"I'll just sit here" and Other New Phrases

LR has a whole new arsenal of phrases that he's been using on us. The first one appeared a couple of weeks ago. He says it when he's particularly disappointed. He's never been a pouter, but when we say we can't play because we're still eating dinner even though he's already wolfed down his and jumped out of his chair, he wanders over to the stairs and says, "I'll just sit here." His resolve to sit there never lasts long, but it makes me laugh every time.

The second is the result of watching a show called "Super Why." We try to pick educational programs for LR since we know we're exposing him to more TV than we would like, but I didn't realize how much he's picking up until I heard him say, "I can't. My story says so." That line is used by a character toward the end of each episode. Now when LR doesn't want to do something I've asked him to do, he whips this handy phrase out.

Aside: Speaking of educational TV, the other day LR came rolling into the living room on his stroller and claimed he was going "adagio." The musically challenged person that I am, I asked him what that meant. He said he was going slowly. I asked him how could he go fast. He replied, "allegro." Go Little Einsteins!

The last phrase he's been using is a little sinister. When we need to discipline LR we say, "I will take you to your room." Recently, he's been threatening us with "I will bang you with my hand," or "I will scratch you with my nails," or "I will throw you down the stairs." He's such a sweet kid, that it always surprises me when something so venomous pops out of his mouth. We've explained to him that threats are not allowed and I quizzed Abra and Daddy about what they've been saying to him. Daddy fessed up and said that he's said, "I will throw you out the window" while playing with LR.

The Past 2 months

Great Reading Material

When I came out of the parking garage this morning on my way to work, I passed a man who was holding a small novel in front of him while walking. Normally, walking and holding a novel = not so novel; however, he had it open and was reading it. I looked at him closely because, lord knows, he wasn't paying attention to me staring, and thought like any good mom would, "that's dangerous - he could step in a hole!" After I passed him I absolutely kicked myself for not asking what the title of the book was. If it was so good that he couldn't put it down, I want to read it!

Missy and J Frog are healthy and happy!

Last Thursday, Missy and J Frog had their 6 month checkup. All is well. J Frog grew 3 inches in 2 months. They were so surprised, they measured him twice and then the doctor even questioned the nurse's measuring. He's now 27 inches long and 17 lbs. He's 60th percentile for height and 25th for weight. Missy is 70th for both. She grew 2.75 inches and weighs 17.5 lbs. J Frog's low weight seems to be the only thing left from being a preemie, but even that isn't bad. His legs are plenty chunky and he can drink up to 7 oz. of formula at a time now.

They both got 3 shots and I asked the doctor to space the two on Missy's right leg a little farther apart to attempt to avoid the swelling that both she and LR experience with all their double shots. Not sure if that was the trick or not, but Missy's leg didn't swell that night. That was an incredible relief. LR stayed home with Daddy while Abra and I took the babies to the doctor.

Yesterday I measured LR and he's now 38 inches tall according to his ever-so-accurate Thomas the Train height chart. Abra and I took some time to rearrange the furniture in LR's room and it's all starting to come together. I'm working on curtains and have 4 of 10 panels made. The trick is to keep LR from touching my sewing equipment during the day. I can only really use it at night after they've all gone to bed, so the process is slow going. Will put up pictures of his room when I finish.

Play Ball!

LR learns how to swing a bat with Yianni and Cookie coaching.

LR Singing Movie

Here's one of the movie clips I promised.

That's a Lot of Kids

We get lots of stares when we go out. I'm sure it's worse for families with high order multiples, but I guess having LR in his fancy, high stroller seat puts us over the edge from interesting, to rubber-necking worthy. Sure, there are a lot of us, but we're just like everyone else.

We like to pig-pile on Daddy.












We get tired and go to Mommy for comfort.







Sure we fight.







But we still love each other.

Skills

J Frog prefers to be on his belly all the time now. Ever since he started sleeping on his stomach he's been quick to flip onto his belly every time we put him down. No more leaving him in the swings or bouncy seats unattended. We've officially stopped using the seats because he kept trying to roll out of them. When on the ground he lifts his arms and legs simultaneously like he's trying to fly. Not really sure what he's trying to do, but it looks like a superman impression. He's probably not terribly far from crawling... maybe a month away.

