For the past month or so the schedule has been, nap from 9-10:30 am, nap from 1-2:30 or 3 pm, and nap/"quiet time" in the crib or swing from 5-6 pm.
Until the past couple weeks, at least one of the twins would fall asleep for 30 minutes during the quiet time. The other would play for about 20-30 minutes until Mommy finished her dinner. They alternated on who was the one that fell asleep.
During the past few weeks quiet time had evolved to 20 minutes in the swing during which both would be sure to talk loudly the whole time ensuring an early pickup by Mommy. And most days this week both their naps have been under the hour mark. Occasionally one of them will sleep for and hour and a half, but it has been rare.
So we have now officially given up on the quiet time idea. Sometimes we put a kids songs DVD on for them to watch while we eat dinner, and sometimes we wait until they go to bed. I tend to get hungry before they go to bed, and snack a lot if I have to wait until after 7 to eat.
The ramification of this has been that bedtime has moved up by about a half hour this week because they haven't had any down time since 2 in the afternoon. Fortunately their wake-ups have actually been more consistent with the 7 pm bedtime.
I'm thinking this is a transition period, but I'm not sure to what.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Congratulations to friends
Congratulations to Jeff and Charissa Spruill on the birth of their twin boys on June 23, 2009. (They were 6 weeks early.)
Aodan Ross, 4 lbs 5 oz, 18 inches
Beckett Emil, 4 lbs 11 oz, 18 inches
Charissa and I were best friends and roomates at Harding, and have both been blessed with twins the first time. I can't wait to get our crews together someday.
They will both be in the NICU for several weeks because they are so early. They can't even suck to eat from a bottle yet. Beckett did have some breathing problems and was on the machine for the first day, but then came off it and is doing great. Keep them all in your prayers.
Also:
Congratulations to friends from our church Brett and Robin Blackmon on the birth of Caleb, also on June 23. He weighed around 5 lbs 14 oz, so I've been told. Ryan will love having him as a friend to grow up with.
Aodan Ross, 4 lbs 5 oz, 18 inches
Beckett Emil, 4 lbs 11 oz, 18 inches
Charissa and I were best friends and roomates at Harding, and have both been blessed with twins the first time. I can't wait to get our crews together someday.
They will both be in the NICU for several weeks because they are so early. They can't even suck to eat from a bottle yet. Beckett did have some breathing problems and was on the machine for the first day, but then came off it and is doing great. Keep them all in your prayers.
Also:
Congratulations to friends from our church Brett and Robin Blackmon on the birth of Caleb, also on June 23. He weighed around 5 lbs 14 oz, so I've been told. Ryan will love having him as a friend to grow up with.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Fun new tricks
Ryan has learned to play peek-a boo in the curtains, and it's a lot of fun. From what I've read, most kids don't do this reversal of the game until after 12 months, but he's a smart little boy. He pulls the curtains all around him, and then throws them off when we say, "Where's Ryan?"
Alyna was drinking her bottle one day and found a fascinating way to make a mess. She pulled the bottle out of her mouth and grabbed the nipple while I still had it tipped down. It sprayed all over her arm. She didn't laugh, but she did try to do it again, over and over and over. So I quickly learned to tip the bottle back down as soon as it leaves her mouth.
One of their favorite things now is to sit on the couch like Mommy and Daddy do. When you set them on the seat they just giggle. Ryan likes to crawl/climb from one end to the other like he's swimming laps. We've had to teach him not to lean over the arms though... he already took one nasty tumble off a side table.
Forget the teething toys, they'd much rather chew on the remote control or a coaster. The remote control is an extra we have that doesn't have any batteries in it. They love to play with anything that has buttons.
Alyna was drinking her bottle one day and found a fascinating way to make a mess. She pulled the bottle out of her mouth and grabbed the nipple while I still had it tipped down. It sprayed all over her arm. She didn't laugh, but she did try to do it again, over and over and over. So I quickly learned to tip the bottle back down as soon as it leaves her mouth.
One of their favorite things now is to sit on the couch like Mommy and Daddy do. When you set them on the seat they just giggle. Ryan likes to crawl/climb from one end to the other like he's swimming laps. We've had to teach him not to lean over the arms though... he already took one nasty tumble off a side table.
