9 Month Schedule

I remember how crazy things were when the girls were first born. I barely had a half an hour in between feeding, changing diapers and then putting them back down. Now that the girls are eating just about everything, and I mean everything, I thought I'd update how their schedule is now going. I always wondered when the girls would move to a 4 hour nursing schedule instead of every 3, but with all this new food they're eating, their interest in breastfeeding has slowed down. This makes me sad. Say what? Yes, this makes me sad. But I know it just means they are growing girls, which makes me VERY happy! And to know I've made it 9 months and we're still going....I've hit a mark I never expected I'd make it to!

7 a.m. - nurse
8:30 a.m. - breakfast (solids)
9:00 a.m. - nap (2 hours)
11:00 a.m. - nurse
12:30 p.m. - lunch (solids)
1:30 p.m. - nap (2 hours)
3:30 p.m. - nurse
sometimes, but not often, they have a third nap
6:00 p.m. - supper (solids)
6:45 p.m. - bathtime (they LOVE this!!)
7:15 p.m - nurse
7:30 p.m. - bedtime
7:35 p.m. - whew! Catch-My-Breath time

The girls go down to sleep so very, very well. Sometimes they chat and make noise in their cribs, but they go to sleep very easily. It's a great blessing. It is those moments at the end of the day that make me feel so relaxed, yet in all seriousness, a little nostalgic about my day with the girls. I have to sneak back into their room a couple of times just to check on them and make sure they're not too cold or too hot...and I just love looking at them. But the moments of quiet for the rest of the evening are my "re-charging my batteries" time. Without a schedule, and an early bedtime, I am pretty sure I'd go insane!!

Off Schedule

Today the girls have been way off schedule. Madeline slept for a long stretch this morning while Savannah woke up twice during that stretch. Now that the afternoon is here, neither are interested in napping. However, after finally getting Savannah calmed down from crying, Madeline started up. So now, I am sitting here rocking Madeline when a thought crossed my mind. Yes, scheduling is key. The babies need to know what to expect, when to expect it, and how to expect it. Babies like consistency. But on days like today, when the schedule is completely disrupted for whatever reason, I get annoyed because I can't get my cleaning done....get my errands (in the house) done...get my decorating done. Then, I stop and look down at the little tiny bare leg curled up on my tummy, feel the warmth of this little head laying under my neck on my chest, and hear the soft breathing of a baby girl finally finding her way off to sleep and I think how lucky I am. And, I think of how much I should take advantage of a messy, disorganized house...because without these two precious baby girls as my very own daughters, I would have a clean, organized, put together home...something I would never, ever, ever trade for the world. So for now, I will enjoy twin motherhood...all of the crazy ups and downs (literally...up one minute, lay one back down, then back up the next minute for the other one...) and know that one day my babies won't be able to curl up on my chest and I'll wonder why in the world I was ever "annoyed" for not being able to get anything done.

11 Weeks: Alert and Active

Today the girls turned 11 weeks old. I am amazed how much they are becoming more alert and developing the cutest little personalities. They both are cooing now and get big, bright eyes whenever they are awake and active. Chris and I are following the E.A.S.Y. method....Eat, Activity, Sleep, and You time....(thanks to the "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" book....great book). It's working pretty well as the girls love their activity time after eating and Mommy loves the "You" time once they go down to sleep! Recently we have introduced them to their Bumbo seats! Our good friends Sara and Manny gave us a Bumbo and when the girls tried it out, they were hooked! They love sitting straight up and "talking" to each other.

On one of my rare occasions out to Wal-Mart (this has become my new exciting adventure trip for the week! So sad..ha ha!) I came home to discover Chris entertaining both of the girls with story time...Absolutely PRECIOUS. They get so wide eyed and alert whenever we talk to them. With every new coo and each new expression, Chris and I are overwhelmed with the double dose of cuteness and absolute joy that make up for the crazy, hectic moments of sleepless nights and wild days these two little angels bring to our home!

A Solo Week

This is one of my favorite pictures of little Madeline getting a sponge bath. She was screaming so loud that I put her paci in her mouth and she grabbed hold of her towel and just sucked like crazy! It was as if she was literally bracing herself for this "awful" bath!! And no, the pacifier is not huge, she is just that small!

So this week Chris is off to Pastor's meetings and I am juggling the girls by myself. Thankfully for me, he is commuting. So, he comes home at night - not thankfully for him though I'm sure as sleep is non-existent! However, I thought I'd share how my morning alone has gone.

At 10:30 it was feeding time. By the time I got the first baby - Savannah - up and ready, it was about 10:45. I took her to change her diaper, and in the middle of changing, she had a "minor" diaper explosion that proceeded to run all the way up her back and on her legs. I went ahead and undressed her and knew I needed to give her a bath! She is not fond of baths and screamed the whole time. Meanwhile, I could hear Madeline screaming in the bassinet as she was now hungry. I finished bathing Savannah and sat down to feed her. The entire time she was being fed, Madeline was screaming! Changing and bathing Savannah ran into Madeline's feeding time and she was certainly letting me know!

By the time I finished with Savannah, I immediately fed Madeline before changing her. Because I keep the girls on the same schedules, I bathed Madeline after feeding her since Savannah had a bath. Even though I had her wrapped tight in her towel and dried off her hair, she got so cold after bath time that her little hand turned blue!!!! So, once all was finished, I wrapped both girls up in warm blankets, sat down on the couch and cuddled both of them up onto my chest. They both settled in and fell asleep, warm and happy.

Those are the moments that make the crazy moments worth it (which in 30 minutes, feeding and changing time starts up all over again!) :-) There is nothing better than snuggling with my two baby girls....it is double the blessing to make up for double the work and there is no greater joy than being their mother.

Life at Home

I have 10 minutes until the next feeding to update how life at home with the girls is going. That statement in a nutshell explains life at home with these precious baby girls!! Everything is about the schedule, schedule, schedule. The girls have to keep gaining weight to get out of their preemie stage, and because of that we must wake them every 3 hours to feed. Chris and I must basically remind them to eat.....so after about an hour to an hour and a half of feedings and diaper changes, the 2 hour to 1 1/2 hours in between fly by and it's time to wake them up again! But these girls are such an amazing joy, the hectic pressure of the clock is an unbelievable blessing and brings such happiness to our life!!

Last week, Savannah reached her birth weight - 4 pounds, 11 ounces. Madeline had flown by her birth weight and weighed 4 pounds, 9 ounces. The girls seem much more than 2 ounces a part as little Madeline seems so much smaller than Savannah!

Two more minutes to go....so I will post more later. In the meantime, I must confess that I am having a much easier time posting pics to my Facebook as I can post pics directly from my Blackberry which is often easier than being able to log onto my computer. To view the album, copy this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=12927&l=a9d9f&id=1274319768

It's feeding time again! Chris and I are thankful each day to God for these little bundles of blessings!