Snow!

We had fun taking the babies out in the snow for their first time.  We've had a couple small snows so far this year, but nothing too exciting.  We had not taken them out in the snow yet so thought we would for our recent snow.  We didn't stay out there too long because it was lightly sleeting and very cold, but it was fun to take a few pictures.  Abby is wearing snow bibs that are hand-me-downs.  They are toddler size but we still used them for her, a bit long, but they worked!  Abby and George didn't know what to think of the snow.  There were not many smiles nor cries…they were in awe!

Just for fun...

1 month

 2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months (crap I messed up on this pic and put G on the left, oops!)

 7 months

Currently, 8 months!

8 months!

8 months…holy cow.  My babies are quickly growing out of "baby" status.  Me oh my!   So many people have told me that babies get to be more fun the older they get and that is so true!  Each day A & G do something new and it's so fun to watch them and see them learn.  

Sleep is going pretty well for both of them.  Abby is *usually* sleeping through the night from about 7 pm until 7:30 am.  George has been waking up for a bottle in the middle of the night, but then goes back to sleep.  He sleeps 7pm until around 3 am (or so) and then wakes up again around 7:30/8 am.  He hasn't been taking as much bottle during the day so I know he wakes up hungry in the middle of the night.  Hopefully this won't last too much longer.  

Naps are getting a bit better.  We are starting to have some days where they take longer naps.  We still have our 30 minute naps from time to time but not as often.  I think they are moving in the right direction.  We are FINALLY getting into a schedule/routine during the day and it feels good.  Now the trick is to get them to BOTH nap for a couple hours at the same time.  That would be glorious!  :)  One of the tricky parts of having twins!

As for eating…

They are taking 4 or 5 bottles/nursing a day.  We have been doing four a day but just depends on how the day is going.  If our schedule if off or they seem extra hungry I'll will feed them 5 times.  I am still nursing Abby and pumping for George.  They are eating three solid meals a day and continuing to thrive with their solids.  They LOVE their solids.  Esp. George…he could just eat and eat and eat the solids.  So far there is really nothing they don't like and they have tried pretty much all veggies and fruits.  I also started giving them chicken (pureed) at night for more protein before bed…they love this too.  

Abby is in 18 month clothes, in fact I just bought her some 24 month sized clothes and they fit her.  INSANE.  George is growing out of his 9 month size clothes and will be in 12 months very soon…some of his clothes are 12 months.

Abby is pretty much sitting up on her own.  I still keep an eye on her just in case she falls back wards but that's getting more rare these days.  George sits up on his own but he still needs pillows behind him b/c he will fall backwards.  He's almost there though!  Both are getting VERY close to crawling.  The hubs thinks G will be crawling by the end of this month and I have to agree with him.  G is starting to get up on his hands and knees in the crawling position.  It doesn't last long, but he's getting the idea.  He's already got the scooting down so it's just a matter of time.  A is close to crawling too.  She'll be right there along with G in no time.

Abby is just cut her first tooth, as in this past Saturday!  Happy 8 months to her!  I was wondering when these pesky teeth were going to come in.  Finally!  But I do have to say I shed some tears…my babies are growing up too fast.  George doesn't have any yet but I know it'll be soon as he is definitely teething.

We started our Kindermusic class today and it's so much fun.  A and G loved it!  So excited that we have this every Tuesday for the next three months.  

They are just now really starting to play with each other.  It is the cutest thing ever.  Just yesterday, Abby was cracking up at George.  He would look at her and she'd just laugh, it was the funniest thing ever.  So cool to watch them start playing together.  

A and G both got their first bad colds and fevers this past month.  It was not fun at all for them or the hubs and I!  Both didn't sleep well at night b/c they couldn't breath well on their backs and it was so pitiful.  A had the cold first, then the next weekend G did.  I hated seeing them with their first sickness.  Thankfully though it didn't get into their lungs or get any worse.  I have to thank my breast milk for that!  The doctor said this is a sign that they are very healthy babies to have fought these bad colds and to not get a cough or anything else along with it.

Here are some more pictures…

A day in the life with 7.5 month old twins...

