Here are some updates on my recent blog topics:
Sleep: We had a breakthrough a few nights ago. Alyna wouldn't calm down at 3 am, so Barry convinced me to give her a bottle because she'd only eaten half a bottle at the 11 pm dream feed. But after 2 oz, she stopped eating and got fussy. She immediately went to sleep when I re-swaddled her in her crib. Ryan slept through the whole thing. Since then we haven't had to feed them between the 11 pm feed and when they wake in the morning between 6:30 and 7:30. Alyna still wakes up because of gas somewhere between 3-5, but we've been giving her infant GasX at bedtime and when she wakes up which is helping.
Play: They are both starting to squirm and roll around a lot more. I often return from another room to find them a few feet from where they were when I left. Ryan likes his exer-saucer a lot, as long as he can stand up. When he falls down into the seat he can't quite reach the toys. Alyna likes to be thrown into the air, and pretend to be falling back from your lap so that you catch her. She laughs a lot.
Eating: Ryan has eaten about 1 oz of Pears every morning since Tuesday. Alyna ate a few bites this morning without gagging, but she made the same faces she makes when we give her the medicine for her acid reflux. I stopped after a few bites because I didn't want her to get upset about it. We'll do it again tomorrow.
Picture Books: I haven't had much motivation to sit and write in the baby books, or get pictures printed for their books and photo albums. So I made several picture books on the Kodak website and we received them today. They look absolutely wonderful. They are 10X9 hardback books that have personalized covers with a title and caption. I made one for each of the twins that is their own, and has pictures from the first 6 weeks or so of their lives. I wanted it to be just the newborn photos. Then I made a keepsake book for Barry and myself of the twins first 4 months. It is amazing to see how they've grown so far. I am now putting together a book for each of them of their first year... with pages for each month. (Obviously there are lots of pages still to be added.)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
First Fruits
Alyna and Ryan had their first taste of solid food today. The fruit of choice was Pears. I purposefully waited for a day that Daddy was home to help feed and take pictures. This is also the first time in their high chairs which are booster seats that strap to our dining room chairs. They recline to give support for young infants.
They had wake up bottles at about 7, and this is breakfast at 8:30. The pictures tell the story the best.
Alyna's first bite
"Hmmmm... what's this stuff?"
"I don't know what this is and I don't think I like it"
Alyna proceeded to gag, so we stopped. We'll try again in a couple days.
Ryan's First Bite
"Hmmmmm..."
"Ok, I think I like this food stuff..."
Ryan ate a full 2 tablespoons which is about 1 oz. That's amazing for the first time. He might have eaten more, but we didn't want to shock his digestive system too badly the first time.
They had wake up bottles at about 7, and this is breakfast at 8:30. The pictures tell the story the best.
Alyna's first bite
"Hmmmm... what's this stuff?"
"I don't know what this is and I don't think I like it"
Alyna proceeded to gag, so we stopped. We'll try again in a couple days.
Ryan's First Bite
"Hmmmmm..."
"Ok, I think I like this food stuff..."
Ryan ate a full 2 tablespoons which is about 1 oz. That's amazing for the first time. He might have eaten more, but we didn't want to shock his digestive system too badly the first time.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Great adventures
Monday we made a shopping day trip to Lubbock, the second time with the twins. It was a little easier to go this time because we are fully on formula feeding now so I didn't have to mess with the pump in the car. It is about 1 hour 40 minutes to the shopping areas of Lubbock from our house. So we left at nap time and they slept for the first hour of the trip.
We spent 2 hours at Kohl's taking turns pushing the babies around in the stroller while the other tried on clothes. They like going for walks, so they were content for a while. Barry ended up feeding both of them while I tried on clothes. Then we went to lunch at Olive Garden, and went to Retool, a shop where they buy and sell used tools. Barry bought a couple specialty saws that he wanted for a project he's working on. The next stop was Target for baby items, and then we walked a few stores down to Burlington Coat Factory to try out double strollers for babies who can sit up. The twins are almost at that stage, and since the seats in the strollers we're looking at recline, I think we could even start using them now. I'm going to do some more comparison on Amazon.com this week. After a gas stop, we headed home.
