Taking Twin Toddlers to the Doctor...

...Is difficult! My friend Ashlyn came with me, but it's hard to have down time in those rooms. As you can see they wanted to play with the roll of paper and pull open every drawer. Plus after you weigh them they have no clothes on! Sigh. I brought some toys that kept them occupied for a while. I already forget their weights, I think 22 1/2 pounds or close for both of them (and this was back close to 16 months). The nurse always talks about how close in weight/height/head size they are...Yup, they're identical! :) And our pediatrician still can't tell them apart, either. The trip was uneventful, they were mostly healthy but we found Henry had an ear infection. We don't go back until their two year appointment...which at this point seems to be approaching rapidly! Whew! :)

Wish I could keep better track of all their milestones, but it's hard to keep up with them! They really do seem to know a lot of words, and they repeat a lot of what we say. They don't really form any sentences yet, but I bet they'll start to put a few words together soon. They're pretty great kids! They still do well in the stroller and in carts when we go to the store and are pretty friendly and social with everyone. (They prefer me and whine the most when I'm around, but play fine once I'm gone! Sometimes Alex actually encourages me to go somewhere since they will play by themselves if I'm not there.) Naps and sleeping are both pretty much the same; they take one nap for usually close to two hours in the afternoon. They have been waking more at night, which I think happens around this age, and they go back to sleep pretty well. I think it's a little harder with it being light so early and for so long in the evening. I will add more if I think of it later but they're healthy, happy boys!
  

 

 

 

 

One Year Stats/Dr. Visit

**Edit** This is a long one! Once I started rambling about the boys, I realized I couldn't stop! :) **

Our doctor's visit went well. Alex came from work to help me out, and the boys did pretty good with the waiting around. It always seems like it takes forever!!! And it's hard to hold and contain two wiggly boys. Henry weighed in at 19 pounds, and is around the 15% for weight, and he's 29 1/4 inches long, and close to 25% for height. Holden was 19 pounds, 9 ounces which puts him closer to the 25% for weight, and they measured him at 28 3/4 inches for height or close to the 10%. (We're almost sure that's wrong, because we both think Holden is taller than Henry. But it's hard to measure them, I'm sure.) They were very good when the doctor examined them, but the shots were hard to deal with this time. They really cried, especially Henry. We got them a flu shot, so we have to go back this month and get the second shot. :( So that won't be fun, since I'm sure they're starting to figure out that doctor visit=shots.

I'll try to write a little about each boy. I wanted to do that, but it seems like they change all the time; it's so hard to write a definite statement about them before they change again!

Henry loves trucks and cars and pushing them around on the floor. He can make the "brrrr" car noise when he pushes them. It's SO cute. He makes lots of sounds, like clicking his tongue and raspberries and he still drools a ton! He can say dog and duck and he says dada but I still don't think it's directed at Alex. His favorite food is bananas! He LOVES them in the morning and starts kicking his feet and waving his hands around when he sees them at breakfast. He is the big eater, and really shovels it in! Especially with crackers like goldfish, he'll shove a huge handful in his mouth and then still be chewing them 10 minutes later.

Holden can say ball as well as duck and dog. He does like to find the balls and toss them around. He doesn't do as many funny sounds as Henry. He also says dada and other sounds but I still don't think they're real words yet. He's the pickier eater and it's harder to get him to try new things. He loves to eat what I'm eating, so sometimes I can get him to try some new things that way! They both love fruit, bread and yogurt, and getting them to eat meat and veggies is a little harder.

A good one with daddy! My three cute boys

They both drink whole milk just fine, and are still using bottles. We've had a hard time switching to sippy cups, but that's the goal. Meal times are extra messy now that the boys want to try and feed themselves. We haven't really started brushing teeth yet, but that's another thing we need to add to the routine. Henry has 7 teeth and Holden has 8! They both seem to be constantly teething, sticking everything into their mouths. They also bite each other now...that's going to be fun.

We're still on two naps a day, but they seem to be getting shorter. Holden could probably move to one nap a day because he's typically up first in the morning and wakes up first for naps. But that's where things get complicated with having two. I need them to be on the same schedule or I can't get anything done, but I don't think Henry's ready to change to one nap. I don't mind going in and getting Holden a little early, but by going in there and opening the door it usually wakes him up. :( So we'll see how this goes in the next month or so. I'm sure I'll be able to tell when they're really ready to drop a nap.



