Ten Months Old!!

This past weekend, our little cuties reached the Ten Month mark!! I can't get over how fast they're growing! They are so fun and interactive and really love playing with us. I love being showered with kisses and hearing their giggles as they discover something new together. Though they are still doing the tummy crawl, they are getting so much more mobile! We really have to keep an eye on them, or else they'll be across the house in a flash.

To celebrate their Ten Month old-ness, we watched the Seahawks (barely) win against the Packers! These are the cutest little 12th Men ever!

These girls love to play games like peek-a-boo and be tickled. They have such strong personalities too! Aria is becoming much more out-going than Cadence, but at the same time, Cadence isn't afraid of anything. She is just fearless. 

We took the girls in for their check up last week and they both weighed a little over 21 lbs. They love going to the pool every Saturday and love trying to walk around with our help in the water. 

Aria (just today) started saying "baby"! Sometimes it comes out as "aby" but a lot of times you can hear "baby" loud and clear! I wonder if that's because they hear us calling them that! She has also learned how to shake her head "no" when she doesn't want something. She is very affectionate and loves giving me open-mouthed kisses. She is also very curious and gets into anything and everything! They have a special fascination with their diapers and will open a package of them and take them all out and spread them across the room! I'll clean the house during nap time and a half hour after they wake up, it's messy again!

Cadence is also very affectionate! She still hasn't learned to say "no", so when I ask for a kiss, she always delivers! She is starting to learn how to get up onto her knees, but she still loves army crawling everywhere and she's really good at it! Her favorite show is "Signing Time" (a children's show about sign language) and when the theme song comes on she starts giggling like crazy! It's adorable. We have heard every episode of that show (that's on Netflix) about a thousand times because sometimes it's the only thing that can make them happy!

One thing that I love about this age is how much they are interacting with each other. We often wake up in the morning to them playing peek-a-boo with each other in their cribs and hearing them giggle as they play. It's the best way to wake up! They follow each other around the house and we'll sometimes find them both on top of each other too!

I always thought being a mommy would be SO much work, and it is. But I didn't know it would be so much FUN too! I'm so blessed to have such good babies! They are our everything.

"Are My Babies Behind?"

I know that this question has definitely run through my mind several times. I'm sure as twin moms, we ask ourselves this frequently especially since, odds are, our babies were at least a little premature. And on top of that, there's two of them so trying to get them to sit still while you read a book or sing a song and teach them is near impossible.

Aria & Cadence are the cutest. But they only started tummy crawling at eight months. Some of their friends who are younger than them are already using push walkers, pulling themselves up to stand, or even walking. They have been saying "mama" since they were seven months, but only recently learned "dada" and that's the only two words they know! Ugh, is it true? Are they behind?

I think we, as twin moms, always feel the need to compensate for, well, a lot of things. We gave birth to them a little early so they started off really small and had to develop certain things outside of the womb that other babies their age were born with. We don't get the one on one time with our babies that other moms with singletons get. I can be trying to help Aria to stand, and Cadence will get jealous and scream her guts out, so I stop and help her. On top of that, our babies learn at different paces. So while one may be standing, the other one may be just starting to crawl. Should you applaud both efforts? Of course!

It's not important whether they are doing what their friends are doing, or even what each other is doing, as long as YOU are there to support them in all of their accomplishments, however little they may be.

Aria and Cadence may not be crawling on their hands and knees yet, or walking along the couch, but they have eight teeth, they both love giving kisses, they eat absolutely everything, and they sleep for twelve hours at night.

The truth is, everyone's baby is behind. The baby that is walking at your play date could be keeping his mom and dad up and eating three times throughout the night. The baby that is saying "ball" could be still exclusively on breastmilk and not eating solids yet.

Constantly comparing your babies to other babies and to each other is not fair to anyone.

Keep working with them. Celebrate when they figure out something new. Share in their excitement as they discover themselves. With your support and love they are, most definitely, ahead.

