Adventures in Baby Food

Well, we have managed to make it through another milestone and remain intact...trying out solid foods!! As new moms know, like anything related to babies, this is a huge decision that is made based on weighing the many pros & cons. When to do it, where to do it, how to do it....there are so many studies and facts and statistics about when and how to introduce baby food, it will make your head spin. And I wonder how much of our taxes are put to silly studies such as "Should babies be introduced to fruits before vegetables?".

There is the mentality from our parents' generation that is wondering why we hadn't started putting cereal into the bottle at 4 weeks to help get them to sleep at night ::gasp:: while the newest information out there states that you should never feed your baby (or babies in my case) cereal until after they turn 6 months old. Some people are so adamant about this that they use the favorite method of the Catholic Church - Fire & Brimstone - when it comes to feeding your baby before 6 months. Oh, the digestive track is too immature, it can cause obesity issues (really, if your baby has a few pureed pears a month early, they are going to get fat??)...blah, blah, blah. And based on all this information overload...I just shut down and decide that when it 'feels' right to try baby food, I will do it. Statistics and news articles be damned!!

So at 5 months, it looked as though Josh was really starting to dig adult food. He would watch memorized while we were eating our pasta, and he was only ever that memorized by the Olympics on the TV...so we decided to delve into the adventure that is baby food!! Lo and behold, they actually seemed to like it! At first they weren't quite sure to think of the whole spoon-feeding scenario, but they are starting to get it and it's becoming quite fun! Just the sight now of the spoon coming to their mouth sends them in a tongue-sucking frenzy since they don't yet understand the whole "open mouth, insert food" concept. It is quite hilarious to watch them trying to suck the spoon like it is their bottle, and immediately get angry when the spoon has been taken out of their mouth to get more food.

It is not the cleanest thing to do, feeding twins. Luckily, right now it's more for practice than anything else...but I see my future very clearly, and am very glad that I painted my kitchen fern green and eliminated white from the wall repertoire. I might even only feed them green foods, so that the splatter is totally undetectable! For now, they are only messing up themselves since their new favorite thing is to shove their fingers in their mouth to scoop up any baby food that might be hanging out on their face. So it proceeds from face, to hands, to chest, to feet...and someone who doesn't miss a beat, is our Lucy. She is my cleanup crew, and I am sure she is already dreaming of that beautiful future where more food lands on the floor than in their mouths :)

I have heard that it takes something like 15-20 introductions to food before the baby starts liking/disliking items, but for now it seems that they don't mind anything we have given them. Brown rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, they inhale (literally) it all. I am hoping this is a good sign to come and that our children will be foodies just like me (minus that mac and cheese kick that starts about age one and ends at age 3). I can see my boys already, gobbling down escargot at age 4 just like their mother...well, here's to hoping at least!!

So here are a couple of shots of the boys eating:

I'm sure in the future, I will have many more hilarious photos, but this is all I got for now. Now, on the the next adventure...

Hey, who is that guy??

As any mom of twins know, the first time they actually notice each other is greatly anticipated. I mean, here are my two little guys that never stopped kicking and punching each other inside my belly (believe me, they never stopped as I probably have permanent internal bruises from them!), yet have absolutely no idea of each other's existence since they've joined the world! How bizarre is that?!?

And in conjunction with the great anticipation of twins finally noticing each other, come the great anticipation of the day that they can entertain each other, which means that mommy and/or daddy can cut down on the three ring circus act that needs to be used to occupy them in between their feedings. Oh what a happy day that must be, right up there with holding their own bottles and potty training!

Strangely, I just assumed that one day they would just notice each other and that would be all that was needed to rekindle that womb relationship they had going. But nope, it's been a much more gradual process than that. At first, they would kinda glance at the "other guy" once and a while if said baby was in their line of vision. Then they actually started to look at each other, noticing there was another person there that was not mommy or daddy or any other adult for that matter. And now, they have graduated to full on eye contact with each other for several seconds at a time and have even been able to have a conversation in that oh so adorable baby babbling. And sadly, while it is not as earth shattering as I thought it would be (they'd do fist pumps, giggle and roll off into the sunset), it sure is entertaining to see the transition.

Although it might be awhile until they can fully interact and entertain each other, it sure is fun to watch them noticing the "other guy". They get these looks on their faces that seem to say "Whoa, mom did you see that guy? Who the heck is that?? He looks just like me!" What a riot it will be to hear them speak in their own twin speak about stuff we'll never understand. Just another crazy cool thing about having twins :)

Like a Flash

Um, can someone stop fast-forwarding my life?? Where on earth did the past 4 months go?? I swear, God has me on his giant Tivo up in heaven and is fast-forwarding my life by one arrow (you'll understand if you have tivo) thinking that I wouldn't notice...but I have and now I want to slow down a bit, thank you very much!!

