We're 4 Months Old!

My precious babies are already 4 months old. I just can't believe it. So much is happening so fast lately, I'm not sure I can stand it! Here's the latest:

It appears that Libby's colic has ended! HIP-HIP-HOORAY! She does still show symptoms of reflux, but even that is greatly improving with the medication and formula. We go back to the doctor for our 4-month check-up on 8/20, so we'll talk about it then. I'm just so happy I can't even stand it! But she is so happy, too. ALWAYS smiling and starting to giggle like her brother. ;)

It took a long week, but we got the babies on a napping schedule! Three cheers for that! I read a great book on napping called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (I highly recommend it) and tried the strategies and after 1 week, they are taking 3 great naps a day and going down at 7 PM every night. They usually wake up at about midnight or 1 AM and sometimes again at around 4 for a bottle. Most nights, they only wake up once. But last night--- drum roll, please..... THEY SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! That's right-- from 8 PM (we were out with friends and a little late) until 6 AM!!! Wooo hooooo. Let's pray that keeps up!

Since the babies are starting daycare in a few weeks, I decided we should try to get them used to being in the same room in different cribs. They were sleeping separately (Libby was in our room in the Amby Hammock Swing-- for babies with reflux) and Drew was in his crib. Well, it took only about 1 week and they are favoring their room over anything else. It was a rough start for Libby since she was so used to being in our room and in this cuddly hammock. The crib just seemed like a big open space that swallowed her whole. Besides getting used to her hands being in her face and in the way a lot, she has done great. In fact, today I put her in the Amby for my convenience for a nap and she wanted nothing to do with it. I took her out and put her in her crib for a minute while I changed Drew and before I knew it, she was fast asleep.

Drewsie is going to be an athlete, or an acrobat of some sort. He has always moved around and kicked a lot, but yesterday I went to get him after a nap and he had rolled onto his left side and appeared to be stuck there! Poor baby didn't know what to think of it. His poor arm was caught underneath and was purple. I got nervous, but massaged it and it went back to pink right away. Phew! Well, today, I went to get him and he was literally on his belly with a big smile on his face. He also took a THREE hour nap today. Maybe he's most comfortable this way. I thought it was too early to be rolling over, especially back to front, but I guess it's a sign that this boy will be running around here soon! In my heart, I'm so happy to see them meeting milestones, but then again, I wish they could stay little (and not so mobile) forever! ;) I also have to keep telling myself that he will turn over if in trouble at night. That maternal instinct is getting at my gut wondering if he's at risk for SIDS now or will suffocate. Guess that motherly worrying never ends, though.

Sadly, I had to pack a few boxes today-- boxes of baby clothes that they've already outgrown. boo hoo. So, bye bye 0-3 months and 3-6 months, here we come! My peanuts are growing so much so fast. I hope I can keep up with it all!

Beach Bums

Today was our first day in the baby pool! Libby didn't know what to think about it at first, but then was just laying on the side chillin' in her bikini. Drew had a good time, but must have spit up 10 times in the water-- eewwwww. That shows us for trying to put him in right after a bottle! But they enjoyed it for the most part and sat in for about 5 minutes. We tried splashing with their hands and feet and even put them on their tummies, but they weren't too enthused. We'll try some more later and hopefully they'll start having a ball in there before summer ends-- which feels like never since it's been so hot here lately. We took some video, too, so take a look at it here.

Say Cheese...Take 2!

Ok, so we weren't all that thrilled with the quality of our Target portraits a few weeks ago, so I asked for some recommendations from other moms and found out about a new studio in our area called Portrait Innovations (http://www.portraitinnovations.com/). We had a great photographer, who also happens to be a twin, and love the photos we took home the very same day! They were so patient and tolerated our "bottle" and "change" breaks very well. They had 4 different outfits and "sets", so we bought a RIDICULOUS amount of photos! At least now when I have to hand a photo to every stranger on the street (because we are the geeky first time parents who don't know any better when ordering), I won't be embarrassed by the quality. Hey, if you're reading this (and aren't a stranger) and want a photo, just email me! ;)

We've Got Hands!

It's always fun to see the babies growing with each passing day and it's the little things here and there that always make it so exciting for us. This past Sunday, the babies seemed to have discovered that they have hands. The looks on their faces were priceless, as if to say, "Why didn't anyone tell us sooner because these are the coolest things EVER!" Here is where the baby drool comes into play, though. Now, their hands, bibs, toys, and whatever else they touch is full of drool since their hands are always in their mouths. I'm kinda excited because I'm hoping this means that "nu-nu patrol" will be cut down on our part. It gets exhausting running up and down the stairs to put a fallen nu-nu back in to help the babies sleep! Now, over the monitor, we hear some strange sucking sounds. Sounds great to us!

Say Cheese!

