A Day of Firsts

June 23, 2013 by

Today was jam-packed with firsts!

First off, Amelia started randomly started sucking her thumb for the first time! Once she found it, she couldn’t stop! I didn’t grab a picture, but hopefully next time I’ll catch her.

Next, this morning was the first time the girls had a conversation with each other. I’m sure they’ve been somewhat aware of each other for a while now and have certainly looked at each other before, but never for any longer than a few minutes. This morning, Jake held Samantha and I held Amelia a few feet away from each other. They locked eyes and immediately started smiling, giggling and cooing at each other for a full half hour before both conked out for a nap. “FINALLY! Someone who understands me!” they said. It was seriously the cutest thing EVER to see them talking and laughing with each other. I wish we had taken pictures or caught it on video, but we were so busy enjoying the moment, we didn’t want to ruin it by pausing to grab our camera. I hope this marks the beginning of many fun conversations together.

Samantha and Amelia also visited San Clemente Beach for the first time. The girls were pretty much asleep for the entire ride, even when the train passed by and honked loudly…I thought for sure it would startle them, but apparently the girls prefer train noises over Bandit barking, the vacuum, or me tip-toeing into the nursery.

The train passes right along the beach…might be fun to take the girls on it and ride down to San Diego some time!

 

 To his delight, Bandit tagged along on our outing.

We strolled along the trail right next to the beach until we found a shady spot to picnic on the grass. Samantha and Amelia loved the fresh ocean air, the view of the beach from our spot, and, as always, watching us eat.

Bandit can’t wait until the girls are old enough to sit in their high chairs and throw down food to him.

 

Amelia and mommy.

 

Samantha’s Indian goddess pose.
Bandit photo bombing Amelia.

Lastly, we got our first sunburns of the summer season! Thankfully, the girls didn’t get sunburned, but as soon as Jake and I got home, we knew we were in trouble, so I ran out to CVS to stock up on some aloe vera/sunscreen. The check-out guy was totally laughing at me and my splotchy red face and arms. EVERY YEAR we always get a really bad sun burn at the beginning of the summer and then are super careful about slathering on the sunscreen thereafter. The worst is my hands…they got the brunt of it since I was pushing the stroller and the sun was beating down directly on them. SOOOOO much pain right now!

We are excited for all the many “firsts” yet to come. Pretty easy to do considering almost everything is new when you’re only three months old!

 

Lots of love,

Signature

Filed Under: Milestones, Year One

3 Months Old!

June 12, 2013 by

It was a busy day and I’m super tired, so I’m just going to re-post what I posted on Facebook! Happy 3 month birthday, Samantha and Amelia! 10 diapers per day x 2= 20 x 7 days a week = 140 x 12 weeks = 1,680 diapers (and that’s a conservative estimate)! Nice job clogging up those landfills, ladies!

Three months old today!

The ONLY picture from this angle where Samantha was not crying. 

Samantha’s roller derby nickname will probably be “Angry Face Samantha.”

Ruffle butts. 

 

I totally wish I had a giant, fluffy pillow pet on which to lie.  
 It’s a hard-knock life. 

 Headband FAIL. 

Lots of love,

Signature

Filed Under: Milestones, Year One

Swaddled No More

June 11, 2013 by

RIP swaddling! You helped us survive the first three months and I will miss you! For the past few weeks after swaddling Samantha and Amelia in their Aden + Anais muslin blankets before bed, I’ve woken up to them thrashing around, trying desperately to free their extremities. Sometimes they will have unswaddled their legs in the night as well, which makes their little legs and feet cold. It was time to transition to something else, so for the past few nights, we’ve beta tested these little “sleep sacks.”

 STRETCH!

 

Samantha pretending to be asleep. She’ll appear to have her eyes closed until the minute I walk away, at which point they shoot open.

 

                                                      Pictures THIS early in the morning?

I have no idea why in the world a sleeveless piece of fabric with a zipper costs $21.99, but the girls seem to stay warm enough in these and like the extra room it gives their arms and legs. If these little sleeping bags could somehow make them start sleeping more than four hours at a time at night, that would be a miracle, and I would dedicate the rest of my life to promoting sleep sacks. I’ve already thought of the title of the book I could write: From Insomnia to Sanity: The Sleep Sack Solution. So far that hasn’t happened. The longest the girls have ever slept was an 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., which, besides their birth, was the best day of my life. They’ve done a few five-hour shifts sporadically here and there, but most of the time it’s an 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., to 4:30 a.m. to 7 or 7:30 a.m. If the girls stayed up later in the night, that would probably eliminate one of the night feedings by default, but the problem is they are so fussy in the evening hours that we usually bathe and put them to bed as early as possible. Dilemmas!