Forget the teething toys, they'd much rather chew on the remote control or a coaster. The remote control is an extra we have that doesn't have any batteries in it. They love to play with anything that has buttons.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Jambo
Jambo is "hello" in Swahili.
This week is VBS, and we're on a prayer safari. It's been lots of fun, and the babies have been doing great staying in the nursery. They are really tired when we get home and ready for lunch and then a good nap.
I lead the opening ceremony with songs and the introduction of the skit. Then I teach the music class with a friend. It's lots of fun to sing songs about frogs, hippos, and birds, but it is also very tiring because every song has lots of movements. We're learning a few songs that inspired by the African safari theme and the kids love them.
I'm glad we're only doing a Monday - Wednesday program because I'm already exhausted.
This week is VBS, and we're on a prayer safari. It's been lots of fun, and the babies have been doing great staying in the nursery. They are really tired when we get home and ready for lunch and then a good nap.
I lead the opening ceremony with songs and the introduction of the skit. Then I teach the music class with a friend. It's lots of fun to sing songs about frogs, hippos, and birds, but it is also very tiring because every song has lots of movements. We're learning a few songs that inspired by the African safari theme and the kids love them.
I'm glad we're only doing a Monday - Wednesday program because I'm already exhausted.
Monday, June 8, 2009
It warms my heart.
There have been some precious moments this week that I thought I'd share.
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On Saturday night Barry returned home from work at 7:30 pm, as usual when he's working days, the babies were already asleep in bed. At the 10 pm feeding, he had Ryan, and I had Alyna. We talked quietly as we fed the half-sleeping babies. When Alyna finished her bottle she sat up and started talking to the figure across the room, Daddy. He didn't think she could see him in the dim light, but she knew he was there. After he put Ryan down, and I had changed her diaper, he picked her up, and she squealed with delight. This was his second day of work, so she hadn't seen him for 2 days. Her voice was high pitched and her arms were bouncing up and down. It was almost sad that we had to put her back to sleep. She misses him so much when he's at work. They may not notice that he's not here, but they both notice when he gets back.
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I had a huge smile on my face the other day when I realized what was going on. Ryan had been following Alyna from toy to toy that morning, always wanting to play with whatever she was playing with. When she'd get annoyed that he took over the toy, she'd move on to something else without much of a fuss.
I was in the kitchen to fix my lunch, and I heard Ryan make a happy squall. Then I heard another squeal that was slightly different. Ryan and Alyna were talking to each other. It kept going back and forth for quite a while.
Then I realized Ryan was standing at the baby gate, and Alyna had followed him and was about a foot away from it. That's one of Ryan's favorite areas to explore because Henrey's pillow and crate are there, and it looks into the entryway. Alyna hadn't been over there much though. I continued making my lunch and when I got back in the living room with it, Alyna had pulled up on the baby gate and Ryan was off exploring a few feet away. She soon went off and followed him there too. It was like he was showing and telling her about that part of the room.
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On Saturday night Barry returned home from work at 7:30 pm, as usual when he's working days, the babies were already asleep in bed. At the 10 pm feeding, he had Ryan, and I had Alyna. We talked quietly as we fed the half-sleeping babies. When Alyna finished her bottle she sat up and started talking to the figure across the room, Daddy. He didn't think she could see him in the dim light, but she knew he was there. After he put Ryan down, and I had changed her diaper, he picked her up, and she squealed with delight. This was his second day of work, so she hadn't seen him for 2 days. Her voice was high pitched and her arms were bouncing up and down. It was almost sad that we had to put her back to sleep. She misses him so much when he's at work. They may not notice that he's not here, but they both notice when he gets back.
---------------------------------------
I had a huge smile on my face the other day when I realized what was going on. Ryan had been following Alyna from toy to toy that morning, always wanting to play with whatever she was playing with. When she'd get annoyed that he took over the toy, she'd move on to something else without much of a fuss.
I was in the kitchen to fix my lunch, and I heard Ryan make a happy squall. Then I heard another squeal that was slightly different. Ryan and Alyna were talking to each other. It kept going back and forth for quite a while.