They both love the banana toy. You can see them fighting over it in the photo where Daddy piled them on top of each other. Missy is just fending off J Frog. Despite their differences, they're pretty even when it comes to being aggressive.

As for Missy, her favorite new skill is getting her toes to her mouth. She's been doing that for about two weeks. She still prefers to be on her back to play with toys, but she'll roll onto her stomach every once in a while. Her big new thing is babbling. She can often be heard saying "ba ba ba ba" or "ma ma ma ma." It's funny to think actual words are not that far away.

LR can now play his harmonica while standing in his underwear. Now that's skill! Actually, he's completely potty trained, even at night. Once he started spending days in underwear instead of a diaper, he noticed that the diaper wasn't all that comfy. Two nights ago he was tugging at his diaper as I was reading his bedtime story. I asked if he wanted me to loosen it. He said, "yeah," but then decided to take the whole thing off. I explained to him that he would need to go to the potty during the night if he needed to pee. I said he could call for me if he needed me too. I fully expected him to wet through, but he succeeded in making it through to the next morning. Same thing last night. Not that there won't be accidents, but I'm pretty sure the size 6 diapers can go in the closet for Missy and J Frog.

Gorgeous Kids

Just wanted to share some of the great photos we've taken of the kids recently. Now's the time to play the "who looks like whom" game.

J Frog chillin'












The wonders that a big piece of black velvet can do for your photos...





Playing with a little black and white








Missy is always quick to smile








She puts everything in her mouth now, but loves finding her fingers and...











her toes!

Yianni & Cookie Visit

Yianni and Cookie arrived too late Friday night to see the kids, but they got up bright and early with us on Sat. Actually, they got up at 1am, 2:30am, 4am, and 5:30am before taking on LR at 6:30am. For whatever reason, Missy and J Frog woke up crying every hour to hour and a half that night. They had been doing really well as far as sleep goes, but all of a sudden it was like having colicky newborns! Luckily they've slept through the last 3 nights to make up for it.

Saturday we took the zoo to the zoo. We just barely fit everyone in the minivan. LR seemed to enjoy seeing the animals and then he discovered the little train ride at the back of the zoo and just didn't want to leave. He was tired and started to get cranky, so we cut our losses and skipped the leopard and wolf exhibits. We did get to see the new black bears though.

On Sunday we went north a little ways to go raspberry picking. LR was excited about the playground at the farm and was reluctant to go picking until he found out he could eat the berries right off the vine. I showed him how to pick the berries, but he was more interested in having me pour the ones from my pint into his so that he could continue eating uninterrupted. I don't know that he's had raspberries before, but he really loved them. We'll definitely go again next year.

Cookie and Yianni also took it upon themselves to teach LR had to swing a bat with two hands. By the time I came outside to watch, he was hitting them left and right while Yianni pitched. I have some great video of it that I will post as soon as I get to it. First I'm sorting through the 200 photos we took over the past 2 weeks.

Cheer Cheer Cheer

Enough about sleep! The babies are doing well and generally sleeping through, although Abra is up more often now since the babies keep everyone awake when they cry. Letting them cry it out is really tough for her. She had to sit on the floor of their room during nap time yesterday as Missy took 15 minutes to go to sleep. She's just like I was with LR. Every cry breaks her heart.

When Gigi visited last month she sang to LR one of her very favorite songs, Take Me Out to the Ball Game. When she left, I started singing it as part of LR's bedtime routine and in no time he had picked up all the words. It's one of the few songs he can sing by himself from start to finish. The best part is that he was sure I was being silly when I sang "root root root," so he made me "sing it the right way." So now I sing "cheer cheer cheer" instead. It still sounds funny to me, but he's sure it's right now.

Ferberizing Twins ~ Night #4

Last night was better and worse. When we put them down at 7:30, I expected some crying. What I didn't expect was J Frog to go for an hour and fifteen minutes. Early on in the event I saw that he had flipped onto his stomach again. He was so upset that I risked going in, flipping him over, and patting his stomach a little. He was inconsolable, so I left the room again and watched him on the monitor. He fought for 5 minutes to flip over again onto his belly. "Oh well," I thought. "Gotta let him figure it out." After another hour, I went in a picked up the poor little guy. He fell asleep right away in my arms. When he finally stopped snuffling, I set him down in the crib on his back. During this whole episode, Missy was up and down. Sometimes she'd wake up screaming and sometimes she'd sleep. She was out after about an hour though. Not even his screaming woke her up.