Three Traps to Avoid As a Twin Mom.

As mothers in general, we have tendencies to do things based on convenience, impatience, exhaustion -- you name it. As mothers of twins, those tendencies are doubled. We neglect very important things because of this. Based on my own experience, I have come up with three traps that we should be vigilant of as twin moms and try to avoid.

1) Don't forget to spend one-on-one time with your kids. This is probably one of the biggest traps twin moms fall into. Even with just the twins, I have been guilty of putting them in their exersaucers and just letting them play and I'm sure it's even more difficult with other children in addition to the twins. But it is so important, even simply on a psychological and developmental level, for our kids to have one-on-one time with their mom. Try to find times during the day to set aside the dishes, stop doing laundry, or pause on making dinner to hold your babies individually. Snuggle with them, tickle them and just observe them and breathe them in. They need to know that you are not just the maid, you're not just the cook - but you're their mom too. Those other things can afford to be neglected, but your children can't.

2) Don't neglect your husband. Before kids, you were head over heels for him. Now that you have kids that shouldn't change. Get that schedule down so your babies can sleep through the night (click here for advice on Sleep Training) so that you can have an uninterrupted night with your hubby. I firmly believe in putting your spouse before your children. You may think that its better to put your children first, but they need to see how a healthy marriage works and that means putting him first. Kiss him as he leaves in the morning, and when he walks through the door yell, "Daddy's home!" and kiss him again. You are benefiting your kids a lot more than you know by loving their daddy and showing it.

3) Don't forget about yourself! We often think of ourselves last, or even not at all, when we assess the needs of the family. But if you are going to do this twin mom thing, you need some "Sanity Time". My Sanity Time consists of craft time, going to Zumba and Hot Hula classes, writing on this blog, and having a Girl's night with friends every once in a while. Find time during the day to do something just for you. Set up a time with your husband so he can watch the kids while you take a break even if its just for an hour. If you have other mommy friends, have them do the same thing and have a girls' night together! It's really one of the most important things you can do as a mom - you NEED a break!

Now that you know, from another twin mom, traps that you can expect along your journey - avoid them at all costs! Don't neglect individual time with your kids, your husband, or yourself! Doing these things will make being a Twin Mom easier, I promise!

The Breastfeeding Debate.

Breastfeeding is one of the most controversial topics for new mothers. I struggled for a long time with this debate and all the guilt associated with not breastfeeding.

I fed my girls (from the breast) for just a matter of weeks.

After getting diagnosed with my heart condition and being separated from the girls for four days shortly after their birth, they were already used to the bottle. When I would try to breastfeed them, they would scream and I'd spend an hour trying to calm them down so we could try again. When you have to do that times two it is just EXHAUSTING. I went to WIC and talked to the lactation specialist who was The Ultimate Guilt-Tripper. She told me to spend an hour with each baby (separately) in order to get them used to the breast. They were eating every two hours so that meant breastfeeding 24/7. Um, heck no.

When I told her I wanted to pump exclusively, it was like I was giving up. It's like breast milk from a bottle doesn't count or something. Anyways, I decided to pump exclusively and did successfully for about 2 months. The lasix I was given for my heart drained all the water out of me every time I took it, and subsequently "dried me up". I was supplementing with formula and the ratio of formula to breast milk kept increasing until it was mostly formula. Kurt would remind me throughout the day, "Oh baby, you need to go pump." I was exhausted, I knew pumping would give me only an ounce if that and we'd just be using formula anyways. I think I took a lot of my frustrations out on Kurt. To me, it felt like I was being forced to pump. It was a touchy topic in our marriage for a few weeks. We talked about it and decided that it was best for both the girls and I if we just stuck to formula and Kurt supported me 100%. By the time we moved to Utah when the girls were 3 1/2 months they just drank formula and have ever since.

But I have felt other moms (especially other moms of twins) express their judgement for those moms who choose to formula feed their babies. So much guilt is associated with formula. I hate it. It needs to stop.