15 minutes from home, the engine of our 11 year old Chevy Blazer started making loud knocking and whirring noises. We made it home okay, and took it to the shop Tuesday. The mechanic said the engine probably needs to be replaced, and after a second opinion next week we'll decide what to do with it. We were already planning on buying a minivan in March so we'll just have to change out which of our current vehicles we get rid of. Hopefully our 10 year old Buick won't shut down on us too.
The babies did well on our long day, though they didn't like being in their car seats for that long. Fortunately, they napped and got fussy at different times, so we usually only had one baby to hold at a time. They missed their long naps that day, and you could tell, but they napped enough to make it through. When we got home they were tired but I didn't want to put them to bed at 5:30, so we gave them baths and stretched it to 6:15.
They actually slept really well Monday night. We woke them and fed them at 7:15 and then again at 11:15. Then they slept until 4 am without needing anything. We fed them and then they slept until 8 am. I was going to skip Ladies Bible Class on Tuesday morning because of the long Monday, but they slept so well that we went to class anyway. It pushed their morning nap back by an hour, but the rest of the day was a normal routine, and they seemed to do fine.
They had another early bedtime on Tuesday night at 6:30 because the schedule had been off, but they slept really well. We fed them at 7:30, and then I woke at 11 to feed them again. They slept all the way through to 6:30 this morning when Alyna woke with a really poopy diaper. That was okay though because she had already been in bed for 12 hours which is normal. Ryan woke a little before 7 am. I had gone to sleep from 9 - 11, and then got to sleep from 11:45 to 6:30 am. It was awesome.
They ate and then played for 2 hours, and now are taking their long morning nap. I really like the 4 hour routine, and the babies seem to do well with it.
The next milestone is coming soon. Probably at the first part of March we will start solid foods. The pediatrician said they could start last month, but they still weren't really taking a full bottle every time, so I thought it was a little early to add in solids. Now, they take at least 5 oz at every meal. We already bought two high chairs that are actually booster seats that recline a little bit and strap to normal dining room chairs. It saves us a lot of space to not have to large high chairs in the house. They are also very portable if we need to take them with us on road trips.
They continue to eat, play, and grow. They like to look at books which comes in handy during comunion at church and other quiet times. It's funny to watch them try to grab the pictures on the pages. It's so much fun to watch them learn new things.
We spent 2 hours at Kohl's taking turns pushing the babies around in the stroller while the other tried on clothes. They like going for walks, so they were content for a while. Barry ended up feeding both of them while I tried on clothes. Then we went to lunch at Olive Garden, and went to Retool, a shop where they buy and sell used tools. Barry bought a couple specialty saws that he wanted for a project he's working on. The next stop was Target for baby items, and then we walked a few stores down to Burlington Coat Factory to try out double strollers for babies who can sit up. The twins are almost at that stage, and since the seats in the strollers we're looking at recline, I think we could even start using them now. I'm going to do some more comparison on Amazon.com this week. After a gas stop, we headed home.
15 minutes from home, the engine of our 11 year old Chevy Blazer started making loud knocking and whirring noises. We made it home okay, and took it to the shop Tuesday. The mechanic said the engine probably needs to be replaced, and after a second opinion next week we'll decide what to do with it. We were already planning on buying a minivan in March so we'll just have to change out which of our current vehicles we get rid of. Hopefully our 10 year old Buick won't shut down on us too.
The babies did well on our long day, though they didn't like being in their car seats for that long. Fortunately, they napped and got fussy at different times, so we usually only had one baby to hold at a time. They missed their long naps that day, and you could tell, but they napped enough to make it through. When we got home they were tired but I didn't want to put them to bed at 5:30, so we gave them baths and stretched it to 6:15.
They actually slept really well Monday night. We woke them and fed them at 7:15 and then again at 11:15. Then they slept until 4 am without needing anything. We fed them and then they slept until 8 am. I was going to skip Ladies Bible Class on Tuesday morning because of the long Monday, but they slept so well that we went to class anyway. It pushed their morning nap back by an hour, but the rest of the day was a normal routine, and they seemed to do fine.
