With a few extra towels, just about any kitchen sink can be turned into a bath. Over the holidays, Lucie (top/left) and Ryan (bottom/right) bathed in sinks at multiple locations. Here they demonstrate the versitility of my parents' kitchen.
And what a first Christmas it was! Lucie and Ryan had many adventures over their holiday vacation. Highlights included spending Christmas day with their entire extended family (Aunt Rach and Uncle Greg pictured here); cutting down a tree at the Christmas tree farm (they spent the time in the warm office eating lunch with two big dogs); their first plane trip and road trip; and meeting many family friends of all ages.
Lucie was at her best after a recent feeding. She must laughed and giggled for 10 minutes or so while Megan and I made faces.
At nearly three months age, Lucie and Ryan demonstrate a wide range of emotions. While there has always been plenty of fussiness (particularly in the evening) and crying (especially when hungry), they now have increasingly frequent bouts of happiness, curiousity, and day-dreaming.
The sling dates back to a more primitive time before batteries and plastic. Vibration is provided by the sway of natural motion and music comes from the parental heartbeat (or dad's indigestion as the case may be). It's just you and the baby as Lucie demonstrates in our New Native Natural Baby Carrier.
We've heard some parents bathe their babies every day. Wow, I'm impressed. With the assembly line we have to set up, we're lucky if we manage baths twice a week.
Lucie and Ryan are starting to self-sooth which means we often don't have to go through the hour-long routine to get them to sleep. Wonderful development as it makes nap-time a more frequent event. But it does mean that they aren't always swaddled when they sleep -- leading to some very interesting sleep positions...
Sleep, our long-lost friend, has finally returned.
One of our earliest gifts, the Carters Bouncer, has proven to be invaluable. Once again, it's amazing to see the technology included in baby products -- vibration (an absolute must), 4 songs, volume control, and two positions. This chair has more computing power than the Apollo mission.
I have a cousin who smiled so much as a little boy that most people still call him "Smiley" 25 years later. Based on her early photogenic nature, Lucie and Kyle may have to start sharing that moniker.
Just like Mr. Brown in their favorite Dr. Seuss book, Ryan and Lucie are learning to make all sorts of wonderful noises. This morning I heard squeeks, coos, giggles, and something that Chris swears sounded like "hi" out of their little mouths. It's so much fun to listen to their little conversations and smile and coo along. Next thing we know, their vocal cords will be warmed up and just like in the book, they'll be responding to, "What does a cow say?" I think they'll do a rousing "MOO!!"
One of the most recent additions to our baby arsenal is the Fisher Price Cradle Swing. This is not your parents' swing. It comes complete with 6 speeds, electronic mobile, 4 built-in songs, 2 position cradle, and side-to-side or front-to-back motion -- all powered by 4 D cell batteries.
Why is it that the diapers get less expensive as a baby grows? The NICU used Pampers and we've stayed loyal to that brand, but Premies (P) cost $6.99 for a 20 pack (35¢ each), Newborns (N) cost $12.99 for a 40 pack (32¢ each), and Swadlers (1) cost $17.89 for a 100 pack (18¢ each).
Within the stroller stride community, the zoo is known as a great place to take babies. With miles of even pavement, plenty of bathrooms and benches, and lots of snack options, there is something for both parents and babies. Based on our visit, we'd agree even though Lucie and Ryan slept through the entire trip.
Ryan and Lucie wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. Their party clothes made it all the way through Thanksgiving dinner. Pretty impressive! Once it was time for pumpkin pie, the footed sleepers came out.
... a vacuum cleaner? Ryan and Lucie's pal Erick loaned them his favorite CD, "For Crying Out Loud", which has quickly become a hit. The CD has 8 different tracks of white noise, with everything from a hairdryer to rain to crashing waves. Ryan and Lucie's personal favorite is the vacuum cleaner track which we keep on continuous repeat throughout the night. While it drives us bonkers, it obviously is loved by our little ones. We'll do anything for a few extra minutes sleep!
It's been three weeks since our last pediatrician's visit so we were anxious to get an update on Lucie and Ryan's growth. The scales confirmed what Megan and I are already knew -- our babies are growing. A lot.
