Both girls had reactions to the shot, which they've never had before. They had their first taste of Acamoli (baby Tylenol) which Bracha quite enjoyed. Unfortunately I can't say the same for Eliana. But we're five days past and all is back to normal.
They're really been quite awesome lately. They're on very much the same schedule but neither demand an instant feeding unless they're really hungry which means, while they'd be happy to eat at the same time if Shawn and I are both home or if I do a double feeding, they're also fine waiting their turns. I really prefer feeding one at a time to get more cuddle time in with her, but I've also been known to simultaneously feed two daughters and myself while reading a book, so that's no biggie.
It's kinda frustrating to have gotten this whole parent-of-multiples+homemaker thing down so close to the end of my maternity leave. Right now I've got two wide awake happy-as-clams daughters, a load of laundry in the machine and dinner in mid-preparation. I wonder if it'll be any harder to manage all this when back at work. Thankfully I'm only going back two days a week. I wonder if the reason I have not yet really found myself professionally is that perhaps I am meant to be a SAHM. I love being with my children. When I have the energy, I even love taking care of the house (yes, even cleaning...sometimes). I doubt we could ever afford me to stay at home full-time, but I'm grateful that for now at least don't have to worry about working more than part-time.
Video of Eliana laughing soon to come!!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
19wks, 1day
We had a Tipat Chalav (Well-Baby) visit today. The girls are growing magnificently! Eliana weights 6 kilo and Bracha weighs 4. Both have more than doubled their birth weight and are on track height and head circumference-wise (on track for them that is...they don't quite match the clinic's charts but that's to be expected since they're twins.)
I think we must be very lucky. People have told me horror stories about their experiences at Tipat Chalav. The nurse we see is really sweet, non-judgmental at all, she remembers the girls very well each visit and is really glad to see their achievements and progress. She thinks it's great we cloth diaper, which, by the way, is going really well. Both girls are entirely on cloth at home though we use disposables when we leave the house and while at my parents'. Eliana is usually in BumGenius and Bracha wears pre-folds, just folded, no Snappi, in a newborn-size cover. We've got a stock of small (which Eliana fits in to but we hardly ever have her in) and medium covers. Our collection will have to grow as the girls do, but we'll probably stick mostly to the BG.
Anyhow, my TC visits are always pleasant...other than the part where they shove needles into my poor babies. Ina, our nurse, is always very sweet and gentle with it, but it makes me cry. The girls however are fine with it. Each lets out one good wail then stops. But they are fussy for the day after their shots, though so far thank God never any swelling, inflammation, fever, or signs of physical discomfort. Anyhow, they both seem to finally be down. Shawn's been in bed for a bit, poor guy is really tired after not getting much sleep last night due to a double crying session at 4am and his early morning start at work. I'm going to grab some supper, do some more straitening up, then join him, assuming the girls let me. I want to be "on duty" for the first half of the night, let Shawn get some sleep, and, if they wake up, comfort my babies the way only an Ima knows how.
I think we must be very lucky. People have told me horror stories about their experiences at Tipat Chalav. The nurse we see is really sweet, non-judgmental at all, she remembers the girls very well each visit and is really glad to see their achievements and progress. She thinks it's great we cloth diaper, which, by the way, is going really well. Both girls are entirely on cloth at home though we use disposables when we leave the house and while at my parents'. Eliana is usually in BumGenius and Bracha wears pre-folds, just folded, no Snappi, in a newborn-size cover. We've got a stock of small (which Eliana fits in to but we hardly ever have her in) and medium covers. Our collection will have to grow as the girls do, but we'll probably stick mostly to the BG.
Anyhow, my TC visits are always pleasant...other than the part where they shove needles into my poor babies. Ina, our nurse, is always very sweet and gentle with it, but it makes me cry. The girls however are fine with it. Each lets out one good wail then stops. But they are fussy for the day after their shots, though so far thank God never any swelling, inflammation, fever, or signs of physical discomfort. Anyhow, they both seem to finally be down. Shawn's been in bed for a bit, poor guy is really tired after not getting much sleep last night due to a double crying session at 4am and his early morning start at work. I'm going to grab some supper, do some more straitening up, then join him, assuming the girls let me. I want to be "on duty" for the first half of the night, let Shawn get some sleep, and, if they wake up, comfort my babies the way only an Ima knows how.
19wks, 1day
Announcement: Bracha can now fully roll over back to front.
Oh, and both girls have started laughing!!
Oh, and both girls have started laughing!!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
17wks, 3days
So it's been a couple of (incredibly busy, crazy, hectic) weeks since my last post, and for that I am sorry. The girls are now four months old!! They're growing so much, it's incredible. Eliana is starting to outgrow some of her 3-month-old outfits while Bracha is finally beginning to outgrow some of the newborn clothing (and finally fitting in to others...there's such a huge size discrepancy even in what is labeled supposedly the same size!)
We're settling in to a bit of a routine. Eliana usually sleeps through the night and Bracha will often sleep a good seven hours strait (she slept ten strait last Friday!), unfortunately we still have the timing off so she might fall asleep at 9pm but then wake up at 4am and be up for the day. She's never been a great napper, she's either down for the count or only for 10-20 minutes at a time, so she keeps us on her toes all day. But the best news with them in regards to their sleeping habits is that they are both finally sleeping in their crib!