Unfortunately, this is the best shot that I could manage with my boys. Not for lack of trying, I think I took at least 15 pictures, but for whatever reason the boys just turn fussy when the camera is on. I'm not sure why, but they could be Mr. Giggles all day but as soon as that first flash goes off, that is the end of the happy babies. And on top of that, once Lucy sees the flash, she is compelled to summon her inner ham and plant herself into every photo! It is too cute and makes for some really funny photos:


And then the boys cannot manage to keep one item of clothing clean for the picture shoot either, so Lucy makes sure she is on spit-up clean up duty as well:


Needless to say, their monthly picture are not the most calming of experiences and they usually leave us tired and frustrated at doing it in the first place. Thank goodness these posed "shots" are only once a month or I think I would shoot myself!

But now looking at the photos, it just boggles my mind that our little boys are 4 months old now! I mean seriously, I can still remember sitting in the doctor's office with Matt for my first visit and the looks on our faces when she said "Oh my, there's two in there!" Not only were we shocked, but we were terrified wondering how on earth would we manage to take care of two babies!!! Not only are we taking care of them, but they are thriving!

Surprise of all surprises, our little Brody now weighs more than Josh! Josh weighs in at 12lbs 5oz and Brody is 12lbs 10oz! They have more than tripled their birth weights and we couldn't be more pleased! Of course I am sure they look small next to a typical 4 month-old baby, but to us they are ginormous from what they used to be at just barely 4lbs. Here is a picture to compare:


So, although they might not be in the 90th percentile yet, they are well on their way to become the bruisers I know they will be!!

Another thing we learned at their 4 month appointment...they are now allowed to try rice cereal! Since they are both holding their heads up well, he says it is something they are ready for as long as they are holding their heads up....But no one asked me if I was ready for it!
Well, Amber, are you ready for your baby boys to start on solids?? Hell no!

And I understand we don't have to give them anything yet and it is actually recommended for them to start closer to 6 months or when they show interest in food, but my point is that I am just not ready for this step yet! I'm just getting used to having babies and all the work and fun that goes into that, I am not ready for them to grow up yet! First it's rice cereal, next it'll be driver's licences! Ok, I know I may be overreacting, but not really. I mean at the rate my life is flying by, I'll be a grandmother before I know it!

But, as with anything, denial is the first step. And as far as I can remember, acceptance is the final step. So, while I have not quite accepted that my boys are old enough for solid food, I did in fact make a purchase at the grocery store for some rice cereal. Of course, I don't plan on giving it to them until they are 12, but it is there in case I allow acceptance to overthrow denial. In the meantime, I plan on pressing the pause button to enjoy my pre-solids babies a little longer.

Houston, we have rollers!

Sorry it has been so long since I updated this, but now that the boys are having more awake time, they are much more demanding which leaves very little time for me to do anything that I want say this blog, shower, eat, or even use the bathroom! I just realized that I had not one thing to drink today until 10 minutes ago when I just realized how parched I was...

Anyway, I am full of nothing but good news...it seams that things are finally looking up for us! It only took three months or so and that's not including the approximately 3 weeks I spent in the hospital before they were born. I am hoping now that things keep on going the right direction, and although I know it won't all be rainbows and puppies at least we now can be a "normal" family with newborn twins.

Well, the biggest good news we have is that Josh is officially off the monitor, woohoo!!! Friday was his last day and now him and his brother are sleeping in their big boy crib in their own room! Which means mom and dad should be able to sleep better at night! Apparently Josh never had a breathing issue since he came home 7 weeks ago, we all think he just needed to be home with us and his brother.

And good news #2 is that both boys have rolled over from tummy to their back, but the bad news is that I only have photographic evidence that Josh has rolled over...and it has nothing to do with the fact that Brody is the second child and will get the shaft...my brand new camera I bought in January knowing I would be taking ten thousand pictures of the boys is broken and I don't know why. The display screen is all blurry and the pictures taken are blurry on the computer so I'm not quite sure what is wrong, but I sent it back to the company and I am really hoping to get it back before their 4 month picture is due. It's bad enough I had to use a ::gasp:: disposable camera with ::double gasp:: actual film to take their 3 month photo which will now probably not be developed until they are one! I mean seriously, I'm lucky if I can get out of the house to check the mail, let alone go develop film! Anyway, here is the video of the big J-man doing his thing:




I apologize for the obnoxiously loud Today show, I swear I am not deaf, it's just that's how loud the TV needs to be for me to hear it above the cacophony of screaming babies and Fisher Price's greatest hits.