6:15 am: G starts stirring, I pop the paci in his mouth

6:30 am: G stirs again, I put the paci in his mouth and he falls back asleep (so do I)

7:15 am: both babies wake up

7:15 am: run downstairs to heat up G's bottle

7:20: bring G downstairs then go up and get A

7:20: get G's bottle

7:22: nurse A and feed G his bottle at the same time

7:30: snuggle with A while G is finishing up his bottle

7:45: change A's diaper

7:50: Burp G, change his diaper then time for snuggling with him while A plays on the floor

8:15 am: get my pumping supplies ready/set up

8:20: feed the dogs and let them outside to potty

8:30: make my coffee and breakfast while babies play on floor

8:35: pump and eat my breakfast

8:50: make babies breakfast, either oatmeal w/bananas or homemade applesauce w/oatmeal

8:52: A has a poopy diaper, change her

8:55: put babies in high chair and feed them while I drink my coffee that is now cold

9:15: clean them up and put them on floor to play

9:20: put on their clothes for the day

9:30: change diapers again if need be

9:40: more play time.  If I can I sneak upstairs to change out of my pi's and quickly brush my teeth and wash my face.

10:00: bring G up for a nap, put him down.

10:05: bring A up for her nap, put her down.

10:30: babies wake up.  yes, that was a 30 minute nap, that's what my babies do.  

10:35: let babies wake up and pray that they would maybe sleep longer.

10:40: go get babies.  change diapers, let them play.

11:00: give G a bottle and nurse A

11:30: change if need be, get a snack for myself.

11:35: haul the two babies and a diaper bag out to the car to head to the gym.

11:45: workout and time for myself…ahhh, glorious!

12:45: pick up babies from the childcare at the gym and head home.

12:55: give babies solids while making my lunch in pieces.  Typically they will eat a veggie at lunch.

1:15: let them hang out in highchairs while I finish my lunch and do a couple things around the house (if they will let me)

1:30: change diapers, bottle for G and nurse A

2:00: nap time.  Try to get them down for a nap.

2:15: I send a couple emails, fold some laundry, pay some bills...

2:45: both are up!  

2:50: let them play for a bit in hopes they will fall back asleep.

3:00: get babies and think about going to the store with the babies or just staying home.  I decide to stay home.

3:00-4:00: play time and story reading time.

4:00: bottle for G and nursing for A.

4:30: more playing to try and wear them out before bed time.  They are tired and are fussy.

5:00: I quickly whip up a dinner for the hubs and I.  Last night it was whole wheat pasta with chicken meatballs and a salad.  Tonight is soup in the crockpot…thank goodness for the crockpot!

5:30: solids for A and G.  Usually potato and beets or something of that sort.  Feed them while the hubs and I eat.  Already eating our dinners together as a family of four…it's crazy but I love it.

6:00: take the babies up to our bed to get them ready for bed time.  They love playing on our bed with just their diaper on.  We always have a fun time doing this before bed with them :)

6:15: make their bottles and get the bath water ready.

6:30: start G in his bath, the hubs gives him a bath, feeds him and puts him to bed.

6:40: I start A in her bath, give her her bottle and put her to bed.  Our routine is to give A a bottle at bed time, that way it's easier for us to go out to dinner or go away if we want b/c others can feed A at night with a bottle and plus this makes it so I can pump after we put them to bed and that gives G a full bottle of breast milk for the next day.  

7:15: Both are asleep.  Phew.  I'm exhausted.  Go downstairs, put some clean clothes away, put another load in the wash, straighten up the downstairs from our day.  

8:00: crash on the couch.  Pump, eat some dessert and catch up on blog reading and emails.

9:15: heading to bed…

*As I've said before we try to have one outing a day…otherwise I go nuts.  Outings are not easy with these two but they are worth it.  

*Obviously not every day is exactly like this but they are pretty similar.  We are working on dropping a feeding for the babies and going from 5-4 bottle/nursing feedings a day.  They do so well with their solids which I think is causing more G to not want his bottle as much.

*The hubs and my parents are HUGE helps!  I didn't mention them in this daily post, but the hubs is a massive help to me.  He is soooo good with these babies and loves them so much.  My Mom and Dad are also huge helps.  My Mom will stop by and watch them while I go to the gym or go run errands.  She will also bring over meals for us.  Both of my parents watch them overnight about once a month so the hubs and I can have a date night and a night "off" from parenting.  It really is wonderful and we couldn't thank them enough.  It really gives us time to recharge our batteries and get some house chores done that we can't normally do with the babies around.