We took the twins for their first professional portraits a couple of weeks ago. That was like an episode of Laverne and Shirley trying to get them to sit up as best as they could, look at the camera, and smile! But we were able to get a couple of cute ones. I'm posting the 2 best ones. Poor Drew was so serious the whole photo shoot while Libby was smiling from ear to ear.

The babies are doing well and are both napping like champs. In fact, Libby is snoring away in the Amby bed (a hammock-type bed good for babies with reflux). I can hear Drew playing in his crib. He loves to look at his Fisher-Price Rainforest crib soother. It has peaceful music, motions, lights, and rainforest sounds. It puts me to sleep better than him sometimes!

Giggles and Grins

I get so excited about the littlest things, but mostly because yesterday Drew giggled for the first time! It was more of a squeal while smiling when I was playing Patty-Cake with him. It feels so amazing to have these babies stare into my eyes as if they are telling me how much they need and love me. If only I could give back the same love to them! Hopefully lots of goofy mother-ease talking along with hugs and kisses will do the trick.

Libby is so vocal and has been since I delivered her. She hums and grunts and even snores in her sleep sometimes. Not to mention making it very CLEAR when she wants a bottle! She's starting to coo and says "ah-boo" a lot. How precious!

Colic/Reflux is for the birds

Poor Dibba-Doo has reflux/colic and has been miserable for the past 8 weeks. We thought it was just typical colic since she started fussing at the "witching hour" of 9 PM every night. That turned into flat out screaming, gagging, spitting up, choking, and having so much trouble taking a bottle all day and night. The doctor said it was most likely reflux, so she was put on Zantac and a hypoallergenic formula (Nutramigen) right away. A week went by with no change. MISERABLE! Poor baby had bags under her eyes because she barely slept and cried all day long. We were getting little sleep as well and were feeling the tension. I called the doctor back and she added Prevacid. She's been on this combination for 3 weeks now and we're back to the "witching hour/s" at night. That's progress, at least. But it's so strange-- some nights it's just a little fussing, some nights, it's blood-curdling screaming for 5 hours or more. Poor Drew is starting to react to his sister's pain (or maybe he just wants some peace and quiet). He gets that really sad pitiful face and cries, too. It makes it tough for me some days when Darrell is at work and I have 2 crying babies! But luckily that is what friends and neighbors are for. Plus swinging on the front porch swing and going for long walks in the stroller helps, too. I didn't know anything about colic when I was pregnant, but now feel like I could give a seminar on the subject. It's funny how quickly you find out what works and what doesn't. But then again, the evil part of colic is that everything works for about 10 minutes and then it's back to crying again. That's the most frustrating part. Some days I feel like I wanna sell her to the gypsies, but all it takes is one of her giant smiles that lights up her entire face and I'm sold on keeping her for... about the next 18 years or so!

The Cousins

The babies met their cousins for the first time the week of July 4th. Aunt Gretchen, Uncle Patrick, and the cousins Joseph, Ella, and Jude Patrick drove from Atlanta and stayed with us for a few days. We had so much fun hanging around the house, going to the pool, playing at the playground, and going to the July 4th festivities in our neighborhood. We decorated the strollers and walked in the parade, had a picnic, and watched the fireworks. Each one of the cousins were so sweet to the babies. Every time I turned around, Joseph was giving each baby sweet kisses on the forehead. Ella loved helping get their diapers and feeding them their bottles. Jude Patrick was always offering his blanket to them and saying, "What's the matter, baby?" whenever they cried. The time went by way too fast, but we're excited to see them again in November or at Christmas.

3 months already!

I can't believe our babies are 3 months old already. Time has flown by so far and I can't believe I'll be going back to work so soon (at the end of August). We found an in-home daycare in the subdivision next door and think the babies will love it there with Ms. Brenda. She has a huge basement with tons of toys, games, and activities. It looks like a fun place and she even has another set of twins there. It makes me feel better that they will be in a great place. I was working about an hour away from home, so I'm hoping there will be an opening closer to home this school year. For those who don't know, I'm now working as a special education teacher/speech-language pathologist for Child Find and the preschool resource program in Fairfax County Public Schools. I travel around to daycare centers, preschools, and children's homes to work with them. It is fun for me to work with the youngsters and I see so much progress in a short amount of time. Keep those fingers crossed that a position opens up closer to home so I can spend less time in the car and more time with these cuties!

i'm new to this

ok, so i know blogs have been around for a while, but wondered if they were something i'd like to do. i mean, come on, i just had twins 3 months ago, so when would i have the time? as a matter of fact, twin "b" drew is passed out on my lap right now at 11:39 pm (hence the use of all lowercase as i type with 1 hand). i dedicate this entire blog to our 2 little miracles, libby and drew. libby is asleep with her daddy on the couch, too, and as i look at all 4 of us, i know there's no place i'd rather be on a friday night.