the pacifier was last resort.
WHAT WE LOVED FROM 6-12 MONTHS: (updated Feb 2010)
--Nuk sippy cups. The tops are all latex and kind of like a nipple. It made it really easy for Ben & Maddie to make the switch from bottles to sippys. We tried the standard Gerber ones at first and they struggled. I could only find the Nuk ones on Amazon. They weren't at Babies R Us or Target.
--Books: "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and the others by Eric Carle (Polar Bear and there's one other). These are among the only ones that Ben & Maddie will actually sit through for an entire reading.
--Books: "Good night moon" Another one they will actually sit through.
--Books: The Bright Baby brand of books such as "First Words" and "Colors." They just have colorful pictures of everyday objects with the words and it's essentially like doing flashcards. For some reason, Ben & Maddie love these and will sit through the whole thing, over and over.
--On the topic of books...they love anything that has holes in the pages (such as Eric Carle's "hungry caterpillar") and the peek-a-boo or lift-the-flap type books. However, they have started ripping off the flaps. We're just going to let them do it. Hey, they think books are great! Isn't that the most important part?
--We put all the board books in a fabric bin on the floor. They love to just rifle through there and pull books out. Sometimes they will pull all of them out and pile them up around them. If I put them back, they'll just head right back to the bin and dig them out again.
--My brother bought them plastic books that have hinged pages that play songs or say things when you turn the page. They love these. Here's one of them on the Fisher Price web site
--Somebody gave us a Melissa & Doug caterpillar that is kind of like a puzzle. It's several pieces strung together on a string and you can turn the pieces to change the shape of the whole toy. They loved it so much they were fighting over it. So it was one of the few things we decided to buy a second one. The part I like is that it doesn't make noise and doesn't need batteries! Here's a link to it on Amazon.
--The Leap Frog Learn and Groove Musical Table has been fabulous since they were able to pull themselves up. It's expensive, but we found ours used and it was still in mint condition.
--First Years Hands-Free gate. It has a pedal that you push with your foot to open the gate. So easy! It is among the more expensive out there, but worth the money. It's a tension gate, meaning you can't put it at the top of the stairs. But it's great for blocking off a room or at the bottom of the stairs.
What we loved, 12-17 months (updated May 2010):
--Any books that are essentially like flash cards. The Bright Baby books I mentioned above are the main ones. They just have a picture and a word or phrase describing the picture. Ben and (especially) Maddie will sit through every page of these books, but won't sit through a true "story."
--REI Sun Day hats for toddlers. They have nice big brims, UV protection, fabric down the back of the neck and an adjustable chin strap. I lucked out and got them on sale for something like $6 each. usually more expensive, but well worth the price.
--Sweet potato fries. I've only been able to find these at Costco, but I'm sure they would be somewhere else. They are probably a little less healthy than actual sweet potatoes, but Ben & Maddie will eat tons of these and not the healthier version.
--Cheese quesadilla. One of their favorite meals is a simple tortilla with cheese (melted in the microwave) and cut up into small bites using a pizza cutter.
--Carter's snuggle buddies. Ben & Maddie have had these as their nap and night-time "loveys" for quite awhile, but recently they've become very attached to them. Sometimes Maddie will insist on carrying hers around all day. A few months ago I bought a second set so that we could swap them out to be washed on a regular basis.
What we loved as 2-year-olds: (updated July 2011)
--Crocs (or the knock-off kind) because they can put them on and take them off by themselves. Along that theme, we really like anything we can do ourselves (including pants that are easy to put on and take off, etc)
--Little Tykes Cozy Coupe Cars. Initially they both liked these so we bought two. But Maddie switched over to a trike, but Ben still loves his car.
-- Swinging. We have two baby swings hanging in our backyard (Jamey made a "swingset" between two trees)
--Tunnels. We have a collapsible tunnel from IKEA that is great for in the house (especially in the winter) that they love to crawl through. Now that it's summer, they love playgrounds that have lots of tunnels to crawl through.
--Cat in the Hat, Sid the Science Kid and Super Why! are our favorite TV shows (all on PBS).
--Food has been a problem. They have become even more picky as time goes on. Bean and barley burritos (my recipe is on this blog), hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and cheese quesadillas are guaranteed favorites. They also love McDonalds cheeseburgers and french fries (but we haven't introduced them to Happy Meals). Ben likes carrots with Ranch dressing. Maddie will eat most fruits (blueberries, melon, strawberries). Peanuts, pretzels crisps, Cheerios and apples are favorite snacks.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
June 18
It just dawned on me that today would've been my Mom's 69th birthday. Sigh.
Babies are doing well, although we're having a really bad nap day. I'm trying to do "sleep training" to get them on a nap schedule and it's just not working. Only thing that is consistent is that they get tired after being awake for 2 hours. So if they only sleep for 1 hour one day, but then 2 hours the next day, your eating and sleeping times are different from one day to the next. UGH.