Our awesome doctor



In general, they're both still sweet and happy boys! They love to crawl under the table and chairs, and chase each other or be chased by an adult. They like to play and hide behind the curtains. They like their walker toys and shopping cart and they cruise around furniture fine. (I feel like walking is close, but I suppose it could still be a while! But this is a fun stage...I'm definitely going to miss when they don't crawl anymore.) We try to read books, but Holden especially is very rough on them and bends them/sits on them, etc. We sing songs, and Henry especially likes to dance to music. They LOVE being outside, and Holden will crawl all around the yard. Henry does sometimes, but he is usually content to stay on our nice blanket! They like to play with all their toys, but they really love to get into things that are not toys. If they can get into the den or bathroom or kitchen (which are usually closed or gated) they are thrilled to go through drawers, chew on cords or get into stuff they're not supposed to! They are getting very adventurous with climbing up onto the fireplace hearth and up the stairs at Grandma's. They are going to be a handful and I will be lucky to keep bumps and bruises to a minimum! They can wave now, (they don't always do it but they can) and give kisses. They love being held and picked up and are really friendly with anyone who comes over. Grandpa lifts them up to the ceiling, so they always point up when you pick them up! They also like to play with the light switches and turn them off and on. They're pretty good about being in the car and in car seats and they still like baths. The only thing Henry and Holden both hate are diaper and clothing changes. They hate having to lay on their backs and get lotion put on after a bath.

So we had a pretty great first year! I know we've been really lucky. Alex and I could use more sleep, and I definitely could get more done around the house, but we survived. The boys were both healthy. Only one ear infection and a few yucky colds, but I know it could have been worse! I was able to breastfeed for 10 months, supported by a great group of mom friends! I met a lot of awesome twin moms as well. Even though we can't get together much, it's fun to share stories with them! I was able to stay home with the boys for 9 months and then go back to work with a pretty flexible schedule. We had so much help and great babysitters, especially my mom. I'm sure I could go on and on! I'll write more later if I think of it, but I think this is long enough for now. What a great first year, Henry and Holden! :)

Ten Months Old!



Henry clapping for mommy!



Ten months old...and it's been another big month! We survived our first family vacation, and enjoyed some really hot weather! I was working most evenings, so it's weird for me to not put them to bed or feed them dinner. But Daddy does a great job! And Grandma Suttner did a lot of babysitting since I was working more.

The boys gained some weight this month, and anyone who's seen them lately says they look older and chubbier! Henry weighed 16 pounds, 12 ounces, and Holden was 17 pounds, 13 ounces. They're getting a little more hair, but are still pretty bald! They both got a few new teeth in Atlanta, and Henry just got his 6th, so they both have 6 teeth at the moment.

Not sure if we hit any other big milestones this month. We finally made it down to two naps, so their afternoon nap is roughly 2-4, which is nice. We started giving them a bottle before they went down, so that helped us stretch the time in between naps and get them to sleep a little longer. They go down around 7:30 and get up around 7:30. (Sometimes they wake earlier when they hear Alex in the morning, but I don't usually go get them till right around 7:30!) We've got a pretty consistent routine down most days. It's still hard to fit in anything in our narrow window of time. They're up from their first nap by 10:30 or 11, but by the time they eat, get changed and cleaned up and I get stuff ready and get them in the car, it still feels like we only have an hour to an hour and a half of time to go to lunch/playdate/shop etc. So I guess that's just the way it is right now!



OUT TAKE! Lunging for the camera



They're enjoying their solid food a lot. It's hard for me to know how much to give them, if they're still hungry or if I'm letting them snack too much. I really need to work on my diet and eating habits, because the stuff I eat is too unhealthy for me to share with them! Holden is always trying to climb my leg and into my lap when I'm eating, but I'm not usually eating something healthy. (Side note: I have been trying to cook a little more and store some meals in the freezer, so I might try to post a few recipes I've enjoyed! Go me!)