Then I realized Ryan was standing at the baby gate, and Alyna had followed him and was about a foot away from it. That's one of Ryan's favorite areas to explore because Henrey's pillow and crate are there, and it looks into the entryway. Alyna hadn't been over there much though. I continued making my lunch and when I got back in the living room with it, Alyna had pulled up on the baby gate and Ryan was off exploring a few feet away. She soon went off and followed him there too. It was like he was showing and telling her about that part of the room.
Friday, June 5, 2009
A day at home
This is what we do on a typical day when we don't have anywhere to go.
5:00 - 5:40 am - babies usually wake up for a diaper change (1) and then go back to sleep
6:10 - 6:40 am - wake up time varies each day - they drink 3-4 oz of formula
6:40 - 7:30 - inside playtime, get a diaper (2) and clothes change, Mommy and Daddy eat breakfast and sometimes shower (I often shower at night)
7:30 - 8 - babies eat yogurt and a couple cheerios for breakfast. They eat yogurt everyday, just the flavors vary. If Mommy is alone, I usually put on the songs DVD and feed them one at a time because they eat better. It's like Ryan has a time limit, and every bite you give Alyna is one less bite he'll eat.
8 - 8:30 - continue to watch DVD or play inside while Mommy cleans up breakfast, washes bottles, starts laundry, etc. When Daddy is not working, this is a special time when he lays on the floor and lets them crawl all over him. diaper change (3)
8:30 - 9 - as long as it's nice, and it usually is, we put the playpen and exer-saucer on the back porch and the babies play while Mommy and Daddy read
9 am - morning nap for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, diaper change (4),
10 - 10:30 - wake up from nap and play inside, diaper change (5)
10:30 - snack time. We've officially transitioned from having lots of bottles to having snack times. They get a sippy cup with a couple ounces of formula or watered down apple juice, and lots of cheerios.
11:00 - Mommy and Daddy eat lunch, while they play
11:45 - 12 - twins eat lunch, baby food fruit and cheerios. They are fed separately if Mommy is alone, so something is done to entertain the other one. diaper change (6)
12 - 1 - play time inside or outside if it's not too hot.
1 - afternoon nap. diaper change (7). Anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Alyna likes to take long afternoon naps as long as Ryan doesn't wake her up when he does at the 1 hour point. If he seems fussy when he wakes up, I'll put him in the swing for about 20 minutes, but he rarely goes back to sleep.
2 - 3 - wake up from nap and go play, diaper change (8), have afternoon snack - few oz of formula and cheerios or a teething buscuit
3 - 4 - playtime inside or outside
4 - 4:20 - twins dinnertime - baby food and cheerios, diaper change (9)
5 - 6 - cat nap or at least some quiet time in the crib; diaper change (10), Mommy and Daddy quickly try to eat dinner. Ryan usually falls asleep, and Alyna just plays with the mobile and pulls up on the sides until we decide to let her come play in the living room again. Some of this depends on how long their afternoon nap was. Alyna is okay staying up from nap till bedtime if she got a 2 hour nap.
6 - 7 - playtime inside or outside, diaper change (11)
6:15 - 6:45 - if the wind isn't too bad, we go for a walk in the stroller. The length just depends on how we feel. When Daddy is available, we take Henrey with us.
6:45 - 7:15 - bedtime bottle, 3-5 oz of formula, it depends on how much they ate at dinner. This is also bathtime about 3 times a week.
7:15 - 7:30 - diaper change (12), put on pajamas, read bedtime books, and go to bed
7:30 - 7:50 - Mommy washes bottles, and gets things ready for tomorrow while going in and out of babies room to get them to sleep.
8 - 10 - Mommy and Daddy have some free time, watch TV, shower, read, and sometimes go to sleep early
10 - 10:30 - nighttime bottle feeding. Alyna usually drinks 5 - 7 oz, and Ryan drinks 4 -6 oz. This gets them through until morning. diaper change (13)
10:30 pm - 5 am - deep sleep, Sometimes they wake up once or twice and need to be coaxed to sleep, but most nights they sleep through now.
That's 13 diaper changes X2... and usually there's an extra one thrown in somewhere. The parent's choice box has 104 diapers for about $14. One box lasts about 4 days at about $3.50 a day. (Imagine if we used Huggies or Pampers. They are more expensive even with the coupons I get.)