Jamey's working like crazy on the duplex. Still got quite a bit of work left on it.
D-day (MJ goes back to work) is less than 2 weeks away.
Babies are doing well, although we're having a really bad nap day. I'm trying to do "sleep training" to get them on a nap schedule and it's just not working. Only thing that is consistent is that they get tired after being awake for 2 hours. So if they only sleep for 1 hour one day, but then 2 hours the next day, your eating and sleeping times are different from one day to the next. UGH.
Jamey's working like crazy on the duplex. Still got quite a bit of work left on it.
D-day (MJ goes back to work) is less than 2 weeks away.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Better day
We've just come out of several days of bad napping, which meant that Maddie and Ben were far too crabby the past couple of days.
Taking advice from the new book (came yesterday!) "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins", I put them to bed at 6:45 last night instead of their usual 8 pm. They still slept until almost 6 a.m.!!
Then this morning, I thought they would stay awake until 9 a.m. (which is when the book recommends the morning nap), but they were toast by 7:45 and closed their eyes almost instantly after I put them back in their cribs. And they slept for 2 1/2 hours. Clearly they really needed the sleep.
This afternoon's nap was another 2 hours, but Maddie woke up part-way through and I had to get her back to sleep. I think she probably only got 1 1/2 hours.
But they are clearly much, much happier babies today. Maybe they need an earlier bedtime all the time? Guess I'll find out tonight.
Taking advice from the new book (came yesterday!) "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins", I put them to bed at 6:45 last night instead of their usual 8 pm. They still slept until almost 6 a.m.!!
Then this morning, I thought they would stay awake until 9 a.m. (which is when the book recommends the morning nap), but they were toast by 7:45 and closed their eyes almost instantly after I put them back in their cribs. And they slept for 2 1/2 hours. Clearly they really needed the sleep.
This afternoon's nap was another 2 hours, but Maddie woke up part-way through and I had to get her back to sleep. I think she probably only got 1 1/2 hours.
But they are clearly much, much happier babies today. Maybe they need an earlier bedtime all the time? Guess I'll find out tonight.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
New wheels!
The babies tried out their new "wheels" this morning.
After endless research on the best stroller to get for twins (there isn't such a thing!), we bought the Baby Jogger City Classic Double. It's not really built for jogging, but it's darn close. It's very sturdy and durable, with big tires and it's very easy to maneuver around.
It folds up, but won't fit in the Prius. It should fit in our Civic (although take up most of the trunk). Eventually we're going to have to get a bigger car anyway. I'm also going to look for a double umbrella stroller that we can put in the car for quick outings -- to the doctor, to a store, etc.
The big stroller will be for walking, going to parks, the zoo, etc.
Here are a couple other pics I took this afternoon....
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| From June 2006 |
After endless research on the best stroller to get for twins (there isn't such a thing!), we bought the Baby Jogger City Classic Double. It's not really built for jogging, but it's darn close. It's very sturdy and durable, with big tires and it's very easy to maneuver around.
It folds up, but won't fit in the Prius. It should fit in our Civic (although take up most of the trunk). Eventually we're going to have to get a bigger car anyway. I'm also going to look for a double umbrella stroller that we can put in the car for quick outings -- to the doctor, to a store, etc.
The big stroller will be for walking, going to parks, the zoo, etc.
Here are a couple other pics I took this afternoon....
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| From June 2006 |
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| From June 2006 |
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Sad day
Today marks 13 years since my Mom died. Hard to believe it's been that long. This past year has been particularly hard for me because I so wish she (and my Dad) were here to share in the joy of my twins. I wanted her advice while I was pregnant and when they were first born, but I can only believe that her advice is coming to me through my instincts -- somehow she already taught me what to do.
The other day when I was putting Maddie to sleep, she looked up at me from her crib and for just a moment she looked just like my Mom.
Of course, Ben is a daily reminder of my father, too.
I'm at the cabin this weekend by myself cleaning the place out. I intended to go out to the cemetery where my parents are buried, but by the time I started thinking about doing it, it started raining pretty hard. I'll go out there tomorrow.
I tackled lots of cupboards and closets here that have been filled with lots of junk -- plus a few valuable things -- that we just never use. So I filled a couple boxes of things we'll try to sell on eBay or craigslist, plus a half dozen or so boxes for charity and a very big pile to go straight to the dump. I can't believe how much junk there was in here!!
It has all collected here since 1984 (when my grandmother died and the cabin was remodeled) and more got added when my Dad sold our family home, and every year we add a few more things. So it was definitely time to purge. I had to make room for baby things!
Plus I'm babyproofing as I go. I moved all the cleaning supplies to upper shelves; made sure matches and tools and things like that are in upper cabinets and simply left a lot of lower-level cabinets empty.