We have eaten out a few times this month, which is cute to see them both sitting in their high chairs. They will eat puffs from the table or whatever bits and pieces we give them. They love gram crackers (which are a big mess), Cheerios, toast, puffs, yeah pretty much all carbs. I give them cut up fruit in the morning, so they like watermelon and cantaloupe, too. We try to give them veggies with dinner, and we need to start some more proteins and meats. They've had egg once, so we'll try that some more, too. (I think it's kind of gross without the white part, since you're supposed to start with only the yolk for possible allergies...we might just ignore that.)



Henry "cheesin'" for the camera



They're still crawling like crazy and pulling up on everything. They're just starting to "cruise" or walk around the furniture. They seem to balance pretty well, but I don't think they're that close to walking yet. I'm really trying to get them to clap and to wave, so hopefully by  next month they'll have mastered those! Henry definitely claps, but doesn't do it "on purpose". If I say, "Yay, Henry, clap!" when I see him do it, he looks at me like I'm crazy. We've gone swimming a few times and it's so cute to see them in their baby floats. Hopefully next summer we'll get out to more splash parks and the zoo, etc, but it's just hard with the limited time in our schedule and me being alone. I wish we'd been walking more, but it's been SO hot and dry here it's miserable, even early in the morning. Hopefully as we get into the fall we'll get more in the habit of a morning walk before their nap.

Overall, it's been a good month! I'm sad that a lot of my friends will be going back to work/school soon, but I'm glad we to hang out over the summer. And in a way, getting back to the routine of the school year will be good. (Especially for me with teaching, since my students have been all over the place and my schedule will start to stay the same each week now.) I'm looking forward to their first birthday party and all the fun stuff ahead! I'll try to pick an official party date soon. :)

(PS, it gets harder and harder to take these pictures each month! Henry is such a good little poser for me, but Holden was being WILD this time! :) He was all over the bear and lunging at the camera and now that they notice the paper they can't leave it alone...lol. It's still totally worth it, I can't wait to put the whole year together and look back at each month. But enjoy the "outtakes"!)

 

 

The End...

Nine Months Old!

Wow, this is the furthest behind I've been in getting one of these posts up! It must be because I have two fully mobile children now... :) It's been a big month around here! We weighed in at the doctor, Henry was 15 pounds 9 ounces, and Holden was 16 pounds 10 ounces. Henry is in the 2% for weight, which worries me, but doesn't concern the doctor. And as my mommy friends reassure me, "someone has to be in the 2nd percentile!" Henry is 27 inches tall and Holden is 27 1/2 inches tall. We got a clean bill of health and seem to be hitting most milestones right on target! We did have our first major illness this month. Holden had a temperature of 102 for a few days, and then Henry got a fever as well for a few days after Holden. I was surprised the fever hung on that long, but the doctor just told us to give him motrin to bring it down and that she'd see us if it went on a few more days. So that was miserable for all of us, because we didn't feel good, and we couldn't leave the house and be with our friends because we didn't want to infect them! I'm sure we'll always be passing some illness around now that they're crawling and can get their hands into anything.

Speaking of milestones...both boys are crazy crawlers now! We've had to step up the babyproofing and probably will have to do more as they get more adventurous. Henry just likes to crawl around, but Holden immediately wanted to pull up on things. So he was the first to stand up at the coffee table and the first to stand in the crib. (An unwelcome milestone, but Daddy lowered the crib! :) They're not clapping or waving or saying any real words yet, but maybe by 10 months. They definitely talk and babble, and notice each other more and more. Seeing them laugh at each other is the cutest thing ever!!! They play pretty well on their own unless they're feeling clingy or sick. They'll still play in their jumper/exersaucer, but not as long now that they want to get around on their own. Poor Lanore is not crazy about them being able to follow her now, but she's still much faster than they are! So she's safe...at least a little while longer.

Sleeping is going ok. Still pretty good at night, but they're waking a little earlier in the morning. (I think they hear Alex when he's getting ready for work, and they used to settle back down but now they don't go back to sleep. Bummer for me.) Still at 3 naps; the doctor didn't really have any advice for us on how to get down to two, but I think we're working towards that. They don't always fall asleep in the car anymore, and they do have trouble falling asleep in the stroller. I used to just be able to do errands and they'd fall asleep if it was nap time, now they really whine and fuss if they're tired. It's great that they like to sleep in their cribs! It just makes it hard for me to get out. I love that we have them on a pretty good routine, it's just hard to find time in the routine to leave the house between all the eating and sleeping we do!