Something needs to be understood:
- All moms want to breastfeed, but not all are able to. Deal with it. 
- After the baby is 6 months old, there are no additional health benefits to breastmilk vs. formula 
- Everyone has their own story (just like me) and we all want to choose what is best for our family
- Stop judging! Why do women antagonize other women? We're all mothers. We all want the best for our kids, right? You can choose what is best for your child, let me choose what is best for mine. Can we still be friends? 

If you are a young mother struggling with breastfeeding and are losing your sanity, don't feel obligated to continue trying to feed your baby from the breast based on guilt. Don't feel the need to explain your decision to every other mom you meet. You don't need to. This woman's post really resonated with me. She had breast cancer, had to have a double mastectomy, and people judged her because she was formula feeding. Some people still judged her even after she said why she can't breastfeed. Geez, people, LAY OFF!

If you're a husband and you see your wife struggling with breastfeeding, support her. Encourage her, but don't make her feel guilty if she wants to formula feed. She is trying her best, so don't force her. You honestly, literally have no idea what it's like.

For those people who feel uncomfortable around breastfeeding women, you need to stop your judging too.

I love this article because it promotes the idea that we need to stop referring to it as "breastfeeding" but rather just "feeding". We're not feeding a breast are we? No. We're feeding a baby. Women shouldn't need to cover up to feed their baby whether it's from a bottle or a breast. If she wants to (which I did when I breastfed) then that's great. But she doesn't need to. If you think it's sexual or something weird like that, it's because you're making it that way. Breasts are first and foremost for feeding babies. Let's remember that.

Sorry to be preaching from on top of a soapbox, but I feel that this topic is extremely prevalent among mothers. It's really sad that women put down other women in mothering their children when there are so many other things going against womanhood/motherhood already.

Lastly, to all mothers: You are great! You are wonderful, and no one knows what is best for your child except you.

Designing a Play Area for Twins.

This past weekend, as we put away the Christmas decorations, we decided to baby proof our apartment as well.  We rearranged everything and in the process, created a nice new play area for the girls. It is amazing what can be done with just a little moving of the furniture! We have a one-bedroom apartment, so space is definitely limited. However, we found a nice corner for the girls to play in and cased it in with some of their new Christmas toys!

Here is a look at what we've done:

The girls love their Christmas present from their papa and tutu! It's an activity garden!

The girls love their mirror! We bought the mirror at Walmart for just $4!! 

Aria loves the camera!

I think these girls truly love their new space! It's all their own. One thing that I feel strongly about as a mother is letting my babies play. I think with twins it's easier because the temptation to hold your baby is not as strong since there are two of them both competing for attention. Therefore, Aria & Cadence aren't held nearly as much as other babies (but they are still held A LOT, don't get me wrong). They are allowed to crawl around and explore a lot more and for that, I'm grateful. Playtime = learning time. 

If you have a "space" problem as well, try to design a play area that can keep your babies busy. A mirror at their eye level definitely draws their interest and having all of their toys be easily accessible makes for happy babies as well. We tried to close off their play area with the Activity Garden my parents bought off Amazon for their Christmas present! It is the greatest! It keeps the girls occupied for such a long time since each wall has its own activity. You can also rearrange the walls so it is enclosed but we prefer to spread it out to make it easier for both babies to use. 

Click HERE to buy the Little Tikes Activity Garden

On a side note, another small addition to our house during all the baby proofing craziness is our Instagram wall! I have been planning to put these pictures up for months now but never got around to it. It has taken on several shapes since we put it up, but this is the final product and we're happy with it!

 We are loving all the changes in our little place!

Nine Months Old!

In nine months you can grow a baby. In less than nine, I grew two!! And now my babies have turned nine months old today! I can't believe how fast they've grown. It is too fast. They need to slow down!

