Blue Eyes

J. Frog and Missy had their 4 month checkup yesterday and it looks like J. Frog is definitely going to be blue-eyed like me. Missy has the same blueberry blue eyes that LR had at this age and while Dr. Nick thinks they will stay blue, I'm thinking that they're going to change to the same olive green color as LR's.

J. Frog weighed in first at 14 pounds even. That puts him around the 25th percentile for weight. Missy weighed in at 14 pounds 5 ounces which is the 60th percentile for her. I thought she was at least a pound heavier than he, but apparently J. Frog makes up for it in length. The good news is that she's already caught up with her non-preemie peers. He's still got some ground to make up and probably won't do it anytime soon since he's still not taking a bottle. That may be a problem since I've started interviewing for part-time jobs. I've got new bottle nipples on the way, so maybe we'll find something that works soon.

I started looking through some of my old posts and was dismayed to see that I'm averaging only one post a week. Not only that, but I neglected to post dozens of pictures of grandparents helping out with the babies as newborns, especially during the month of Feb. Not sure what happened there. Sleep loss, no doubt. So the pics in this post are from Feb, not May.


This was a funny moment because LR wanted to kneel down like Gigi for the picture, foiling her attempt to get down to his level for the shot.

Papa and Grandma Nese master the tandem feed.

Yanni joins the clan for an end of the month visit.

J. Frog News

J. Frog rolled over today! He's always had great head control. Yesterday he was able to play on his tummy without any strain. His neck didn't seem to get tired, so he wasn't nodding like a bobble head doll anymore. Today, while our friend D was over watching the FA cup finals between Portsmouth and Cardiff, I put J. Frog on his tummy on his play mat and within a few minutes, he let the weight of his head carry him right over onto his back. It didn't even spook him the way I remember LR's first rolls did.

In other J. Frog news, he's refused the bottle for the past 5 or 6 days. At first I just thought he was being particular, but now I'm afraid we have a problem. I can't produce quite enough milk for both of them for the entire day, so Missy is getting a little short changed. She's taking more formula so that I can feed him more often. He's also feeding more often because he's not getting a ton at every feeding. Daddy read up online today and apparently it's not unusual for babies around this age who have been successfully taking the bottle to refuse it for a little while. They say the key is to keep trying it until the baby takes it again. We'll see if Abra has better luck with him next week.

Picture Post

Sick Again

It never fails. 3 days after a birthday party at an indoor gym and LR has a cold. He must be licking the equipment. We had the worst night's sleep last night. LR was up every half hour or hour crying in his sleep, but not waking enough to tell us what the problem was. Then Daddy's phone was ringing with some sort of work crisis ~ you know, the type where a machine fails in a forest and no one hears it. Then J. Frog and Missy were up for a 3am feeding and awake for good at 6am.

Yes, we love the couch photos, but they've just started using the exersaucers, so you'll start seeing more interesting photos soon.






Missy started a Bill The Cat impression contest.







LR answered.







I killed 20 shots trying to get J. Frog to do the same thing.

Synchronized

People talk about how twins do funny things at the same time. I'm curious if that is nature or nurture. Does is happen more to identical twins since they have the same genetic make up, or does it happen to fraternal twins like J. Frog and Missy just because they're so often in the same place at the same time. When they were younger and learning to nurse they used to somehow know when it was time to unlatch. Like red ants, they would both bite down at the same time which would send me though the roof. Lucky for me, they've stopped doing that. Now when they unlatch, if they're both awake, I give them a few minutes to look at each other. This past weekend, they started cooing and talking when they made eye contact. It's far more fun than constantly trying to breakup the poking fights they usually have.

Just now they were sitting in bouncy seats in the kitchen while Abra, LR and I ate lunch.
We heard bubbling from J. Frog and then grunting from Missy and we realized they were participating in synchronized pooping. Abra and LR are now giving Missy a much needed bath and I decided it was just the sort of thing that needed a blog post.

How Quickly They Change

So after 2 and a half months of screaming, J. Frog is finally all smiles. Abra discovered that he is ticklish. There is nothing like a baby giggling. Today I managed to make him laugh by blowing raspberries in front of his face.

You know, I didn't think I'd be one of those mothers of twins who puts the kids in matching outfits, but after receiving some sets as gifts, I'm really starting to get into it. Now granted, it never lasts long. One is bound to mess up his or her outfit within a few hours, but I've managed to get a couple of good pictures out of them anyway.

You can't tell, but Auntie H has a perfectly round belly for J. Frog to sleep on. She's due in a few weeks with a playmate for Missy. Finally another girl!










Thank goodness Aunt K stopped by for a visit.