Now it's time for a drink and a movie. Jamey's home on baby duty (calling me every couple of hours for advice!), so I get to relax for the first time in many, many months. I bet I sleep like a rock tonight.
The other day when I was putting Maddie to sleep, she looked up at me from her crib and for just a moment she looked just like my Mom.
Of course, Ben is a daily reminder of my father, too.
I'm at the cabin this weekend by myself cleaning the place out. I intended to go out to the cemetery where my parents are buried, but by the time I started thinking about doing it, it started raining pretty hard. I'll go out there tomorrow.
I tackled lots of cupboards and closets here that have been filled with lots of junk -- plus a few valuable things -- that we just never use. So I filled a couple boxes of things we'll try to sell on eBay or craigslist, plus a half dozen or so boxes for charity and a very big pile to go straight to the dump. I can't believe how much junk there was in here!!
It has all collected here since 1984 (when my grandmother died and the cabin was remodeled) and more got added when my Dad sold our family home, and every year we add a few more things. So it was definitely time to purge. I had to make room for baby things!
Plus I'm babyproofing as I go. I moved all the cleaning supplies to upper shelves; made sure matches and tools and things like that are in upper cabinets and simply left a lot of lower-level cabinets empty.
Now it's time for a drink and a movie. Jamey's home on baby duty (calling me every couple of hours for advice!), so I get to relax for the first time in many, many months. I bet I sleep like a rock tonight.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Precious feet
So, we've done the hands; now how about the feet?
I caught Ben and Maddie playing "footsie" while sitting in their bouncy chairs and watching the bubbles on the aquarium toy bar today. Isn't it cute?
We're thrilled to have just completed 3 nights IN A ROW when they slept straight through the night without a bottle. Yippee!! I'm hoping this is a new trend that lasts for a very long time. :-)
Their new nap schedule is working fantastically. This morning they were sound asleep about two seconds after I put them in their crib. Same thing just now at their 1 pm nap. They must be smart! They're catching up to this new routine really fast.
Big thanks to my aunt Ann for babysitting this morning while I was in downtown Minneapolis catching up with an old friend (ex-boyfriend, actually) who was in town for a freedom of information conference (he's also a journalist). I hadn't seen him in something like 6 1/2 years. It was fun to catch up and to talk about journalism -- although that topic is pretty depressing these days. Still it got me a little jazzed about getting back to the office and trying to light a fire under my co-workers.
I'm off to the cabin tonight for my little "vacation" and Jamey's on baby duty. He's welcoming any and all who would like to stop by to visit or help him out for a few minutes!
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| From June 2006 |
I caught Ben and Maddie playing "footsie" while sitting in their bouncy chairs and watching the bubbles on the aquarium toy bar today. Isn't it cute?
We're thrilled to have just completed 3 nights IN A ROW when they slept straight through the night without a bottle. Yippee!! I'm hoping this is a new trend that lasts for a very long time. :-)
Their new nap schedule is working fantastically. This morning they were sound asleep about two seconds after I put them in their crib. Same thing just now at their 1 pm nap. They must be smart! They're catching up to this new routine really fast.
Big thanks to my aunt Ann for babysitting this morning while I was in downtown Minneapolis catching up with an old friend (ex-boyfriend, actually) who was in town for a freedom of information conference (he's also a journalist). I hadn't seen him in something like 6 1/2 years. It was fun to catch up and to talk about journalism -- although that topic is pretty depressing these days. Still it got me a little jazzed about getting back to the office and trying to light a fire under my co-workers.
I'm off to the cabin tonight for my little "vacation" and Jamey's on baby duty. He's welcoming any and all who would like to stop by to visit or help him out for a few minutes!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Sleep is so great!
Yesterday I started being a bit tougher on nap times...following the cry-it-out method from "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." Wow, does that work like a dream!!
The first nap they did "protest crying" -- as I mentioned in yesterday's post -- and they slept for 2 1/2 hours. The second nap was a bit easier (but also, a shorter sleep). Then I put them down at 5 pm (which the book says is kind of optional at this age) because they seemed very tired. They both fought it pretty hard, but after about a half hour of crying and soothing, down they went for about 30-45 minutes.
Then they went to bed at 8 pm without hardly a whimper.
I didn't hear a peep until 5:45 when I heard Maddie talking to herself (caveat....Jamey says he found Maddie awake at 1 am and he got her back to sleep). Ben was still asleep and stayed down until 6:15.
So I got them up, they played a bit and had a big bottle (7 oz!) and by 7:45 both were back in their cribs and went to sleep without a fight. It's 9:20 and they're still sleeping!
I love this. Knock on wood that it continues!!
The author of this book is coming out with a version specifically for twins. It's due June 9th and I've got my copy pre-ordered on Amazon. Can't wait to see what it says!!