See, early on Bracha was such a poor sleeper the only way we could get her to sleep was if she was in bed with us. This was also true with Eliana for a while, but less so. I know, I know, sleeping in the family bed is supposedly a greater risk for SIDS. But then again, the real issue is sleeping with soft blankets, pillows, etc...things that can easily suffocate a sleeping infant. But there comes a point where you don't give a flying you-know-what where your kid sleeps, as long as they DO sleep. So we were always super careful and all enjoyed cuddling up in bed together, Shawn and I thanking the heavens that we bought the queen-size bed.
But as they got bigger the bed got more crowded, and we missed our privacy. Eliana was fairly easy to get to sleep in the crib and by two months she was in there for the first half of the night and by three she was there all night. Bracha was a lot harder to get out of our bed but once we realized that what she really liked was sleeping in closed, confined spaces we started doing some experimenting. She's sleep really well if she sunk her deep into a poofy blanket, but thast's only practical for naps where we can watch her since it's not the most practical thing in the world if she were to roll over and bury her face in the blanket.
Thus started a series of experiments. We tried Shawn's bit poofy winter jacket. Again, good for naps, impractical for bed time. We tried the stroller, which she sleeps in well while out and about and which we bring up to the apartment every Friday when the neighbor boy cleans the stairwell (normally we keep it locked up on the ground floor). It worked, but we can't lug that thing up every night plus it's not a totally flat surface. Then we tried the bouncy chairs, which worked especially well when lined with the infant insert from the stroller. It didn't take long to realize we could just put the insert in the crib. She's had extra padding around her head and arms and lo and behold, it was enough! Ever since we made that amazing discovery last week she's been spending every night, all night, in her crib! She's back to getting up every few hours but that's really no biggie. It's amazing how wonderful it feels to (warning: prudes cover your eyes here) be able to sleep next to my husband again. I haven't been able to do this in nearly a year! Before the babies there was my enormous stomach between us. It's very nice to have at least that aspect of our marriage back to normal.
Otherwise they're doing wonderfully. Bracha, as you know, sucks her thumb, and Eliana sucks her whole fist. Both girls smile like crazy so much of the time and, oh! Speaking of the devil, I hear Bracha stirring. Ima to the rescue!
We're settling in to a bit of a routine. Eliana usually sleeps through the night and Bracha will often sleep a good seven hours strait (she slept ten strait last Friday!), unfortunately we still have the timing off so she might fall asleep at 9pm but then wake up at 4am and be up for the day. She's never been a great napper, she's either down for the count or only for 10-20 minutes at a time, so she keeps us on her toes all day. But the best news with them in regards to their sleeping habits is that they are both finally sleeping in their crib!
See, early on Bracha was such a poor sleeper the only way we could get her to sleep was if she was in bed with us. This was also true with Eliana for a while, but less so. I know, I know, sleeping in the family bed is supposedly a greater risk for SIDS. But then again, the real issue is sleeping with soft blankets, pillows, etc...things that can easily suffocate a sleeping infant. But there comes a point where you don't give a flying you-know-what where your kid sleeps, as long as they DO sleep. So we were always super careful and all enjoyed cuddling up in bed together, Shawn and I thanking the heavens that we bought the queen-size bed.
But as they got bigger the bed got more crowded, and we missed our privacy. Eliana was fairly easy to get to sleep in the crib and by two months she was in there for the first half of the night and by three she was there all night. Bracha was a lot harder to get out of our bed but once we realized that what she really liked was sleeping in closed, confined spaces we started doing some experimenting. She's sleep really well if she sunk her deep into a poofy blanket, but thast's only practical for naps where we can watch her since it's not the most practical thing in the world if she were to roll over and bury her face in the blanket.
Thus started a series of experiments. We tried Shawn's bit poofy winter jacket. Again, good for naps, impractical for bed time. We tried the stroller, which she sleeps in well while out and about and which we bring up to the apartment every Friday when the neighbor boy cleans the stairwell (normally we keep it locked up on the ground floor). It worked, but we can't lug that thing up every night plus it's not a totally flat surface. Then we tried the bouncy chairs, which worked especially well when lined with the infant insert from the stroller. It didn't take long to realize we could just put the insert in the crib. She's had extra padding around her head and arms and lo and behold, it was enough! Ever since we made that amazing discovery last week she's been spending every night, all night, in her crib! She's back to getting up every few hours but that's really no biggie. It's amazing how wonderful it feels to (warning: prudes cover your eyes here) be able to sleep next to my husband again. I haven't been able to do this in nearly a year! Before the babies there was my enormous stomach between us. It's very nice to have at least that aspect of our marriage back to normal.
Otherwise they're doing wonderfully. Bracha, as you know, sucks her thumb, and Eliana sucks her whole fist. Both girls smile like crazy so much of the time and, oh! Speaking of the devil, I hear Bracha stirring. Ima to the rescue!
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