Gotcha! 
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
It's no Christmas card!
No, I didn't get a Christmas card out this year... despite my best intentions. Besides, getting two babies to smile without cropping a parent's head out of the photo turned out to be impossible! This is the best we could do. :)
Four years....my, how things change!
Yesterday, D.R. and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary. Well, I should clarify. It was the four-year anniversary of our wedding... but, did we celebrate? For weeks, we had been planning on leaving the babies with family members and catching a movie... in the theater... an actual date, like a real-live couple! However, by the time D.R. got home from work, the ONLY thing I wanted to do was sleep. How disappointing am I? Yes, our anniversary celebration involved feeding and rocking the boys, then collapsing on the couch... and I mean, collapsing! I just woke up a bit ago (2 am), completely disoriented, to the sounds of two babies reminding me it's time to eat... and possibly time to find my way upstairs to a real bed!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Fancy that!
My cousin Sally knit the boys these ADORABLE little hats. Unfortunately, their noggins were a little too big. Lucky for lion and monkey... it was a perfect fit! Dex and Jax are more than thrilled to share their crib with such lucky animals.
Squeakers
For several weeks now, the boys have been squealing away. I get such a kick out of it. During playtime, the squealing is practically non-stop and diaper changes just provide more opportunity to show off their ample squealing ability. It seems, however, the more I respond to the squeals with my own laughter and encouragement, the squeals become higher and higher pitched.... a result that has had extrememly humurous consequences. It has come to the point where the squeals can get no higher. In fact, one might consider them drawn out squeaks. D.R. and I joke that neighborhood dogs must be on full alert, because just when you think the squeak/squealing can't get any higher pitched, they do! These moments of squeaks and giggles are the highlights of my days and keep me doubled over in laughter, myself! I wish I could accurately describe what it sounds like to hear two babies squealing excitedly in simultaneous shrieks and squeaks... so funny!
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
My boys
How did I get so lucky? I came home from running errands the other day, to find D.R. with two sleeping boys in his lap...so cute! Of course, here they're wide awake and loving it! They adore rocking with their Daddy!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
Jax and Auntie T
I have been so lucky to have good friends who are willing to come and hang out with me and the babes, from time to time, while D.R. is gone on one of his two-day shifts. Jax seems particularly fond of Theresa!!
Jaxon's new love
Both boys have been finding a great amount of pleasure in looking in the mirror. Up until recently, however, it's been primarily because they see Mom or Dad looking back at them. Last week, Jax discovered his own reflection and was quite taken with what he saw. D.R. and I were witness to a series of coos and squeals that absolutely cracked us up. I find it so interesting that he would respond so uniquely to his own image, but appear completely oblivious or uninterested (most of the time) in his own twin brother. Sure, they'll shoot glances at each other from time to time, and will have stare-offs while nursing, but other than that, they've really not shown much interest in each other. Apparently, they are able to distinguish another baby from their own image... somehow, in someway, they know that what they're seeing is something special when they look in the mirror. I love these little discoveries.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Please, Mom, not ANOTHER photo!
This photo makes me giggle. I tried and TRIED to get the boys to smile... but they were not amused. They both kept giving me the same look... the, "Mom is acting like a weirdo, again" look. :)
Monday, December 12, 2005
My regrets
Four months have gone by since these little boys came into my life and I have learned so much about taking care of two babies... it's unbelievable. Every day is rich with new discoveries and revelations on everything from how to nurse/hold/carry/rock/soothe/change, etc. two babies at once to how to get an extra 20 minutes of sleep each day (or find time to update a blog!). As I look back over the time I've had with these babies, though, I already have my share of regrets. Before I had children of my own, it was so easy for me to look at other parents and wonder why they did things the way they did. I always thought, "I'll never make that mistake when I have kids" or, "I'm sure there's got to be a better way of doing THAT." Now, a mere four months into parenthood, I have my own list of regrets that is already too long. I realize, now, how quickly the days go by and how chaotic it all can be... I've lived many of these days in survival mode... just trying to make it to the end of the day without collapsing. The time I would have spent analzying my parenting skills before I had children has now been spent frantically trying to catch a few zzz's, taking a quick shower, cleaning ANYTHING in the apartment, returning a past-due phone call or email... you get the idea.
Now, I'm at the four-month point... a major turning point for me. There are smiles, giggles, naps and the ability to play with ones toes for a good 2-4 minutes. I have a morning cup of coffee (sure, sometimes I'm gulping it down in 15 seconds or less... but it's still a part of my day!), a daily shower (again, sometimes it's in-and-out in a flash... but it's there!), and every once in a while, I don't completely collapse when my head hits the pillow, but rather, I'm able to take a few minutes and think about all that has happened in my life.
So, in the hopes that I will remember these things if there's ever a baby #3, and for anyone who wants to learn from my mistakes... there are a few people I know who read this, as they are currently expecting twins... here are my regrets:
- I should have slept in the hospital! Yes, this may seem like a no-brainer to many people. But, I was SO unbelievably excited to meet these two little boys, I just couldn't take my eyes off of them. I wanted them with me at every second. I even begged the nurses to bring the bili lights into my hospital room so the babies could stay with me. The result, I was devastatingly sleep deprived by the time I got home... all I wanted to do (for the next 2-3 months) was sleep. To other future moms of twins...take advantage of the help you get in the hospital! You will never have that much help again! :)
- The babies should always come first... and sleep (for all of you) is a close second! Again, this seems SO simple... but it's so easy to forget. We had so many visitors during those first few weeks. Everyone wanted to meet the babies, congratulate the parents... it was so kind. However, we had so many visitors, that it frequently cut into time that the babies should have been nursing or time that the three of us could have been sleeping. The usual routine involved very quickly feeding the boys and then allowing everyone and anyone to hold them, while I tried my darndest to be conversational. Could I do it all over again, I would limit it to one or two visits a day and spend the rest of the time holding, nursing, sleeping with the babies. I was actually cooking meals and entertaining guests just days after returning home with these two babies! I remember washing dishes in the middle of the night and trying to plan meals and grocery lists... so silly!! I would give anything to be able to go back and do those weeks over again.