The parent's choice formula can is $12 and lasts about 4 days, $3 a day. We go through 2 containers of yogurt, $.56 each, and 2 packages baby food, $.94 each at WalMart ($1 at Albertsons), a day. A box of cheerios will last a few weeks at $3. So that's about $6.15 a day to feed the two of them.
We do use the Pampers unscented wipes because they don't irritate Alyna's bottom, and we don't like the way the Parent's Choice wipes are stacked. They are about $11 for a box of refills that lasts us 10 - 13 days depending on how messy things get. So about $1 a day. (not including travel wipes packs we use when we're out)
Diaper Genie Elite refills are about $6 and last us about 12 days.
$3.50 + $6.15 + $1 + $.50 = $11.15 a day
5:00 - 5:40 am - babies usually wake up for a diaper change (1) and then go back to sleep
6:10 - 6:40 am - wake up time varies each day - they drink 3-4 oz of formula
6:40 - 7:30 - inside playtime, get a diaper (2) and clothes change, Mommy and Daddy eat breakfast and sometimes shower (I often shower at night)
7:30 - 8 - babies eat yogurt and a couple cheerios for breakfast. They eat yogurt everyday, just the flavors vary. If Mommy is alone, I usually put on the songs DVD and feed them one at a time because they eat better. It's like Ryan has a time limit, and every bite you give Alyna is one less bite he'll eat.
8 - 8:30 - continue to watch DVD or play inside while Mommy cleans up breakfast, washes bottles, starts laundry, etc. When Daddy is not working, this is a special time when he lays on the floor and lets them crawl all over him. diaper change (3)
8:30 - 9 - as long as it's nice, and it usually is, we put the playpen and exer-saucer on the back porch and the babies play while Mommy and Daddy read
9 am - morning nap for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, diaper change (4),
10 - 10:30 - wake up from nap and play inside, diaper change (5)
10:30 - snack time. We've officially transitioned from having lots of bottles to having snack times. They get a sippy cup with a couple ounces of formula or watered down apple juice, and lots of cheerios.
11:00 - Mommy and Daddy eat lunch, while they play
11:45 - 12 - twins eat lunch, baby food fruit and cheerios. They are fed separately if Mommy is alone, so something is done to entertain the other one. diaper change (6)
12 - 1 - play time inside or outside if it's not too hot.
1 - afternoon nap. diaper change (7). Anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Alyna likes to take long afternoon naps as long as Ryan doesn't wake her up when he does at the 1 hour point. If he seems fussy when he wakes up, I'll put him in the swing for about 20 minutes, but he rarely goes back to sleep.
2 - 3 - wake up from nap and go play, diaper change (8), have afternoon snack - few oz of formula and cheerios or a teething buscuit
3 - 4 - playtime inside or outside
4 - 4:20 - twins dinnertime - baby food and cheerios, diaper change (9)
5 - 6 - cat nap or at least some quiet time in the crib; diaper change (10), Mommy and Daddy quickly try to eat dinner. Ryan usually falls asleep, and Alyna just plays with the mobile and pulls up on the sides until we decide to let her come play in the living room again. Some of this depends on how long their afternoon nap was. Alyna is okay staying up from nap till bedtime if she got a 2 hour nap.
6 - 7 - playtime inside or outside, diaper change (11)
6:15 - 6:45 - if the wind isn't too bad, we go for a walk in the stroller. The length just depends on how we feel. When Daddy is available, we take Henrey with us.
6:45 - 7:15 - bedtime bottle, 3-5 oz of formula, it depends on how much they ate at dinner. This is also bathtime about 3 times a week.
7:15 - 7:30 - diaper change (12), put on pajamas, read bedtime books, and go to bed
7:30 - 7:50 - Mommy washes bottles, and gets things ready for tomorrow while going in and out of babies room to get them to sleep.
8 - 10 - Mommy and Daddy have some free time, watch TV, shower, read, and sometimes go to sleep early
10 - 10:30 - nighttime bottle feeding. Alyna usually drinks 5 - 7 oz, and Ryan drinks 4 -6 oz. This gets them through until morning. diaper change (13)
10:30 pm - 5 am - deep sleep, Sometimes they wake up once or twice and need to be coaxed to sleep, but most nights they sleep through now.