They had another early bedtime on Tuesday night at 6:30 because the schedule had been off, but they slept really well. We fed them at 7:30, and then I woke at 11 to feed them again. They slept all the way through to 6:30 this morning when Alyna woke with a really poopy diaper. That was okay though because she had already been in bed for 12 hours which is normal. Ryan woke a little before 7 am. I had gone to sleep from 9 - 11, and then got to sleep from 11:45 to 6:30 am. It was awesome.
They ate and then played for 2 hours, and now are taking their long morning nap. I really like the 4 hour routine, and the babies seem to do well with it.
The next milestone is coming soon. Probably at the first part of March we will start solid foods. The pediatrician said they could start last month, but they still weren't really taking a full bottle every time, so I thought it was a little early to add in solids. Now, they take at least 5 oz at every meal. We already bought two high chairs that are actually booster seats that recline a little bit and strap to normal dining room chairs. It saves us a lot of space to not have to large high chairs in the house. They are also very portable if we need to take them with us on road trips.
They continue to eat, play, and grow. They like to look at books which comes in handy during comunion at church and other quiet times. It's funny to watch them try to grab the pictures on the pages. It's so much fun to watch them learn new things.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The playful duo
At 4 months old, Alyna and Ryan are becoming much more playful. They grab everything that touches their hand as they scoot around. They both will arch their backs and push with their legs so that they turn in circles. Alyna can easily move from one end of the playpen to the other on her back.
They both especially love the keys because they can grab them and make lots of noise. Of course, they also bonk themselves in the head quite often. The keys must really taste good too because they always find their way up to for a good tasting.
Alyna is a real people person. When we go to Ladies Bible Class or church functions she smiles at everyone. Ryan is more reserved. He prefers to get to know someone first before showering them with precious smiles and sound effects.
They are learning new things every day. It's amazing to watch God's little creations grow.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
No P.U.P.D. needed
5 days after starting the P.U.P.D. with Alyna at naps and bedtime... she took 2 long naps yesterday and slept for 8 hours last night without incidence.
The more amazing part... so did Ryan. (except for the occasional pacifier retrieval)
Their schedule was a little off yesterday, so instead of eating at 7 pm and 11 pm, they ate at 5 pm and 9 pm. I was in bed asleep at 10.
Ryan woke at 2:30, but was soothed back to sleep with his pacifier. Then he woke at 4:30 and 5 for the pacifier again. They both were awake at 5:30, so I went to make bottles. When I returned to the room they both were asleep again. Alyna woke again at 5:50, so I fed her and changed her. When I finished with her, Ryan had just woken up again. He had wet through his diaper, clothes, and blanket, so I changed him and then fed him. Both went back to sleep after their feedings too.
All in all, it was a great night for me. I got 6 1/2 hours of sleep with just the 2:30 incident which I count as a bathroom break. I'm really praying this will continue.
It also helps that they are fully on a 4 hour eating schedule now. They are awake for 2 hours (including the eating time), and then they nap for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. It's really a nice schedule for me. I feel like I can get things done now.
Our next step is to use P.U.P.D. to break Ryan of his need for the pacifier.
The more amazing part... so did Ryan. (except for the occasional pacifier retrieval)
Their schedule was a little off yesterday, so instead of eating at 7 pm and 11 pm, they ate at 5 pm and 9 pm. I was in bed asleep at 10.
Ryan woke at 2:30, but was soothed back to sleep with his pacifier. Then he woke at 4:30 and 5 for the pacifier again. They both were awake at 5:30, so I went to make bottles. When I returned to the room they both were asleep again. Alyna woke again at 5:50, so I fed her and changed her. When I finished with her, Ryan had just woken up again. He had wet through his diaper, clothes, and blanket, so I changed him and then fed him. Both went back to sleep after their feedings too.
All in all, it was a great night for me. I got 6 1/2 hours of sleep with just the 2:30 incident which I count as a bathroom break. I'm really praying this will continue.
It also helps that they are fully on a 4 hour eating schedule now. They are awake for 2 hours (including the eating time), and then they nap for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. It's really a nice schedule for me. I feel like I can get things done now.
Our next step is to use P.U.P.D. to break Ryan of his need for the pacifier.
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