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!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
15wks, 2days
I have a bunch of new pictures and videos to upload, unfortunately the computer loads them so slowly they're a pain to post. But today I took a video of Bracha trying to suck her thumb and it's irresistible:
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
14wks
I started this blog when I was 13 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I titled each post according to how far along I was. Once I gave birth, I continued using the same format, but now in order to document how old the girls are. So when I started writing in this blog I was just about as pregnant as the girls are now old. That's pretty cool.
You know what else is cool? Having a follow-up with a pediatric neurologist after a NICU doctor tell you there's a major problem with your baby, just to have the neurologist say that. nope, your baby rocks, is totally fine and there's nothing to worry about (as with previous medical issues mentioned here, were I to want to go into greater detail I would, so since I din';t you can assume I don't want to and thus don't even bother asking questions).
Oh, and you know what else is cool, too? Leaving your husband to babysit (especially since he needs a chance to get used to being alone with both girls since yours truly has to go back to work in not too long) while you catch a movie with your awesome brother. I don't even remember the last tine I saw a movie and this was the first tine I left the kids with Shawn to do anything longer than run errands to the supermarket or the hardware store. It was so nice to feel normal again! It made me want to go out drinking and dancing. It reminded me that I am an individual, not JUST a mommy, and I think having a reminder of that every now and then works to remind me that I love being a mommy, that there's nothing I want to do more, that I choose this role. It makes me a better ima.
Now, if you don't mind, I have an Eliana in serious need of some quality cuddling.
You know what else is cool? Having a follow-up with a pediatric neurologist after a NICU doctor tell you there's a major problem with your baby, just to have the neurologist say that. nope, your baby rocks, is totally fine and there's nothing to worry about (as with previous medical issues mentioned here, were I to want to go into greater detail I would, so since I din';t you can assume I don't want to and thus don't even bother asking questions).
Oh, and you know what else is cool, too? Leaving your husband to babysit (especially since he needs a chance to get used to being alone with both girls since yours truly has to go back to work in not too long) while you catch a movie with your awesome brother. I don't even remember the last tine I saw a movie and this was the first tine I left the kids with Shawn to do anything longer than run errands to the supermarket or the hardware store. It was so nice to feel normal again! It made me want to go out drinking and dancing. It reminded me that I am an individual, not JUST a mommy, and I think having a reminder of that every now and then works to remind me that I love being a mommy, that there's nothing I want to do more, that I choose this role. It makes me a better ima.
Now, if you don't mind, I have an Eliana in serious need of some quality cuddling.
Monday, May 25, 2009
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