Having Twins and Twin Tips

Our other baby

Some of you may have been wondering how our previous baby of the family is doing. Here is a quick update on how Nutmeg the cat has been getting along since the arrival of the twins. She seems to have adapted well to the motto "having everyone in the household help out." Here are a few of her daily chores:

Stand guard over the kids as they nap:

Test out the clothes to make sure they are comfy clean enough

Test out the play equipment to be sure it is working properly

Supervise the kids bath to be sure mom and dad get them clean enough.

Check the scale to keep tabs on when the kids will finally outweigh her so she can once again be "the baby of the house" be sure it is working.

And last but not least, check for boogy men and women underneath the crib before we lay the babies down at night.

She has sneakily learned to slither in the dimly lighted room as we are laying them down in their cribs. After we turn out the lights and close the door, we are usually alerted by meowing over the baby monitor. Upon cracking the door open, she usually races out of the room indignantly muttering a few meows as if to say, "How dare you lock me in there!" She has also learned that if we know she is in there, she won't budge from undeneath the crib or closet unless we shake the yummy treat bag. No wonder she always follows us in... I'm looking forward to telling Sweetpea and Pumpkin that "there are NO boogymen in their bedroom" because Nutmeg has checked thoroughly and has chased them all out.

posted by Andrea @ 9:26 PM Comments: 2

Return to work

So it's been two weeks since I've made the big "Return to work" and so far I'm surviving. I'm SOO glad that Hubby is watching Sweetpea and pumpkin now. It makes this infinitely easier to not have had to worry about them being in daycare and how they're reacting to a stranger until I've settled in. Work is mostly the "same old, same old" stuff. I do enjoy my job, at least the part I went to school for, the professional title (and not all the paper work that goes with it). They were courteous enough to not throw oodles of patients on my caseload for at least the first two weeks. I missed the kids I worked with and am glad to see they missed me and that some have made progress. I knew it would be a hair harder to work with the kids after having my own. It can be difficult to work in a profession where kids don't seem to get a fair shake at life for essentially no reason at all and it always makes me feel blessed for my children, yet at a loss for the ones I work with. So I'm just doing what I can do for them.

One of the best parts now is how amazingly easy it is to move. I felt like I was floating in from the parking lot, so different from 6 months ago where I would be out of breath just walking from the parking lot to inside. It's so nice to be able to work with my patients and not have to be dragging something around to sit them down on. Unfortunately I entered the outside world and the land of germs. Everyone was sick everywhere I went (to school visits, the dentist office and, of course, kids and co-workers) and I knew I would wind up sick too (by the 4th day). So Sweetpea and Pumpkin picked it up too but did fairly well with just a bit of fussiness. They've already had two colds via germs from Hubby and they breezed through the first two with no symptoms at all, with me very mildly sick. So far the pumping/BF thing is continuing and another good thing is that I don't have to do one feeding by myself for the next five weeks unless Hubby is gone (OK so that already did happen, he had to spend an evening at work, oh well) - small joys. Right now the feeding schedule is 6:20 am, 10:00ish, 1:30, 4:30 and 7:00ish. It helps so much to have two people because we are still weighing them before and after to give them a bit of milk or formula since I don't make quite enough. I kept expecting to think of some new innovative way to get around this but there doesn't seem to be one. And helping me get them up on the pillows is a bonus. (No more fussy crying if I'm too slow). I'm not looking forward to hauling them home from daycare in time and getting them in the house and set up for the 4:30 feeding when they start daycare, since I'll be doing that by myself.

Overall, it is so much easier to be at work, which was a surprise because I was expecting to be exhausted and wasn't (at least until I got sick). Of course I haven't worked out "working out " into the equation yet. I took a nice 2 week hiatus from that so maybe that will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. It'll have to be after the kids are off to bed because I hate wasting my time when the kids are awake doing anything else but playing with them now. Being a parent of twins puts you on the ultimate time budget and even then there never seems to be enough to go around. I will have to write a post detailing a day at home in the first few weeks, the later weeks before I returned to work and my schedule now. If not for retaining my memory of it all but for proof to JT and Bri as to what really went on. And as well, maybe co-workers will understand why I can't just run off and join them for happy hour or why I'm volunteering to bring a Costco salad instead of cooking. Some things in life will have to wait till the little ones are not so little cause I'm not missing it for the world.

posted by Andrea @ 8:22 PM Comments: 1

Maternity leave, (from 10/30)

A few of my favorite moments from maternity leave:

Dear Bri and JT-

I cant believe how the first 4 1/2 months of your little lives have flown by. We've already weathered lots together in your short lives. While it's been very hard work, I am very thankful for the wonderful time I have had with you to bond and get to know you. I will always treasure these early memories of me and your daddy the first few weeks after we brought you home. We'd hold each one of you, swaddled up in blankets after our "last" feeding for the night and wander the room back and forth to coax you to sleep as a soothing rendition of "Rock-a-bye-baby" played in the background. I cherish the memories of how happy (and exhausted) we were and know that when I listen to the music in the future, it will remind me of these times that went by so fast and bring happy memories . I have been very blessed since the times I heard your first cries.