Thirdly, I also have photographic evidence that the boys smile!! That was hard enough to get, but happened on the same day as the "rollover-gate" so the baby milestone gods were smiling down on me (they must have read my blog). You'd think that these boys are never played with or acknowledged with how stingy they are with their smiles, but they are coming more frequently at least for me, their mother. One of the perks of not being able to drink for 9 (in my case 8) months, they at least smile at you first. Of course when good old "dada" leaves their mouths I will be in hysterics wondering what the hell their father did that could be so great that they will say his name first. So I'll take the mommy only smiles while I can get them since I am sure they will be hardcore flirts very soon :)

Here is Brody being a little ham:


And here is Josh, but his smiles were much harder to catch:


And finally, the boys are still SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! It's been almost a week now and they go to bed around 11 and don't get up until 6 or 7!! Oh happy day! Of course I know that this is fleeting, but I will take what I can get for as long as I can get it! I'm sure once they start teething we'll be back in sleep deprivation hell, but for now I will nana nana boo boo it up!

Alright, I'm off to get some sleep cause as much as they sleep at night that means they do no sleeping during the day and I need to get my beauty rest so I can do the whole supermom thing all over again tomorrow. Not tooting my own horn, but have twins and then watch them alone for 8 hours for weeks on end and you'll feel like a supermom too!

They STTN!!

Ok, so I know you guys are like "What the hell is STTN??, some strange new vaccine??". But it is an acronym on the message boards that I frequent and the one acronym that any new mom would KILL for...SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my twin boys slept through the night, on the same night and at the same time...WOO freaking HOO!

Sleeping through the night is what I would consider the Holy Grail of early parenting...I understand that there will be much more important milestones later one, but in the first year, sleeping through the night is what all parents aspire for and what most don't get nearly enough of!

While I have only waited for this moment for 8 weeks, since Brody came home and coincidentally I started this blog, I realized how unattainable a goal it is, you know, with the odds stacked up against me; first of all I have 2 newborn babies, so even if I get one to STTN, there is still the other little guy to keep me up AND second of all, since they are preemies it will take them that much longer to get to the magic 12lb weigh, which is this mythical weight where STTN is possible! I knew I had very little hope reaching the Grail in the next 6 months.

But still, when I saw those posts on my message board....OMG my baby (singular, mind you) STTN!!!, or DC (dear child) STTN since he was 1 month old, I wanted to reach my hand into the computer screen and strangle these braggarts for being so selfish that they felt the need to torture us poor sleep-deprived souls in that "nana nana boo boo" sort of way. Just like those stick thin actresses say, "ooh I just eat what I want and I don't work out, my body is just this fabulous without any work"...shut-up be-otch! Of course in your heart of hearts you are uncontrollably envious of such an alien concept and would sell your soul to be in their shoes!

And here I am, NANA NANA BOO BOO - My twins STTN!! While I am not dumb enough to believe that for one second, this wasn't more than a fluke, I don't care! I have had a full 6 hours of sleep (oh, yeah BTW that is considered STTN, when in my reality it would be about 10 hours) and I feel like a new woman! I mean look at me, I am downright witty in this blog entry! Usually I am lucky if people can understand what I am writing with all my spelling/grammatical errors!!

But don't get used to the witty Amber, because as fast as she showed up, she will be swallowed up again only to be replaced by sleep-deprived-just-trying-to-survive Amber. Enjoy her while she lasts :)

Two months and counting...

Wow, Josh & Brody are two months old already!! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by! The past 9 weeks have just gone by at light-speed, but at the same time it seems like the boys have been here forever because I could not imagine my life without them!!

I'll have to say that it is extremely hard to raise two little newborns, much harder than I had ever anticipated! And the fact that they are night-owls doesn't help the situation either. I keep on trying to tell them that they will want to stay up late when they are much older and in college when there is drinking to do, not now when Mom & Dad are at their mercy!!

As hard as it is, wow it is so special to be a mom of twins. I still cannot believe that I am a mom of twins and that I carried two little boys in my belly (although my belly believes it quite well and wants to remain this jiggly mushy blob, ick) and now they are here and they are mine...it is quite surreal. They are starting to coo and it is the cutest thing ever, I love hearing their little voices and it makes my heart melt. I cannot wait until they start to notice each other, what a trip that will be!

Another milestone that I am desperately waiting for is the age they can hold their own bottles & pacifiers. It must be quite an amusing sight to watch me feed these guys...I think that the bottles are all propped up in a good position and then just as I go to burp one, the bottle falls on the floor and crying ensues. Then, while fetching the bottle off the floor, the other little one starts crying because I had taken away their bottle to burp them and they are ticked off at mommy! So it is this constant back and forth for the entire feeding that is so amusing that I find myself laughing at the comedy of it all :)

It's just so amazing how fast my little ones are growing...they are both almost double their body weight at birth which is great, but a little sad at the same time. I loved them so tiny in their little preemie clothes that I have now had to pack away, since they are moving into the newborn & 0/3 month sizes now. What a sap I am for being sad to pack up the preemie clothes, but I have a feeling that when the next size gets put away, I will have a little pity party for myself...that's what moms do, right? Get sad that their little ones are growing up.

Here is their two month shot...pardon their expressions, in order to get the picture we had to stuff their faces with binkies and then take them away and quickly get a picture of the two of them not crying, that is a feat in itself!! Now I am off to enjoy my party animals :)