I went to bed around 10:30pm and the next thing I knew it was 6am. At 6:15 I heard Missy. I fed her and then handed her to Daddy since I heard J Frog rousing. Then I fed J Frog. He fell back asleep, but Missy wanted to play. Daddy let me nap with J Frog while he took care of Missy and LR. The point is, they slept through the night! I hope it doesn't take another hour of screaming tonight.

Ferberizing Twins ~ Night #3

Yesterday the babies managed to get off schedule. By the time 7pm rolled around, Missy was ready for bed while J Frog was wide awake. She fell asleep and didn't wake up when we put her in the crib. She woke up an hour later and cried for 10 or 15 minutes as she put herself back to sleep. I worried about putting J Frog in there with her knowing that he might wake her up. When I set him down he did start to cry, but she managed to sleep through it.

They were fine until 1:30am. J Frog woke up and half talked, half cried for 30 minutes. Then he really screamed for 30 minutes. I watched him on the monitor. He kept arching his back and turning onto his side while trying to find his hands to chew on. Every time he flopped back onto his back his crying intensified. At the end of the hour J Frog flipped onto his stomach. I considered flipping him over for all of 5 seconds before I realized he was falling asleep.
He slept that way for an hour. Then woke up crying again. This time I did go in and flip him over. Boy, did that piss him off. In another minute he flipped back onto his stomach and fell asleep again. Maybe he'll be a tummy sleeper. Who knows? The good news was that Missy only woke for about 5 minutes the whole night. She seems to be getting the hang of sleeping through his cries. Nap time has also gotten easier since putting them down in the crib is less of an issue.

Despite all the commotion, LR is pretty much potty trained during the day. He wears underwear all day now and just a diaper at night. Yesterday, when I took his night diaper off it was dry. That was a first, so I took him to Target, explained that I was very proud of him for learning how to use the potty and let him pick out a toy. He ran to the toy section and found the car aisle. He tested all the cars in his reach, being careful not to miss any as he walked up and down the aisle. At one point I tried to get him to explore more options like balls or games, but he told me that he wasn't interested. It was cars or nothing. After playing with a remote control dump truck, I pulled out the toy behind it which was a remote control backhoe. That was a winner and I liked the well advertised mute function. He was sure that this was the toy, so I put him in the cart with the toy in his lap and he played with the music function for the rest of the shopping trip. I told him he wasn't going to get presents for pooping anymore, but I'm sure he'll keep asking for them. Now we just have to learn every bathroom location between home and anywhere we ever want to go.

Ferberizing Twins ~ Night #2

Before Ferber news... we sent Abra into Boston to watch the big Fireworks Spectaular on the Charles. Thought it was a good way to experience a fun American tradition. Can't wait until the kids are old enough to make the same trip.

Well, it didn't go quite as smoothly as it did the first night. After nursing the two of them tandem and having them both go to sleep, Daddy and I set them down in their cribs. Then the screaming began. Both of them were going full tilt. And going... and going. Soon it had been half an hour. I knew if J Frog stopped Missy would too, but he just wouldn't give up. At the half hour mark, I went to check to make sure no one had flipped over. Sure enough, J Frog was face down and exhausted. I picked him up and whisked him out of the room. His eyes were red and he was hiccuping with big tears rolling. I apologized to him and hugged him for a while. Then he looked up and smiled at me. It's a good thing that babies don't know that as moms we are both Glenda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West at the same time. If he just wants to see Glenda, that's fine with me.

I nursed J Frog and within 5 minutes I could tell that Missy was going to sleep. She was fine as long as J Frog wasn't egging her on. Then I was stuck with J Frog asleep in my arms and Missy asleep in her crib. Do I put him down, knowing full well that he'll scream and potentially wake her up? Do I hand him to Daddy, get LR to bed, get ready for bed myself, and then keep J Frog with me for the night? We decided to go with our initial instinct to teach them to sleep through each other's cries, so I put J Frog in his crib. He grabbed a hold of my arm and didn't want to let go as he touched down on the crib mattress. I put him down and walked away with him screaming. He didn't go quite as long this time and, miracles of miracles, Missy stayed asleep through the next 15 minutes. Both down, hooray!