Will this face make up for me partying all night, Mom?

Now that the girls have transitioned out of swaddling, their next big milestone will be moving out of their bassinet and into their crib in the nursery. I have a feeling I am going to have a harder time transitioning to that than they are!

Lots of love,

Signature

Filed Under: Milestones, Year One

A Day in the Life (2.5 months)

May 31, 2013 by

A few days ago, as I crawled into bed with baby spit-up all over my clothes, I racked and racked my brain but just couldn’t figure out what in the WORLD I had done that day! So, yesterday, just for fun, I started logging what happened by either jotting it down on a piece of paper wherever I was or typing it when I could be by the computer.

This day was a little atypical because I usually have a mother’s helper come during the day to help me with the girls and do chores around the house, but she couldn’t come this particular day. That, combined with the fact that the girls have been eating way more than usual the past few days (growth spurt?) meant this day was crazier than usual. Here we go!

Wednesday, May 29

12:30 a.m.: Breastfeed (BF) Samantha/diaper change
12:45 a.m.: Hand over Samantha to Jake for a bottle. BF Amelia/diaper change
1:00 a.m.: Pump
1:15 a.m.: Go back to sleep
3:00 a.m.: Samantha cries and wakes up to eat. Amelia is stirring, so I get her up too and BF both. 
3:20 a.m.: Both girls fall asleep. I swaddle them, put them back in the bassinet and pump. 
3:40 a.m.: I go back to sleep
5:00 a.m.:  WHY ARE YOU UP AGAIN? This time it’s Amelia. Diaper change both girls and give them to Daddy for a bottle while I pump instead of BF’ing because I’m too tired. 
5:50 a.m.: The girls are back asleep. I take a shower, throw dishes from last night in the washer, and heat up a breakfast burrito and muffin from the freezer stash. 
7:00 a.m.:  Bye Daddy!
7:15 a.m.: Amelia is crying. I put her in the swing, which she protests and then her activity mat (the “baby jungle”). She smiles looking at the animals and lights. 
7:30 Samantha is now up. Diaper change Samantha. She cries as I put her in the Boppy while I change Amelia. BF both. Girls fall asleep. 
8 a.m.: Pump
8:15 a.m.: Wash bottles, dry hair, check email
8:30 a.m.: Bandit starts barking and wakes up the girls. I yell at Bandit, and recline on the rocker so that I can hold both crying babies at the same time. I turn on a combination of “Urban Rain” and “Heartbeat” on my Relax M app while rocking them. They eventually fall asleep. 
9:30 a.m.: Girls start stirring at the same time. I diaper change Amelia, then Samantha and BF both. 
10:00 a.m.: Girls fall asleep nursing. 
10:15 a.m. Girls decide they are still hungry as soon as I get up from my chair. Amelia screams bloody murder while I grab a bottle. That throws Samantha into hysterics. Bottle feed both. 
10:30 a.m.: I try and pump, but the girls are both awake and want to get out of the house. So does Bandit, so we go for a walk and the girls are lulled to sleep.  
11:00 a.m.: I leave the girls in the stroller while I eat some toast and an orange.
11:15 a.m.: Samantha’s eyes shoot open. I carry her around the kitchen and patio while Amelia is still sleeping in the stroller. 
11:30 a.m.: I put Samantha upstairs under the baby jungle so I can run down and grab Amelia from the stroller. Samantha starts to cry. Amelia is still asleep, so I BF Samantha. 
11:45 a.m.: Amelia is now awake. BF Amelia while bottle feeding Samantha. 
12:00 p.m.: Pump while Samantha is asleep and Amelia is content doing tummy time next to me. 
12:15 p.m.: I throw some enchiladas from the freezer stash in the oven and walk around with
Amelia who is still awake. We play in her baby jungle, bouncer, walk around the house, and finally sit in the rocker while I check out Facebook and Pinterest on my phone. 
12:45 p.m.:  Both girls are napping, so I work on my Shutterfly baby book (yay!)
1:15 p.m.: Eat my enchiladas in peace (amazingly!), throw in some
laundry, tidy the house of baby clothes, pacifiers that have fallen on the floor, and baby blankets that are strewn everywhere.
2:00 p.m.: Amelia starts to stir. Diaper change and BF her. 
2:30 p.m.: Samantha is still asleep, but I don’t want to get too off schedule, so I wake her. She’s not happy about it. She half-heartedly nurses while Amelia lays next to me. 
2:45 p.m.: I put both girls on the Boppy facing each other. Amelia
loves it. Samantha freaks out after 5 mins and wants to be held.