*Two babies are TONS of work but we really are enjoying it.  I can't believe they will be 8 months old soon…time sure is flying.

7 months!

7 month post...a little late.  I've got to muster up the energy to write this.  Twins are so exhausting.  So worth it though, but man, this Momma is super tired after we put them down for bed!   

Sleep:

-Still pretty much the same as 6 months.  We still have our good and bad nights.  George pretty much sleeps perfectly every night (knock on wood!) but Miss Abby has her good and bad nights.  Naps are still another story.  Although I do think we are turning a corner on their morning naps.  Lately they have been napping in the morning for 1-2 hours...at the same time...it's the most glorious thing ever.  I actually have time to change out of my pj's, throw some clothes on, maybe some make up if I'm lucky, fold some clothes, wash some bottles and respond to a couple emails before they are up again.  It's pretty stinkin awesome.  We are still working on their afternoon nap which is pretty non existent right now.  Poor babies are EXHAUSTED by the time bed time rolls around at 6:30 pm.  It will be nice when they take two solid naps, but for now, I'm happy with one as the days they don't nap well makes for an unhappy Momma!

Eating:

-Abby is still nursing and George is still getting some of my pumped milk (and some formula) in bottles.  We tried giving them 4 bottle feedings/nursing a day (were doing 5) but we are back to 5.  They took to it well during the day but Abby stopped STTN from it. ugh.  So who knows.  We will try again when they are 8 months.  I'm pretty sure they are ready but I won't rush it for now.  A &G are still loving the solids!  There really isn't a food they don't like.  I have enjoyed making their food but have really been having to start making it in mass quantities b/c they are eating so much more these days.  I typically feed them three times a day.  They have oatmeal and a fruit for breakfast, typically a veggie and maybe a sweet potato for lunch and then dinner can be anything from beets with mashed potatoes to squash, avocados, etc.  They just tried puffs and were fans!  I had fun feeding this to them too.  They are slowly getting the idea of how to put them in their mouths...fun for them to practice.  

Weight:

-Not sure as we don't have another ped. appt. until they are 9 months!  They are growing super fast though!  Abby is officially in 12 month clothes and George is in some 6 month but mostly 9 months!

Development:

-Man, they are changing every.stinkin.day.  I truly see something different/new every day.  George just rolled from his back to his stomach!  Something we have been waiting for him to do.  Now he is Mr. rolley polly!  I put him down on the floor, turn my head for a second and he's half way across the room.  Oh boy.  And Miss Abby likes to move too.  I swear both are going to be crawling oh so soon.  They are both scooting and rolling.  They are both doing really well at sitting up.  Abby is pretty much sitting on her own!  I am near in case she topples over but she is doing so well.  George still needs a little help but he's not far behind!  Also both are starting to notice the dogs.  They'll grab them and smile at them...it's cute.  And they are REALLY noticing each other.  It's really neat to see!!!!!  Built in play mates :)

Random:

-We try to get out of the house at least once a day...if this doesn't happen Momma and the babies go nuts.  We have been going to the gym a few times a week which has been wonderful.  We have childcare included in our membership and it has been a life saver.  A & G really enjoy it too which is an added bonus.  

Play group buddies at our Christmas party.  Abby is wearing my old Christmas dress!

-We are working on their "play room" which is our current living room.  We are baby proofing it, putting down a softer rug for them to crawl on, putting some baby gates up, etc.  It will be nice for them to have this room once we are finished with it.

That's all I have the energy for tonight.  Happy 7 months my sweet babies. I wish you wouldn't grow up so quickly.  I love you SO, so, so much.  

Here are some pictures a good friend of mine took when she was visiting recently...these are my favorites, she is an amazing photographer!

Twenty-Thirteen

It was a good year.  In fact, the best year of my life so far.  The birth of Abby and George makes this year so extra special and so wonderful.  I don't remember life without these two precious babies.  They are my world and I love them more than I ever thought possible.

Here's a quick recap of 2013...