I put LR to bed and as soon as I came back down stairs I heard J Frog wake up again. So soon! He cried for 5 minutes or so and then was back asleep. Not sure what that was about, but I'm glad that we stuck to our guns on keeping them together.

Around 2:30 J Frog woke up and started crying. 20 minutes later Missy woke up and started as well. 20 minutes after that she went back to sleep while he was still going strong. He cried for an hour and 5 minutes. I was so wound up by the end that I couldn't go to sleep for another half hour. Oh, and in the middle of that LR woke up and came to our room. The crying scares him a little, so I hope we'll be finished Ferber-izing them soon.

Ferberizing Twins ~ Night #1

In case you don't remember, I tried to Ferber-ize Missy at 4.5 mo. when Daddy was away on a business trip. That didn't go so well. It's been a month and their sleep habits have gotten progressively worse. They were amazing for a couple of months, but since we stopped swaddling them a few weeks ago, they've started getting up every couple of hours. With one, it might be manageable, but there have been a few nights where both Daddy and I have been co-sleeping with a baby when LR decided to join us in bed. Thank goodness we bought a king size bed!

So with the long weekend looming, Daddy thought last night might be the right time to start the process. We Ferber-ized LR after 6 very long months. You'll notice that this blog started right about the time LR started sleeping. That's no coincidence. I couldn't put together a compound sentence much less write about the events of the day. Hell, I couldn't remember what I had done during the day anyway. So... last night was the night.

During the day both babies had been relatively difficult about their nap times. J Frog wouldn't be put down for naps or otherwise which makes it particularly tough on Abra. She had to tie him to her back with a towel yesterday just to get anything done. (Have I mentioned how amazing she is?) Daddy and I discussed whether or not to Ferber-ize them together or separately. We decided to have them together since they're in the same room and need to learn how to sleep through the other one yelling. Missy seemed especially susceptible to J Frog's cries. He has spooked her out of more than one nap.

Last night they were both tired and even though J Frog fell asleep nursing, I gave him to Daddy to hold until I nursed Missy. She almost fell asleep, but then we carried them upstairs and set them into their cribs with the noise machine going strong. They, of course, woke up immediately. J Frog, because he had been asleep for 10 minutes already, felt particularly wronged and started to scream. Missy woke up and looked around but didn't cry. I watched her on the video monitor and she didn't seem upset.

At 8:06pm J Frog started crying.
At 8:15pm Missy joined in.
At 8:29pm J Frog stopped sobbing.
At 8:35pm Missy finally gave in.

I think the last few minutes with Missy were the worst because I let her go for 45 minutes a month ago with no success. I was worried that she just wouldn't be Ferber-ized. But here we are, out the other side. When I went in to check on them, they had turned themselves exactly the same way in their cribs. Sometimes twins are spooky like that.

Missy woke up once during the night and cried for 20 minutes but not very intensely. J Frog woke up 3 times and cried for around 15 minutes each time. I spent each session awake and filled with adrenaline, chanting in my head, "please go back to sleep. Please go back to sleep." J Frog got up finally around 6:30am and Missy at 7:15am. I didn't actually sleep any better than the previous night, but at least they didn't join us in bed and I expect that tonight will be much better.

Our Day Out with Thomas the Train!

The day started with smiles. We managed to get all the kids ready to go on time and the babies napped all the way to the park. It was about an hour drive, so it worked out really well. Edaville is a small amusement park in Carver, Ma. that hosts various special events and this weekend was the "Day Out With Thomas" event. R's parents invited us to join them and we decided the babies were old enough for the adventure. LR has loved the two small town fairs we've been to this summer already, so we thought he'd like this too.

Our luck held out when we arrived and we got parking right in front of the ticket booth. When you have 3 kids under 3, that counts as magic. LR really couldn't wait to get inside and was just about jumping out of the stroller. We're a little slow moving when it comes to getting the babies and all our gear from the minivan to the stroller. Once inside, LR could barely stand in line to wait to get on the plane ride. Luckily it only took one rotation before it was his turn. Here's a pic of him standing with 2 of 3 identical triplets in line in front of us. We talked to the parents who had a 4 year old and a 2 year old when the triplets arrived. Wow.