The first nap they did "protest crying" -- as I mentioned in yesterday's post -- and they slept for 2 1/2 hours. The second nap was a bit easier (but also, a shorter sleep). Then I put them down at 5 pm (which the book says is kind of optional at this age) because they seemed very tired. They both fought it pretty hard, but after about a half hour of crying and soothing, down they went for about 30-45 minutes.
Then they went to bed at 8 pm without hardly a whimper.
I didn't hear a peep until 5:45 when I heard Maddie talking to herself (caveat....Jamey says he found Maddie awake at 1 am and he got her back to sleep). Ben was still asleep and stayed down until 6:15.
So I got them up, they played a bit and had a big bottle (7 oz!) and by 7:45 both were back in their cribs and went to sleep without a fight. It's 9:20 and they're still sleeping!
I love this. Knock on wood that it continues!!
The author of this book is coming out with a version specifically for twins. It's due June 9th and I've got my copy pre-ordered on Amazon. Can't wait to see what it says!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
It's June!
I can't believe June is already here. Just one month left til my dreaded back-to-work day. UGH.
The babies are getting more interesting and fun all the time. Here's a bit from today...
Ben is fascinated by his bottle and likes to hold it in his hands. If only he could actually feed himself! That will be an awesome day!!
I built a couple of "chairs" for the babies to sit in to practice sitting unassisted.
This afternoon I took them out for a walk in the stroller and when we got home I pushed the stroller into the backyard and we all sat on the ground. I took them out of their carseats and leaned each against me. They were barefoot, so they could feel the grass and soil on their feet and feel the wind on their faces. They kept looking up at the canopy of trees over our heads in reaction to the rustling of the leaves. It was really fun to see how they reacted! It was the first time I'd done that (although I've been wanting to).
We're fairly certain the babies are teething. All the classic signs are there. We also think they are changing their sleep/wake patterns, so I'm working hard to implement the "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" method.
This morning they got up at 6 a.m., I gave them a bottle at 7 a.m. They played in between for awhile and then finished off what they didn't eat earlier around 8 a.m. Both were showing signs of being tired, but weren't falling asleep. So I put on their sleep blankets and put them down in their cribs. They did "protest cries" for about 15 minutes. I went in there and turned Ben on his favorite side and rubbed his back; turned Maddie on her belly (her favorite way to sleep these days) and rubbed her back and off they both went to sleep.
I went to the gym and came home to find everybody still sleeping! They slept for 2 1/2 hours!! I was shocked. This afternoon we did the same after their lunch time bottle and they slept another hour.
They're getting close to needing another bottle and nap, so I better get going.
One last note....I'm off for a little "vacation" this weekend. I'm going up to the cabin by myself to clean the place out a bit and do some babyproofing. Jamey is staying home with the babies. So if you are bored on Saturday, you might want to stop by and lend him a hand!! :-)
The babies are getting more interesting and fun all the time. Here's a bit from today...
Ben is fascinated by his bottle and likes to hold it in his hands. If only he could actually feed himself! That will be an awesome day!!
 |
| From June 2006 |
I built a couple of "chairs" for the babies to sit in to practice sitting unassisted.
 |
| From June 2006 |
 |
| From June 2006 |
 |
| From June 2006 |
This afternoon I took them out for a walk in the stroller and when we got home I pushed the stroller into the backyard and we all sat on the ground. I took them out of their carseats and leaned each against me. They were barefoot, so they could feel the grass and soil on their feet and feel the wind on their faces. They kept looking up at the canopy of trees over our heads in reaction to the rustling of the leaves. It was really fun to see how they reacted! It was the first time I'd done that (although I've been wanting to).
We're fairly certain the babies are teething. All the classic signs are there. We also think they are changing their sleep/wake patterns, so I'm working hard to implement the "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" method.
This morning they got up at 6 a.m., I gave them a bottle at 7 a.m. They played in between for awhile and then finished off what they didn't eat earlier around 8 a.m. Both were showing signs of being tired, but weren't falling asleep. So I put on their sleep blankets and put them down in their cribs. They did "protest cries" for about 15 minutes. I went in there and turned Ben on his favorite side and rubbed his back; turned Maddie on her belly (her favorite way to sleep these days) and rubbed her back and off they both went to sleep.
I went to the gym and came home to find everybody still sleeping! They slept for 2 1/2 hours!! I was shocked. This afternoon we did the same after their lunch time bottle and they slept another hour.
They're getting close to needing another bottle and nap, so I better get going.
One last note....I'm off for a little "vacation" this weekend. I'm going up to the cabin by myself to clean the place out a bit and do some babyproofing. Jamey is staying home with the babies. So if you are bored on Saturday, you might want to stop by and lend him a hand!! :-)
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