January: Welcome to the 2nd trimester!  Work was busy this month with training lots of clients at the gym as I tried to keep down my breakfast from some morning sickness.  I would come home from work and crash from being so tired.

February: The hubs took me to Spain for my 30th birthday!  We had such a wonderful trip.  It was his first time to Europe and both our first time to Spain.  Such a lovely place it is!  On my actual birthday, February 28th, I was in the hospital for pre-term labor.  I was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks...not fun.  I had a cerclage put in at 21 weeks and was told I was going to be on bed rest the rest of my pregnancy.  Ho-hum.  Thank god the babies stayed put for a few more weeks!

19 weeks pregnant

20 weeks pregnant, right before I was put into the hospital:

Abby

George upside down!

March: Not much happened this month...I spent it on the couch and in the bed!  For a very active person this was hard, but I knew the end result was worth it and boy was it ever.  I had lots of fun doing crafts and planning the babies nursery.

April:  Again, a pretty "boring" month.  Two of my very good friends came to visit me from SC and this was such a sweet surprise.  I was supposed to have a baby shower in SC this month but I had to cancel it due to bed rest, so instead, they brought the shower to me.  I'm so thankful for these sweet friends!

May: My pregnancy was going well and even though I was still on bed rest I was out of the danger zone so was now allowed to have one small outing a day.  I had a baby shower this month and it was so much fun.  It was so nice to get out and get gifts for the babies!

June: June 4th, Abigail Elizabeth and George James were born!  Best.day.ever.  It was a whirlwind of a  day but ended with these sweet babies who were healthy as they could be.  At 34 weeks pregnant they were great sizes.  Abigail was 5 pounds, 2 ounces and George was 4 pounds, 6 ounces.  My little itty bitty miracle babies :)  The hubs and I also celebrated our 4th anniversary!

Here we go!

First bath!

July: The hubs and I were in the throws of very little sleep and just trying to survive.  My parents watched the babies as they so generously let us go to their country club for a 4th of July dinner.  It was so nice to get out of the house, just the two of us.  We were exhausted, but getting by.  Babies were eating every 3 hours at this point and it was SO hard.  We got through it though!

August: Again, just trying to survive.  My parents were huge helps, along with my mother in law who came up numerous times to help.  We could NOT have done it without all this help!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!  Also at the end of this month my cousin came and stayed with us for a week to help out. She was a saint.  She helped cook, cleaned our house (!!!), took a few overnight shifts with the babies and helped during the day...she truly is a gem.

September: We went to the beach with the hubs family.  We had such a good time and it felt soooo good for me to get out of our house and have a change of scenery!  Even though we didn't leave the house much, it was still nice to be there.  The house was on the beach so every day I had beautiful views of the ocean.  It was glorious!  I kept reminding myself that the next year we'd be able to be outside more and would be chasing after these two. :)  This month also held the twins baptism.  It was such a special service.  These two are the biggest blessings ever and I know God has such big plans for them.

October: Babies started sleeping through the night!!!!!  Horray!  We also celebrated their first Halloween.  George was a lion and Abby a pumpkin.  My Mom was out of town, but my Dad came over and handed out candy while we took a quick walk around the neighborhood to show neighbors the twins dressed up.  My Dad also helped us put the babies to bed that night so that the hubs could hand out candy.

Starting solids for the first time!

November: We celebrated my Mom's 60th birthday and had soo much fun.  We also went to Raleigh for the babies first Thanksgiving.  It was a wonderful time getting together with family, as always.

December:  This was such a fun month!!!!!!  We celebrated the hubs birthday and went out to a good dinner while my parents watched the babies for the night.  We also went to my parents country club with them and the babies sat on Santa's lap.  They did great!  While we were there we also had an amazing meal.  We spent the week before Christmas in Raleigh celebrating Christmas there.  We spent actual Christmas here with my family.  Christmas is much more special when you have children!  Even though they don't get it yet, it's still so much more fun.  The twins were spoiled this Christmas and really enjoyed watching everyone open their gifts, playing with the wrapping paper and sticking it in their mouths.

Here's to a HAPPY and HEALTHY 2014.  I'm looking forward to seeing what this new year brings!

(picture taken 12/31/13)