Then LR was off and riding. It makes me nervous that we can't be on the rides with him because I just never know about him. Will he stay in the seat? Will he try to walk on the wings? I watched him nervously as he rode and it turns out that he just wanted to narrate the whole ride to the girl riding with him. I could hear him going on and on each time he came around.

Then it was time for our scheduled Thomas ride. We bought tickets online days earlier, so all we had to do was get to the bathrooms, stash the stroller, get all the kids going the same direction, and get on the train. LR looked like we'd given him nothing but sugar and caffeine all morning - ready to nuzzle up to those bars and VOOM! And then we were on the train! We sat for 10 minutes or so while everyone loaded on. It gave us time to talk, excitedly, about Thomas, trains, what we might see, etc. He was especially interested in moving from the car we were in to the engine so that he could drive it. He kept getting up to encourage us to take him to his rightful spot at the front. We kept convincing him to stay with us until a conductor came through with certificates for each child. When the conductor handed it to me, I read the whole thing to LR. The following conversation was my favorite of the day.

Me: Congratulations! This is to certify that "LR" has become a Jr. Engineer and is ready to join Thomas on his next adventure! Welcome Aboard! Signed: Sir Topham Hatt.
LR: That's for me?
Me: Yes, you are now an official Jr. Engineer!
LR: I can go to the front now?

Damn, he had me there. Such a smart kid. Luckily, the train started moving soon after, so we were able to distract him. The ride lasted around 20 minutes. We went around the park once and afterward had a chance to wait in line to get pictures with Thomas, but everyone was ready to ride more rides, so we skipped the pictures.

Everyone was more than ready for lunch, so the dads rode the elephant ride (a Dumbo look-alike) while the moms went to the car to get lunch. Lunch was a tricky time for the babies. It was a hot day and they were uncomfortable. I nursed them both and J Frog went down for a nap, but not Missy. After lunch it was time to ride the plane ride again, this time with R. R was a little nervous about riding, so LR kept telling him that it was ok. R enjoyed the ride anyway and we got a few pictures of them together.

After the planes we let the little guys explore the park a little more. There were more rides and a huge Thomas gift shop. Inside the gift shop there were 3 or 4 train tracks set up with hoards of kids standing around them. LR, of course, managed to elbow his way in and play with some trains. Getting him out of the store was the toughest part of the day. He was hot and tired and really didn't want to leave. I didn't want to buy another Thomas toy since the day was already pretty expensve, but I bribed him with cotton candy and he was generally content as we left the park. All 3 kids passed out in the car for the whole ride home. It was genuinely one of those great parenting days.

Big Weekend!

Major Headlines from this past weekend:

1. J. Frog took a bottle - On Friday morning Abra attempted to give him another bottle of expressed breast milk and, lo-and-behold, he took it! 2 whole oz! We experimented with a little sugar water in the afternoon and he drank a little of that as well. On Saturday he took some formula and on Sunday he took 4 more oz. from the bottle. We're all so thrilled, but no more than me. I thought I was going to have to breast feed him until he was a year old. I wouldn't mind doing it, but not having a choice makes it a little less appealing. This means much more simplicity for Abra and freedom for me. Hooray!
2. Missy rolled over from back to front - On Saturday Missy surprised Daddy by rolling from back to front while playing on her play mat. We expected J. Frog would be the first, and although he's showing signs of being close, he has not done it yet. Missy did it over and over again on Saturday. The only problem is that when she rolls over, she has her hands down by her hips and then is stuck. Hopefully she won't do it at night in the crib!
3. LR is getting closer to being potty trained - After multiple accidents on Saturday, he went all day in underwear on Sunday. We even made a run to Costco without an accident. I bought him a seat that fits on top of the regular toilet at home and he seemed to like using the same one we do. This morning, however, he decided he likes his little one in the living room better. I think it has to do with its proximity to his toys.
   

No Bottles for J. Frog

J. Frog still isn't taking a bottle. We've resorted to introducing rice cereal and giving him formula with a medicine syringe. It doesn't work very well, but at least he's getting something during the 5 hours I'm gone every day now. He tends to talk/complain the whole time we're spoon feeding him cereal. Otherwise, he is a happy smiling baby. He's longer than Missy, but also skinnier. I know he's getting enough to eat, but it breaks my heart after having 2 hefty babies. I keep thinking he's starving. You have to understand the crazy that comes with being a mom. Sleep loss + high stress = CRAZY.