3:00 p.m.:  NowAmelia is crying. Alternate carrying them around,
one in the Baby Bjorn and one in my arms.
3:30 p.m.: Samantha sleeps, Amelia is still awake, I entertain her
in the baby jungle.
3:45 p.m.: Amelia is finally asleep, but Samantha stirs and cries. I walk her around for a minute and she falls back asleep. 
4:15 p.m.: Both girls are crying to be picked up. Diaper change one at a time. Crying ensues. By the time we get situated to BF, both are hysterical. I bottle feed both until they have a little bit in their tummies and then BF. It goes much better this time. 
4:45 p.m.: Tummy time for both girls. Then, I flip them around on their backs so they can stare up at the baby jungle. They both smile and seem to be enjoying themselves.
5:00 p.m.: Both are fussing. Turn on Relax M,  more carrying around the house ensues. 
5:15 p.m.:  Put both on their Boppies on my bed and dance around. This seems to entertain them for a few minutes. 
5:30 p.m.: Both fall asleep in their Boppies, smiling at the ceiling fan. I lay on the bed and sleep with one eye open. 
6:00 p.m.: Amelia wakes up. Diaper change and BF. Samantha starts stirring, so I attempt to BF her, but she starts getting fussy, so bottle it is. 
6:45 p.m.: Pack up the stroller, the girls, and Bandit for a walk. The girls are wide awake the entire time, but aren’t fussy. 
7:30 p.m.:  Bath for Samantha, a fresh onesie, and she gets swaddled. She is content to lay on
the bed and stare at the fan while I try and console Amelia who is crying.  I bottle feed her a little bit and she calms down.
8:00 p.m.: Daddy’s home! I hold Samantha while Jake gives Amelia a bath.
8:15 p.m.: BF/bottle feed/pump while Jake keeps the girls at bay. Samantha falls asleep on his chest, but Amelia is fussy. 
8:45 p.m.: I attempt to wipe down the kitchen while holding Amelia who is fussy on and off. No combination of Relax M sounds seem to calm her.
9 p.m.: I put Amelia in the stroller and roll her back and forth across the kitchen while eating peanut butter straight out of the jar.

9:30 p.m.: Amelia is finally asleep. I run around as quickly as possible, wash bottles, start dishwasher, throw the wet laundry from earlier into the dryer, and brush my teeth before collapsing into bed. Every second of sleep counts! 
10 p.m.: Good night! 
*Epilogue: The girls woke up to eat at 12:30 a.m. and then again at 4:30 a.m., so pretty much 4 hours in between feeds–much better than waking up every 2 hours like the night before! 
Just for fun, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and see what my schedule looked like when the girls were newborns. I used to enter diaper changes, nursing, bottle feeds, sleeping, etc.,  into my Baby Connect app, even though Jake, the pediatrician, etc. thought I was totally neurotic. I, however, thought the app was a life-saver when I was so completely sleep-deprived that I couldn’t remember which baby had been on which breast, how long ago they had eaten, what their names were, etc. 
Here’s my day on March 28, a few weeks after the girls were born: 
1:50 a.m.: Diaper change, bottle feed, pump
4:00 a.m.: Diaper change, BF, bottle feed, pump
7:00 a.m.: Diaper change, BF, bottle feed, pump
10:00 a.m.: Diaper change, BF, bottle feed, pump
1:00 p.m.: Diaper change, BF, bottle feed, pump
4 p.m.: Diaper change, BF, bottle feed, pump
6 p.m.: Diaper change, BF, bottle feed, pump
8 p.m.: Bath, diaper change, BF, bottle feed, pump
10:30 p.m.: Diaper change, BF, bottle feed, pump
Amelia and Samantha, 1 week: 

Samantha and Amelia, 1 week: 
Wow, the day seemed so much simpler then! The girls were generally always on the same schedule back then and always fell back to sleep shortly after eating. I don’t know which schedule is tougher…it seems like there was more time in between feeds back in March, plus I had help from my Mom, but I was still recovering from the c-section and still getting used to the sleep deprivation, so when the girls slept, I would sleep too. Now, I’m way busier during the day since the girls are awake more, and it gets hard when they aren’t in sync with each other, but I have a lot more energy now days.  It’s hard to say!
I always used to wonder what stay at home moms did all day. Now I know!

Lots of love,

Signature

Filed Under: Milestones, Year One
« Previous Page