This was when J. Frog had just started to learn how to smile.







LR loves to visit with the babies while they're in the swings. And they love watching him!






LR is telling them about the bicycles on their outfits.






awwwwww (Styling courtesy of Grandma W. She couldn't resist the outfits and neither can I.)








AWWWWWW (Actually the hold on Missy turned into a bit of a headlock by the end of the photo shoot, but she's gonna have to get used to that.)





J. Frog: I'm too sexy for this sleeper.

New Names

It's time to give the babies new blog names. Lord B and Lady V were just place holders until I got to know them a little better. Now that 3 months have gone by I'm pretty ready to rename them. Lady V has a ton of nick names around here. N calls her Miss V, Miss Miss, and Missy. I hear it so often that I've started using it sometimes. So, "Missy" it is. She still smiles on command but is a little more fussy than she's been in the past. Have I mentioned that her lower lip quivers when she cries. It's adorable.

Lord B is a little tougher. He's shown so much personality in the last two weeks. He actually laughs for N when she cuddles him. I keep trying to get it on video, but he stops abruptly whenever I turn the camera's power on. He's like the Michigan J. Frog of babies. For that reason I'm calling him "J. Frog."

Speaking of new names, it's high time I gave N a name other than her initial. She has a magic touch with the babies and she can always make LR laugh. She said that while she's on duty, she just imagines that she's 10 years-old and that makes it easy to play with LR. She's South Africa's Mary Poppins. We'll go with "Abra," short for Abracadabra.

LR, Missy, J.Frog, and Abra ~ that's much better.

And here's the video of their birth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CURzGfmht0

3 Nights in a Row!

For the past 3 nights the babies have slept from 8 or 9pm to 5am. It would be amazing except that LR usually still wakes up at least once during the night. When LR was 3 months old he was waking up every 2-4 hours. This is such a different experience. My friend Amy says that God only gives you as much as you can handle. That's why she supposes that her second child is a good sleeper. Her first was like LR and didn't sleep well at all. Since we're not big church goers, I don't know who to thank for getting two good sleepers, but I'm still really grateful.

The first time around, nights were the worst, but the day was great. We were able to watch LR's development in detail. I watched him sit, roll, crawl, coo, wave, make faces, giggle, etc. This time the nights are obviously better, but the days are a crazy hamster wheel. N and I juggle babies, do laundry, pick up after LR, cook meals, have play dates, go to classes with LR, play outside, and change ALL their diapers. There's not a free minute to breathe, much less enjoy every moment of their development. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out, but then I have to burp a baby.

Warm Days Ahead!

It got up to 75 degrees yesterday! I don't mean this as an ice breaker. I mean that we were able to open the doors wide, turn off the heat in the house, crack the windows, and take the kids - all of them - outside! (You can't imagine what life with LR is like when cooped up all day.) We spent hours outside yesterday. Grandma Nese, who is staying with us while Daddy is in the Philippines this week, bought LR a crab sandbox and six heavy bags of sand. LR had a ball. He helped pick a spot for it and set it up. He even "helped" me wheel the wheelbarrow full of sand. Then he helped Grandma Nese plant flowers for the deck. It was pretty easy to put him to bed last night.

Things I tell everyone over the phone, but forget to write in the blog:

Lady V loves the mobile and can even put herself to sleep under it if left long enough. She is the more content, easy going of the two. She rarely cries unless hungry, but recently has had a nasty bout with gas. She has super strong legs and likes to stand. Her cheeks are HUGE and get comments from passers-by.

Lord B loves to look around. Hold him over your shoulder to get him to stop crying so that he can see out a window. He's been able to hold his head up on his own since he was about 6 weeks. We still get head-butted on occasion, but he's pretty good now. He is far more sensitive about being changed, but has stopped screaming quite so much on the table. He collapses at the knees if you try to make him stand. He's more alert in general with wide-eyes whenever awake.

Wanna Play?

Warning: This post is all over the place.

Check out our very cool new stroller. (Actually, I bought it used, but it still kicks ass.) LR wants to ride in it and rarely asks to be let out. That's a first! The twins have lots of room to recline, so they tend to sleep in it every time we go out. When I talked to other moms with the same configuration of kids, they said this stroller helped to redirect attention from the twins to the toddler.

Every person who walks into our house is asked by LR, "wanna play?" It always makes me feel bad. I think I must be neglecting him... and I guess I am. Now that our grandparent help is gone, N and I are on our own. She and I do what we can with LR when the babies are sleeping, but they rarely go down at the same time. LR definitely has to play by himself sometimes, but it certainly won't harm him in the long run. I take him to gymnastics, playgroup, and music class during the week and every time we get back into the car to go home he announces, "I don't wanna go home." I know, Kiddo. Sorry about that.