I realized yesterday that I equate the twins with having a second child instead of as a second and third child. As I read posts from other parents dealing with a second child and talk to friends with their new additions, I compare their experiences to mine. I wonder why they are having an easier time or how they have time to read to their 3 month old while tending to a rambunctious toddler. In one of my books on having multiples, I read that I should be wary of "unit bonding" which was thinking about the two of them as a single unit. Sure signs included dressing them in matching outfits all the time. Does it count if the outfits are really cute? Fine. Do you hear that, family? No more matching outfits. I can't handle the pressure of knowing that I'm potentially screwing with their identity development by dressing them the same. See? Crazy. (I'm kidding... send the matching outfits. I love them.)

Potty Training and Jumping

LR is doing a pretty great job on the potty training front. He's successfully made it to the potty 4 days in a row when he needed to poop. Each time I gave him a new Hotwheels car. We leave him naked most mornings. Every time we put underwear on him, he seems to forget and wets through. We have more success when he's diaper and underwear-less.Rather than show you pictures of LR potty training, I will show you these awesome shots of him jumping off his table with his friend R. R has been into jumping off things recently and LR just loves to imitate him. The only problem is that LR increases the distance and height after R goes home. The other day he cleared the bottom 3 steps of the stairs and landed loudly at Daddy's feet just as Daddy was saying, "no, no, no!" The day before that he jumped from his bed and easily cleared the steps at the foot of his bed. Next post: Our Sunday out with Thomas the Train! We took over 200 photos, so it's going to take me a little while to pick my favorites.

My Own Cabbage Patch Kid

When I was 6, the Cabbage Patch Kids craze struck. I was no different than the other girls in my class. I was hoping for a special doll with its own birth certificate which would verify that this doll, indeed, miraculously sprouted from a cabbage with an "Xavier Roberts" stamp on its foot. My grandma turned into what I imagined was a warrior, fighting off attackers as she scooped up a doll for me at her local Toys R Us - not once, but 3 times. Within a year I had a boy, a girl, and a preemie boy. If it was a predictor of my future, it wasn't far off. Today I have my very own, live cabbage patch kid. Recently, a friend said that Missy's mouth was squished by her very large cheeks. I took a look, and sure enough, just like a cabbage patch kid. Luckily, there's no stamp on her foot. When she smiles though, the grin takes over her whole face!

A friend of mine came over on Thursday so that we could finally introduce our kids... all of them. We met when we were searching for our au pair. She and her husband live a few streets away. They have a son who is 6 months older than LR and they were due with boy/girl fraternal twins a month after us. We were shocked at the similarities and became fast friends. With the craziness that is our lives today, it's no wonder that it took us this long to get them all together. We tried to get all 6 in the picture, but the older boys were busy playing trains. We didn't plan it, but both girls were in green and both boys in blue. The older boys had matching shorts and t-shirts on as well. It was a little odd. Her au pair is holding J. Frog in the picture while Abra holds her son. I didn't notice until now, but all the babies are looking at Missy in the picture. She's trying to play it cool though.

The Best Present of All

*WARNING* Due to the graphic nature of this post, reader discretion is advised.

I turned 32 today! I did what I set out to do years ago, which was to finish having kids by the time I was 32. At least that was the goal my doctors set out for me back when I was in my mid-twenties. It seemed like such a huge hurdle, but here we are, 3 kids later, and my body is just beginning to recover... well, as much as it can on so little sleep.

We celebrated both Father's Day and my birthday this past weekend by taking the zoo out to eat at our favorite old date spot for lunch. We gorged on Chinese food and fruity rum drinks. It went pretty well. J. Frog slept through much of it keeping the ratio of adults to kids reasonable. Last week was my first week back at work part-time (thus the lack of posts last week) and I was ready for a little down time. I didn't get any, but I was sure ready for some. Maybe next week.