Feeding time is getting more exciting. They're starting to pick up food and feed themselves; they still choke on puffs sometimes but they're getting better and more adventurous. Henry still loves everything, Holden seems to be getting more "picky" about what he wants. I need to get more creative with finger food ideas they can try. That's the one thing that seems so funny to me, that Henry really loves solid food and eats like he's starving (he cries if we don't shovel it in fast enough!) and yet he's still so much smaller than his brother. Teething has been hard on me, because they hurt me when they nurse and they're usually extra clingy or fussy. It seems like they're not as bothered with some of these teeth, like maybe they didn't hurt as much as the first bottom two. Henry got a top tooth on the side, which looks funny sticking out (and is very sharp). Holden got both of his top two teeth pretty close together.

In general, they're still happy, sweet boys! They love to be outside on the blanket, and we've gone swimming a few times in our baby pool or bigger pools. They like walks and playdates with their friends. I know we've got a lot to look forward to in the next few months! I'm planning their first birthday party, and I can't wait! Sorry for all the pictures, I couldn't decide between my favorites. Daddy and Grandma Gina must have been making them laugh! It's harder and harder to get them to sit still for a picture. The sign is pretty much demolished at the end of all of our sessions now. :)

 

 

Eight Months Old



Henry look so little!



Time is flying...I didn't even realize it was May 18th, already! Can't believe the boys are 8 months. We celebrated with another trip to the doctor. This time it was mostly good news, Holden still does not have an ear infection, and Henry's was looking better. (Both boys are still very stuffy and snotty and Holden has a nasty sounding rasp/cough. But they're hopefully on the mend, they don't seem to be as fussy or miserable as last weekend.) So we were able to get "official" 8 month weights at the doctor's office. Henry is 15 pounds, 7 ounces, and Holden is 16 pounds 4 ounces. Holden is starting to feel pretty heavy when you pick him up!! :) After the doctor's office we headed to our Friday playdate to hang with friends for a while. The frustrating thing is that by the time I get them up, fed and dressed/changed and out the door, by the time we get to the playdate, it's practically nap time again! So I feel like I always have fussy babies that need a nap, and they end up sleeping instead of getting to play. Hopefully they'll be moving to a longer afternoon nap at some point? It would be awesome...



Holden hangin' in the high chair



So, what's happened in the last month. We switched them up to size 3 diapers, but they're still in 6-9 month clothes. Can't think of any other major milestones. They still babble and talk to us, they love to bounce in their jumperoo (they really get it and like to go crazy!) and they're still SO close to crawling. They can get from point A to point B to get what they want, but not official hands and knees crawling yet. Of course the things they want are always the non-toys, like the wipes container, the remote, or my ipod! They like to go for the same toy, or steal the one their brother has. It's sort of cute now, but I can sense the major rivalry coming in the future! They don't really play together yet, but I think they enjoy having someone else around. I enjoy it for sure, because I can leave the room for a second and they don't feel alone. If I take one of them out of the room to change a diaper or something, the left behind brother starts to cry!

They still enjoy eating solids. They've tried some new foods this month, and seem to be ok with all of them. I had more luck getting them to eat vegetables, including green beans and squash. (I cooked the green beans with apple juice, according to a recipe in our baby book, so I think that helped to have the sweet taste! Hey, whatever works.) Naps are still three hour long times a day, which like I said earlier, makes it really tough to leave the house or get things done. I will really enjoy when they can stay up longer without being cranky, and then sleep a longer stretch in the afternoon. Night time sleep has gone way backwards this month. Henry was waking up I think when he got his ear infection, and now they're both in the habit of waking 1-2 times a night. This has NOT been good for me and Alex. I'm not quite sure how to get us back on schedule besides letting them cry, which is hard on all of us. So I've been going in there to feed them most of the times they wake. Sigh. We're still doing a bath almost every day, along with lotion, etc, before bed. So we have quite the long evening ritual around here. But in general, they are both very sweet, loving babies! They usually have a very serious look, but they enjoy anyone holding them. We love to get them to laugh, and they're starting to understand little games like "peek a boo". They like walks and being outside, and I'm looking forward to summer stuff, like getting a baby pool and a swing for the backyard!