That's 13 diaper changes X2... and usually there's an extra one thrown in somewhere. The parent's choice box has 104 diapers for about $14. One box lasts about 4 days at about $3.50 a day. (Imagine if we used Huggies or Pampers. They are more expensive even with the coupons I get.)
The parent's choice formula can is $12 and lasts about 4 days, $3 a day. We go through 2 containers of yogurt, $.56 each, and 2 packages baby food, $.94 each at WalMart ($1 at Albertsons), a day. A box of cheerios will last a few weeks at $3. So that's about $6.15 a day to feed the two of them.
We do use the Pampers unscented wipes because they don't irritate Alyna's bottom, and we don't like the way the Parent's Choice wipes are stacked. They are about $11 for a box of refills that lasts us 10 - 13 days depending on how messy things get. So about $1 a day. (not including travel wipes packs we use when we're out)
Diaper Genie Elite refills are about $6 and last us about 12 days.
$3.50 + $6.15 + $1 + $.50 = $11.15 a day
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Toy Skills
The twins are discovering new ways to play with the toys every day. They love to bang one toy against another and see what sound it makes. This also extends to banging it on each other occasionally. We haven't had anyone get really hurt yet though.
One of the neatest things has been to watch Alyna figure out how things fit in/on other things. Our big Crawl & Cruise Musical Jungle toy has little balls with a ramp they go down. Usually we set up the balls in the monkeys hands, and they tip them to make one ball fall on the ramp. Alyna now likes to pick up the balls and set them on the top part of the ramp so they fall down. One time she picked up a teething toy and set it on the ramp. She waited about 30 seconds, but it didn't move so she took it off again. She has only done it with the balls since then. The elephant on the toy has holes in its ears so the ball disappears and comes out the nose. She has learned to put the balls in there too. She tried to put a different toy in the ear once, but it didn't fit. I'm sure someday some other toy will get stuck in there because it did fit. Yesterday she was trying to figure out how to get the stacking rings back on the pole, but gave up quickly. She'll figure it out soon though I'm sure.
I got out a blue plastic basket I have and throughout the day we load it with all the loose toys and stuffed animals. The bucket of toys is itself a toy because they enjoy pulling things out, or just dumping the whole thing over. Of course, I'm waiting anxiously for their game to become putting things "into" the bucket.
Ryan has figured out that if he runs around our "go round" and then sits back in the seat and picks his feet up off the ground, he will glide a little further. He is also starting to climb up the walls of the playpen. He's a lot more physical than his sister. I've also seen him let go of what he's holding on to while standing, and he'll balance for a couple seconds before grabbing back on.
It's amazing to see how much they've learned in just 8 1/2 months of life.
One of the neatest things has been to watch Alyna figure out how things fit in/on other things. Our big Crawl & Cruise Musical Jungle toy has little balls with a ramp they go down. Usually we set up the balls in the monkeys hands, and they tip them to make one ball fall on the ramp. Alyna now likes to pick up the balls and set them on the top part of the ramp so they fall down. One time she picked up a teething toy and set it on the ramp. She waited about 30 seconds, but it didn't move so she took it off again. She has only done it with the balls since then. The elephant on the toy has holes in its ears so the ball disappears and comes out the nose. She has learned to put the balls in there too. She tried to put a different toy in the ear once, but it didn't fit. I'm sure someday some other toy will get stuck in there because it did fit. Yesterday she was trying to figure out how to get the stacking rings back on the pole, but gave up quickly. She'll figure it out soon though I'm sure.
I got out a blue plastic basket I have and throughout the day we load it with all the loose toys and stuffed animals. The bucket of toys is itself a toy because they enjoy pulling things out, or just dumping the whole thing over. Of course, I'm waiting anxiously for their game to become putting things "into" the bucket.
Ryan has figured out that if he runs around our "go round" and then sits back in the seat and picks his feet up off the ground, he will glide a little further. He is also starting to climb up the walls of the playpen. He's a lot more physical than his sister. I've also seen him let go of what he's holding on to while standing, and he'll balance for a couple seconds before grabbing back on.
It's amazing to see how much they've learned in just 8 1/2 months of life.
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