It's absolutely amazing how many people stop to talk to you when pushing a double stroller. Some of the questions are simply hilarious to us - everything from "Are they twins?" to "Are they identical?" (especially after finding out they are boy/girl)
Anytime our babies have a rough night, we sleepily ask each other, "Do you think its colic?" Turns out many others wonder the same thing. It's the most popular topic at my breastfeeding support group where moms share all sorts of remedies from gripe water to a warm bath. Colic even hit the front page of the NY Times this week.
We've quickly learned that it's nearly impossible to get a good pose out of both babies at once. It's as if they have a secret agreement to only smile when the other is crying or rolling her eyes. This is just the beginning of twin language, I'm sure.
Ryan and Lucie spent some quality time with Uncle Andrew last Friday night. He told them about college life - his Italian midterm, the latest at International House, and his plans to initiate new members of the Ultimate Frisbee team. Ryan told Andrew about his busy week including rolling over while playing on his activity gym, lots of eating and diaper changes, and one major crying fit in the Macy's children's section where he turned red and almost gave his mom a heart attack. Phew, what a week!
Lucie and Ryan wish you a very Happy Halloween! Decked out in their pumpkin and ghost hats, they enjoyed their first trip to the beach yesterday and saw (or at least slept through) their first sunset.
Ryan and Lucie have enjoyed the past two weeks with Chris' mother Laura. It makes such a difference to have the help, especially when she arrives early in the morning refreshed and ready to help when we are at the very end of our energy reserves.
Lucie and Ryan are having a great time this week playing on their activity mat. They are getting more and more alert each day, and enjoying their daily play time. Plus, Ryan doesn't seem to mind if Lucie tries to eat his ear...
Another week, another wellness checkup. Ryan is up to 7 pounds, 13 ounces and a wiry 21 inches. Lucie weighs a robust 7 lbs, 3 ozs and 20.5 inches.
I've received so many supportive emails and phone messages as I transition the twins from bottle to breastfeeding. It's been a struggle, but every day gets better and feels more natural. After about a week of multi-hour appointments with militant lactation consultants (ask me about that sometime) and some trying nights, Ryan and Lucie are almost 100% converted to breastfeeding. No more mounds of bottles to clean & prepare -- time to celebrate!
Between blankets and burp clothes, onesies and snap shirts, the laundry piles up quickly. The twins manage to dirty about a wash load per day. Fortunately, our on-site grandmother laundry service keeps up with demand.
Even though it's not medically necessary, we decided to have Ryan circumsized. Now that we've had four days to recover, Megan would tell you that it was harder on her, but I'm not so sure Ryan would agree. Megan and Lucie conveniently went for a walk during the procedure leaving Ryan and I to face the "clamp". With a little help from the local anethesia and suger-water sucked from my finger, he survived with minimal discomfort.
If someone had told me on our wedding day that five years later we'd have two kids, I'm not sure that I would have believed them. I guess it's a much easier feat to achieve when you get two at the same time!
We try to go for a walk every day. Exposure to sunlight is supposed to help the twins sleep better at night though it doesn't seem to be working on Ryan and Lucie. Tonight, by the time everyone was changed, fed, burped, and bundled, the sun had long since departed so we set out for a nighttime stroll.
Two more clean bills of health at today's peditrician's visit. Ryan tipped the scales at 7 pounds, 7 ounces and Lucie is now 6 pounds, 12 ounces. Both of them are gaining about 1 ounce per day.
Our first family portrait. No fancy backdrop at Sears, no special lighting, no poses with hands on chins, but I think the shot turned out pretty well.
Yesterday, we bought the mother of all boppies. Designed especially for twins, it looks like a sofa cushion with a large bite missing. Our dream is that Megan will eventually be able to simultaneously breastfeed both babies with the aid of the super boppy. Obviously I love the idea as it makes my participation unnecessary. Dare to dream...
On the recommendation of several friends, we bought a copy of the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD. It took almost a week to find the time to watch, but after a single viewing tonight, I don't think it is an exageration to day that the video will change our lives.
Lucie and Ryan enjoyed their weekend with their Chris' family. How nice to be held and snuggled for hours on end! That is their dream life. Our dream life is having mutliple feeders and burpers on hand. Special thanks to Uncle Greg for being our first overnight guest and his willingness to awake every two hours for feedings.
Boppy pillows are one of those strange inventions that every parent knows about, yet people without kids have no idea about them. We use them primarily to prop babies/arms during feeding, but Lucie and Ryan also like to spend "tummy time" (strengthening neck muscles) on the pillows as well.