On Saturday, we went to lunch and used the restaurant high chairs for the first time (instead of keeping them in their carseats). Holden did ok, Henry looked so tiny in his! He cried after a few minutes and Alex had to hold them. After lunch, we took our first family walk on the Monon! It was slightly crazy because it was so hot, but it was fun. I hope we keep it up, since both Alex and I want to be in better shape!!! Sunday we visited Grandma and Grandpa A and hung out at their house. We took another walk in the 90 degree heat...we are crazy people, I guess! :)

Oh, and special thanks to Aunt Lauren and Uncle Evan! They came for dinner Saturday night and helped get the boys smiling for their month photo shoot. :) It'll be so cute to look back on these...they're already so much bigger than the bears!! (And much more interested in destroying the sign each month...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seven months!

So the boys are seven months old, as of last Wednesday. We took some pictures that didn't turn out, so I'll have to re-do them and add them later.

But it was a big month around here! Holden weighs in at 15 pounds, 6 ounces, which means he gained nearly a pound in the last month. (And that he's getting close to tripling his birth weight!) Henry was 14 pounds, 7 ounces, so he didn't gain quite a pound. But they're both on their "curve", even though they're on the small side! Helping them gain all this weight was a ton of new foods! In the last month, they've tried avocado, banana, pears, peas, sweet potato, apples, carrot, and mango! They love everything...EXCEPT the peas. I mix the rice cereal or oatmeal in with the fruits to thicken it and try to increase the amount...it seems like they can eat a ton! We freeze stuff in the ice cube trays, and they'll easily eat 5 to 6 cubes between them. Hopefully we'll try some more green vegetables soon, and maybe they'll like green beans or something.

Both boys are able to sit up pretty well, so they were sitting up for their photo shoot last weekend. (They still topple over, and Henry's able to stay up longer.) They roll and scootch around really well! We put them down on the floor and they try to wiggle around to different parts of the living room. Holden especially can hold himself up on his hands, and is finally getting his knees under him! He's moved backwards, and got stuck under the swing the other day! I think crawling forward shouldn't be too far away! They love to play in their jumperoo and exersaucer, and love to put everything into their mouths. They roll over during diaper changes now, so that makes things a little more difficult. They still like going on walks, and we took a walk on the Monon for the first time last week with some of our friends. I'm starting to worry a little about sunscreen, and making sure we get it on them but wondering how it'll affect their skin, but we have some cute hats to try, too.

Both boys are more vocal now, too! They really laugh at things and people now. Henry is still quicker to smile at people, but Holden loves when I "scare" him and say "boo!" We've gotten a few cute videos of them laughing lately. Henry likes to hear the sound of his voice and makes lots of different high pitch noises. Holden has learned to say "Ba" and will say it over and over to himself...while he's on the floor or in his crib...it's pretty cute.

Sleep is still decent. They went through a period of waking earlier again, (like around 11 pm or midnight which is a bummer for me since I was just getting to sleep) but then they went back to waking around 5 am or 6 am to sleep. Sometimes they'll sleep through the night! I'm guessing maybe they're just going through a growth spurt, or they're in pain from teething. The teething hasn't been too bad, but they just seem kinda cranky sometimes. They constantly have a toy or hand or shirt in their mouths, and they're drooling a lot! Which is rough on their skin around their mouths, but we try to keep putting Aquaphor on it. We're trying to keep the ezcema under control with baths most nights and lots of creams and ointments. I'm still hoping it'll improve as we get into summer, Alex still thinks it's a food allergy that causes it to flare up. Naps during the day are also decent. I don't ever get a long nap, but the three shorter ones are pretty consistent. I'm guessing at some point we'll drop one nap and one of the others will get longer, but we're good with where we are now.