On the plus side, the last few weeks they've started sleeping really well. They only get up once during the night. They were waking up every night between midnight and 1am, but now they wake up closer to 3am. Daddy and I get up to feed, burp, and re-swaddle them. Then we put them back to bed. Usually they stay there until at least 6am. It feels like a full night's sleep at this point, so I'm pretty rested. This is far better than LR was at this point.

So finally a bunch of pictures. Sorry for the delay in getting them out. They have, of course, changed a ton already. Enjoy!

Mommy cuddles with Lord B.








LR cuddles Lady V.









LR sports the latest in Easter accessories.












V chills out her own way in the swing. What would we do without those swings?






N holding Lord B the only way that keeps him from fussing.







LR hams it up.







Look, Ma! Smocking!

6 Shots and a Train Ride

Lord B and Lady V had their 2 month visit last Monday and got 3 shots each. He's 22 inches long and 10 lbs. 9 oz. She's 21 inches long and 10 lbs. 6 oz. We would all guess that she's heavier because she has such big cheeks, but I guess the extra length has him pulling ahead. I wasn't as worried about the shots as when LR had them. It was the first time I heard him cry in pain and it made my heart ache. This time I was better prepared. Lord B went first and his cry was identical to the one he gives when he gets his diaper changed. So either that's his only type of cry, or changing his diaper makes him feel like he's getting needles stuck in him. Her cry was definitely stronger than his and unfortunately she reacted the same way LR used to. Her right leg swelled up about 4 hours after the shots and she screamed for a while. Other than that, they slept it off over the next 2 days.

On Friday Daddy and I hopped on our bikes with LR in the trailer behind Daddy. It was 40 degrees with a 15 degree wind chill. We froze, but LR seemed to enjoy it. We stopped at the preschool that LR will be attending in the fall. He met the teachers and checked out the rooms. We had to drag him out.

Then we celebrated Easter with friends D & H and their son King J on Sunday. N and her friend joined us as well and we had a nice meal courtesy of Costco and Boston Market. On Monday Daddy used the last of his paternity days and we took LR on his first train ride. We drove to Alewife station and took the T to Harvard Square. It's been so long since I've ridden the T that it took me a while to figure out the new machines for tickets. We finally got on the T and although LR was thrilled, he also seemed slightly apprehensive when the T finally lurched out of the station. I had forgotten how loud it is in there. When we arrive in Harvard Square, we first located the elevator for the stroller and then went to the Curious George store. Then we hit the ice cream shop and took a rest. I nursed Lady V while Lord B continued to nap. He didn't wake up until we got into the car on the way home. Then it was scream, scream, scream! For the most part, LR loved the outing. He talked about it for the rest of the day and then wanted to go again this morning when he woke up.

Pics are from N's camera since forgot ours...

With 2 Hands

"Mommy? Wanna pick me up with two hands?"

This is what LR asks me every morning when he comes out of his room and is standing at the top of the stairs, waiting to go downstairs for his milk. Usually I have a baby in one arm, so I have to heft LR up with my free arm. This is the first of many moments during the day where I can feel LR's anxiety about sharing Mom and Dad with the babies. So, as often as I can during the day, I cuddle LR with both arms.

The pics are from our first walk with the twins. We stopped to talk to a neighbor for a little too long and had to run home in a snow squall.

This is how sleep deprived I am

I'm pretty sure I missed the fact that LR has been sick for a good 24 hours. I thought he was developing a cough as a result of the cold he had last week. In reality he was starting a new cold and when I cuddled him late this morning, I felt a very hot forehead against my cheek. He had a 100 degree fever and then it dawned on me that I noted yesterday that Lady V's head was hot. At the time I thought I had her too bundled with blankets. Stupid, stupid, stupid. A friend last weekend told me that parenting is 20% luck and 80% guilt. This one, once again, lands in the guilt category. Lady V was running a 99 degree temp and Lord B started one a few hours later. LR took some Motrin and slept for 4 hours. Poor kid. So, we're a house of sickies. Crossing my fingers that I don't catch it.

The pics are from some of our recent helper visits.

Latest Movie

LR plays a new game with Daddy. Lady V enjoys the mobile. Lord B has some quality time with N.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lDaHIvqH67I

Picture Post

Grandma W and "Grandma Dad" with Lord B and Lady V their first week home. LR was a little confused by all the Grandmas, so at one point he was calling Grandad "Grandma Dad."





Lord B's first bath with Grandad








Lady V's first bath with Grandma W












LR showing Lord B how this thing works