As for my favorite present this year, it was from LR. For the very first time, he pooped on the potty this morning. Unfortunately, Daddy was on a conference call, but Abra and I celebrated with him and I gave him a shiny new Hotwheels truck. Hopefully he won't feel the need to hide behind the couch every time he needs to poop now. *fingers crossed*

Month Old Movie

This movie is a month old. It shows the babies sitting up on the couch and LR skidding around the house on his stroller. It also shows my amazing video editing skills. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvmSFiBN3E8

Bumbo Seat

Missy rolled over yesterday! I walked out of the room for 2 seconds. By the time I got back, she was on her back with Abra cheering. I put her back on her tummy, but she didn't want to do it again.

It's amazing how many people have twins in their family or have a twins (or super twins - higher order multiples) story. Daddy was one of four people from his company who went to the conference last week. 2 of them had a set of twin siblings. Daddy obviously has Missy and J. Frog. Only Daddy's boss didn't have twins in the family.

Gigi and I braved the mall on Sunday. In Victoria Secret, we ran into 2 people who told us they had twins. People were being friendly because both the babies started to scream at the same time while Gigi was out chasing our newly speedy LR. He's getting wheels! So, after lots of staring, a nice woman finally offered to help me by holding J. Frog while I calmed Missy. When Gigi returned a little out of breath, we headed over to Baby Style where both the woman in front of me and the cashier admitted to having twins. Small, small world.

I broke down and got a Bumbo seat (pictured) from craigslist. I had to jump on it because they go fast. I told the woman I had twins and needed to put one down. She took pity and when I arrived to pick it up, she told me she had twins as well. I asked her how old and she said 4. I asked if it got easier and she said she didn't know because one died at 16 months. My heart jumped and I tried to figure out how many insensitive things I might have said in the 5 minutes that we'd been talking. Count that as my fourth tragic twin tale since I've had Missy and J. Frog. One mom I've been working with lost one inutero. One lost her girl at the age of 3 thanks to an unsecured bookcase. One whom I bought a bouncy seat from lost her first son when he was 1 and then had twins. I imagine it has nothing to do with having twins as the grief must be equally intense for a parent regardless.

On the lighter side, LR is starting to enjoy interacting with his siblings. He sings to them whenever they cry. He tells them "it's okay baby," if I can't get to one of them fast enough. He even shares his toys. He's going top love their company as soon as they can reciprocate a bit.

Visit From Gigi

Gigi was kind enough to arrive last Wed and stay through today while Daddy was at a Ruby on Rails conference in Portland, OR. Papa also attended the conference while Grandma Nese toured the area. Gigi got to experience first hand the craziness that is our house. Abra left on Friday morning for a weekend in Chicago, so Gigi and I were on our own for 3 whole days.

Of course, the first night after a week of good sleep, the babies had a rotten night. The second night was worse, so I finally decided it was time to Ferberize them. I read a couple of blogs on twins that recounted their adventures in Ferberizing. Sounded relatively simple, and it worked for LR, so on the third night I put Missy down and listened to her cry for half and hour. J. Frog was awake from a long afternoon nap, so I didn't try to put him down during that. I finally picked her up, soothed her, and put her in the crib. She cried for another minute and then fell asleep. I put J. Frog in with her later and they slept decently, but not amazingly well.

The fourth night I put them down together in the crib. J. Frog slept through the first 40 minutes of her screaming and then joined in for 5 minutes before Gigi and I went and got them. It took another hour to get them back to sleep. I figured that would be my last try until they were 6 months old, but miraculously, they slept through the night.

The fifth night was the night Daddy came home and he and Gigi took apart and reassembled the second crib. With each child in their own crib for the first time, I put them down the way I normally do and they were up and down ALL night. It was awful. So, tonight I let them scream together for a half hour, soothed them for another half hour, and finally put them in bed unswaddled for the first time. I know I keep switching up tactics, but something is bound to work. My hope is that Missy finds her hands to suck on when she wakes up and J. Frog stopped freaking out when he breaks out of the swaddling ~ which he's done every night for the last 3. Since I go back to work next Monday, I really hope something works soon.

I think Ferber might work for J. Frog on his own, but I'm afraid Missy is one of those kids that it just won't work for. She showed no signs of slowing on any of the nights. That will make it hard for J. Frog. Gigi was a champ and helped talk me through all the screaming. Not sure what I would have done without her. (Thank you, Gigi!) Maybe they'll continue to be decent sleepers with occasional hiccups.