So in general, it's busy around here, but good! I feel like I've been able to get out a little more, to have lunch or playdates with friends or even a trip to Target. The boys are pretty good and seem to like going places and moving in the car or stroller. In general, they're very sweet and happy boys! It's hard to imagine they won't be my cuddly babies much longer, and that soon they'll be able to run in different directions! It's so exciting watching them grow up, but looking back at pictures from when they were born, it's already hard to remember them that small. I'm starting to try and think about birthday party ideas...pretty crazy! And we need to think about baby proofing the house and getting bigger carseats...I think we'll stay busy the next few months!

Here are the pictures. (I took a ton, I might have to do an "outtakes" post later with some other favorites. The light was weird the first time, so I took more another day.) The first one with Henry looked better on my computer...I don't know why it didn't crop like I had it. The second two I couldn't decide between the two shocked expressions! :)

Six months old and dr. visits



Holden at the doctor's



So the boys are six months old...I know it's cliche, but it's hard to believe it's been a half a year! We had our dr. visit Monday, and it went pretty well. I'm going to post about each boy seperately, so all the "stats" will be in those posts.

We talked about feeding and sleeping schedules, and I asked a few other questions. Basically, yes they should be able to sleep through the night, but she said to feed them if they woke around 4 am or 5 am (which Holden typically does.) But since they go down around 8, that's still 8ish hours without food. So I guess I can do the night feedings for a little while longer! She talked about a nap schedule, and said that I should put them down at the same time each day, even if that meant some crying (because they'll eventually figure out, "hey, this must be time for me to sleep.") They do really well with the morning nap most days, but the afternoons seem to be less structured. She talked about them taking a two hour long afternoon nap, but I don't think we're quite ready for that yet. I still think they need three naps, because that's an awfully long time to go until bedtime. So we'll see.

Dr. Kelly with the boys at six months!

She said to go ahead with solid food, and to do two feedings a day. That will be difficult, since that adds a lot of time to our day, and we're not dropping any other feedings yet. But I suppose with more practice, they'll get faster and more excited about eating. I'm starting to feel like there's not going to be any time to leave the house to do anything between the feedings and the nap schedule!! We've tried avocado (since it's high in fat and Henry needs to bulk up!) and have to stick with that for four days to watch for reactions. I think we'll try some banana with our cereal or oatmeal after that, and Dad has some veggies ready in the freezer to try after that. :) She was a little concerned with Henry's weight, so we'll watch it and maybe bring him back for a weight check, since we don't see her again until 9 months.

Alex and I are both concerned with their skin. They both have ezcema, and on Henry it's really bad. He's started to itch more, and the steriod cream she'd given us didn't seem to be clearing it. It's hard, because I feel like we're already doing a lot (no fabric softener, scent free detergent, infrequent baths with fragrance free washes, putting on Aquaphor and lotions after baths and several days a week, etc.) and it doesn't seem to be helping. She didn't want to do anything more for them, since they're so little, so she had us go to a dermatologist.

The boys got their shots, and seemed to do ok. They were a little fussy afterwards, but it could be anything!! We still have no teeth, so it could be teething, and Henry's had a bit of a cold and a runny nose. We also snapped a quick picture with our doctor, Dr. Kelly, so we can take some with her as the boys grow! I figure it'll be cute to look back when they're going in to school and still seeing her.

So today, we went to the dermatologist's to see what she had to say. She gave us two different creams to use, and she'll see us again in a week. She said that if it clears up pretty well with the creams, then we can assume it's not allergy related. But if the cream doesn't help, we're probably looking at allergy testing down the line. She also said that a lot of babies outgrow it, which I'm hoping for, but since it runs in the family I'm guessing we won't get so lucky. She also wants us to bathe them in water (NO soap or shampoo) TWICE a day for 10-15 minutes each. So there goes the rest of my free time (wait, what free time??) We'll do our best with those instructions and see how that helps. Cross your fingers for us! I just really hope we can help Henry feel a little better so he isn't so itchy.

Lastly, here are a few pictures to compare birth/coming home from the hospital and now. (If I knew how, I'd put them in a cool side-by-side collage, but I can't figure out photoshop. Anyone know how and want to teach me?) We had the same outfits (the cute elephant ones) in newborn size, which were their coming home outfits, and then in six month size. And I included grandpa's favorite picture, them with the little basketballs. So here they are at SIX MONTHS in the same carseats and with the same basketballs. They look like giants!! :) Can't wait to see how they look at a year...sigh.