In the last month, the girls have started crawling like CRAZY! They are still in the army crawling phase, but now they are more mobile than ever! They follow me to the kitchen, crawl under furniture, and we are finding them in the weirdest places! For example...

Huddled under the jumperoo

In the kitchen in front of the trash can.

Under the couch, chewing on the couch skirt. 

It is so fun to find them in all these new places they've never been to before. They are such curious little girls!

They love to try getting at the presents under the tree.
And they sometimes even pull off the ornaments!

Our little Cadence is still the sweetest little baby. She now has eight teeth (just like Aria) and is getting better at army-crawling. She still loves to jump and dance around. She loves to say "mama" and is starting to say "dada." She has a harder time eating now (mostly because she's sick) but she has started to shake her head "no" when she's done eating which is always before the food has been completely eaten. 

Aria is also crawling all over the place. She says "dada" as well, and has learned how to stick out her tongue. She loves to kiss when I pucker my lips. She is always sucking on her index finger and she eats absolutely everything! She loves to crawl over everything (including the base of the exersaucer). She is scared of men with beards, especially Santa. But with everyone else that she comes in contact with, she is very flirty.

Both of our sweet girls can pull themselves to standing and love to stand using the couch to hold themselves up. Unfortunately, the girls have been sick a lot in the past few weeks so we've been cooped up inside for a while, but they are still having a blast despite their runny noses.

I'm a very proud mama, and can't believe the girls have been here longer than I was pregnant with them already! Time sure does fly! We enjoy every precious moment we have with these two sweeties.

Eight Months Old!

Yesterday, the girls turned eight months old! They have changed so much in the last month. I can't believe the rate they are growing! We are so blessed to have two such healthy, strong, and growing babies.

This month, the girls have started to army crawl their way around. It is so cute! Sometimes I like to put them both at one end of the room, put an object at the other end and have them race to see who can get it first. Here are some pictures of today's race:

Ready, Set, Go!

Cadence immediately tried to sabotage Aria.

Almost!!!

Got it!

Cadence stealing it away.

These girls are so funny! I love them so much. 

Aria has become quite the army crawler. She can crawl so fast! And she especially loves to crawl for the Roku remote or for me. She has figured out how to jump in her bouncer and loves to jump like crazy! She sleeps really well and hardly ever needs her pacifier through the night. She sits up well and will probably start to crawl in the next month or so. She eats well, but she grinds her teeth together! I always try to get her to stop, but she keeps on doing it. Oh well. She is also getting two more teeth on the bottom bringing her total tooth count to 8 teeth! She is still our little diva, though and sometimes it drives me crazy but I love her so much. 

This sweet girl is growing so much as well! Cadence is not as good at army-crawling as Aria, but man can she roll! We find her all over the place, in corners, in the dining room, under the Christmas tree - and she just rolls to get everywhere.

Here she is just after the "race" already
making her way onto the hardwood.

Cadence loves to say "mama" and I love hearing it! I am still not sure if she knows what it means but she says it loud and clear all day. She is a shy little girl and loves to give everyone these half-smiles all the time. She doesn't cry nearly as much as Aria does, but she does like to keep us up at night for a good while. Cadence is a master jumper and loves to get into things that she shouldn't. Cadence loves to lie on her tummy and peek over the crib rail at us every morning. She's so adorable!

Both girls have recently learned to smack their lips and do it all the time. It's so cute! They are interacting with each other a lot more as well and like to face each other while in their bouncers and make each other giggle. They are both very ticklish on their tummies and love playing peek-a-boo. They both take two naps throughout the day for about 2 1/2 hours each. Then at night, they both sleep for about 11 hours - having us get up every once in a while to put pacifiers in and then they usually go right back to bed. They eat solids twice a day and drink milk for their other three feedings. They are both in their very own cribs now as well! They are breaking out of their swaddles now, but they still like to be swaddled at least when being put to bed. We are positive that these girls are going to be crawling by Christmas!

We are so lucky to have them in our lives and can't wait to see how much they grow in the next month!