JT, you are my sweet, charming and sometimes grouchy "grumble cookie". Secretly I love that you are grumbly because it means that I am allowed to pick you up and comfort you and give you as many hugs and kisses as necessary. While daddy and I didn't always establish the best sleeping habits in the early days (due to your reflux), I was also secretly comforted by the fact that you spent many nights snuggled up on daddy's chest (yeah, he's pretty comfy). So far some of my favorite things about you are that you give the BEST hugs, I love the way you wiggle your whole body in excitement when you like something and you love to flash a boyish grin and coo shyly in your little boy voice.

Bri, you are the sweetest, happiest baby-my "sweet pea nut" Bri. You smile so sweetly morning, noon and night, I LOVE hearing your sweet little girl giggles and could listen to it all day. I'll always cherish our special moments when you like to gaze up at me and stick your tiny fingers gently on my lips and in my mouth as I talk. It is so sweet. You turn into a giggle box when I say silly words. The only time you break my heart is when you go from zero to 60 and belt out a cry that would break the strongest heart in a second. Your daddy and I race across the room to stop it when we hear it. And when things really upset you, and I hear the words "meme" added in, it is heart wrenching. Fortunately that is not too often!

The first few months taking care of you two were crazy and chaotic and like nothing I could have ever imagined. My first days taking care of you by myself, after daddy went back to work at three weeks and before grandma came to rescue, were insane. After about 3-4 hours of sleep at most, I had to figure out how to feed, change and comfort you two all by myself and what a learning experience it was. I think ( from what I can remember) the first day, you both ate about every 2 hours, needed diapers changed, cuddling, cried at the same time, needed to be fed at the same time, and soothed to sleep at the same time and I needed to pump as well. Every two hours. I forewent lunch due to exhaustion and chose napping instead. Lunch was squeezed in at three in the afternoon.

We all have come a long way since then and like then, I will always be by your side. You now eat only 5 times a day, feed like champs, can play in the playmat on your own for bits at a time, are on a nap schedule and are mostly sleeping through the night. Just when everything is becoming somewhat managable, it is time for me to go back to work. While my very first outing with you by myself (at 6 weeks) took 2 hours and 45 minutes to plan and exit the house, my last week at home it took me only 1 hour and 15 minutes and we enjoyed a great time walking around at the beach and bagel shop- JT in the front pack facing out and Bri facing forward in the stroller. Before my eyes, you two are becoming sweet, curious interacting babies. You are on the verge of becoming little mobile, ever more independent human beings and my hands and arms want to guide you and wrap them around you all at the same time.

While I am going to miss you tons while at work, you are in the best hands- your daddy's. And I know he will take wonderful care of you. Know that you are always close to my heart wherever I am.

Love mommy

posted by Andrea @ 9:59 PM Comments: 0

Oh well...

I had just finished a nice eloquent post on Sunday night about my maternity leave and was putting in pictures when cyberspace ate half of it. Then the whole rest of it. Oh well, maybe I'll try again this weekend... For now a few random thoughts on returning to work:


1. It really IS easier to go to work than take care of two nursing twins (except for the missing your kids part). Really. Not that its where I'd choose to be (at work that is) but, WOW, it' s easier...
2. It's wonderful to receive big giant hugs from one of your adorable five-year-old patients who missed you and kept asking the fill in physical therapist when you were coming back.
3. Mommy radar is hard to turn off at night. After phasing out 3 a.m. pumping sessions about a month ago, one of these nights I keep thinking I'll get a full nights sleep without waking up and won't hear them wake up even with my door shut and the monitor in the other room. Someday...
4. Yah, Daddy is finding time to take cute videos and pictures for me too. Plus, I think he might appreciate my hard work a bit more...(not that he already didn't).
5. I'm secretly happy when they are so excited to see me after work, I throw off the nap schedule and they fight to stay awake because I'm there. This used to happen with daddy on the weekends....

posted by Andrea @ 8:45 PM Comments: 0