- You cannot nurse too much. This is sort of a continuation of my last point. With one baby, it may be easy to nurse while at family functions or visits with friends. With two babies, you really need privacy to feed them. I was so worried about other people wanting time with the babies that I would frequently rush feedings so the babies could be with everyone else. If I could do it again, I would give them all the time they needed. They would have been happier and I would have been happier.
- I would have let the babies nap!! Here they are, four months old, and I have FINALLY learned how important it is to get them napping during the day. They are so happy when they're well-rested! Maybe some babies can sleep in people's arms, but my babies are happier away from distractions and light. How many times have we been in social situations where person after person is convinced they can get the babies to stop crying, when all they really wanted was to be away from the noise so that they could sleep! I know every baby is different, but mine require quiet times during the day... if they are overstimulated or miss a nap, we all suffer! :)
Most of my regrets stem from all the times I took the babies to social gatherings or times when we had visitors here. I can't believe how busy things were in those first few months. Had I to do it again, I would have been a new-mom hermit and just retreated into the quietness of our home to take care of my babies. I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but I see nothing wrong with a new mother turning down social invitations or staying home with her babies, in order to create a peaceful, calming atmosphere for them....especially with two! I even had one person tell me early on that I should start leaving the TV on at home during the day, or taking the babies into noisy places so that they would get used to the noise and not be bothered by it. Nonsense!! My babies needed less noise and more quiet... and, as a mother, I should have followed my instinct and given them what they needed. Instead, I found myself in far too many social situations with two sad, overstimulated babies.
Whew! So, there it is. I'm still learning. I'm learning that there is no ONE way to take care of your babies, and what works for one may not work for another. I'm learning to follow my instinct more... no one knows these babies better than I do (and D.R.). I'm sure in four months, I'll have a whole new list of regrets... but for now, I'm learning to truly savor time with my babies, giving them what they need and letting everything else take second place for awhile.
Now, I'm at the four-month point... a major turning point for me. There are smiles, giggles, naps and the ability to play with ones toes for a good 2-4 minutes. I have a morning cup of coffee (sure, sometimes I'm gulping it down in 15 seconds or less... but it's still a part of my day!), a daily shower (again, sometimes it's in-and-out in a flash... but it's there!), and every once in a while, I don't completely collapse when my head hits the pillow, but rather, I'm able to take a few minutes and think about all that has happened in my life.
So, in the hopes that I will remember these things if there's ever a baby #3, and for anyone who wants to learn from my mistakes... there are a few people I know who read this, as they are currently expecting twins... here are my regrets:
- I should have slept in the hospital! Yes, this may seem like a no-brainer to many people. But, I was SO unbelievably excited to meet these two little boys, I just couldn't take my eyes off of them. I wanted them with me at every second. I even begged the nurses to bring the bili lights into my hospital room so the babies could stay with me. The result, I was devastatingly sleep deprived by the time I got home... all I wanted to do (for the next 2-3 months) was sleep. To other future moms of twins...take advantage of the help you get in the hospital! You will never have that much help again! :)
- The babies should always come first... and sleep (for all of you) is a close second! Again, this seems SO simple... but it's so easy to forget. We had so many visitors during those first few weeks. Everyone wanted to meet the babies, congratulate the parents... it was so kind. However, we had so many visitors, that it frequently cut into time that the babies should have been nursing or time that the three of us could have been sleeping. The usual routine involved very quickly feeding the boys and then allowing everyone and anyone to hold them, while I tried my darndest to be conversational. Could I do it all over again, I would limit it to one or two visits a day and spend the rest of the time holding, nursing, sleeping with the babies. I was actually cooking meals and entertaining guests just days after returning home with these two babies! I remember washing dishes in the middle of the night and trying to plan meals and grocery lists... so silly!! I would give anything to be able to go back and do those weeks over again.
- You cannot nurse too much. This is sort of a continuation of my last point. With one baby, it may be easy to nurse while at family functions or visits with friends. With two babies, you really need privacy to feed them. I was so worried about other people wanting time with the babies that I would frequently rush feedings so the babies could be with everyone else. If I could do it again, I would give them all the time they needed. They would have been happier and I would have been happier.
- I would have let the babies nap!! Here they are, four months old, and I have FINALLY learned how important it is to get them napping during the day. They are so happy when they're well-rested! Maybe some babies can sleep in people's arms, but my babies are happier away from distractions and light. How many times have we been in social situations where person after person is convinced they can get the babies to stop crying, when all they really wanted was to be away from the noise so that they could sleep! I know every baby is different, but mine require quiet times during the day... if they are overstimulated or miss a nap, we all suffer! :)
Most of my regrets stem from all the times I took the babies to social gatherings or times when we had visitors here. I can't believe how busy things were in those first few months. Had I to do it again, I would have been a new-mom hermit and just retreated into the quietness of our home to take care of my babies. I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but I see nothing wrong with a new mother turning down social invitations or staying home with her babies, in order to create a peaceful, calming atmosphere for them....especially with two! I even had one person tell me early on that I should start leaving the TV on at home during the day, or taking the babies into noisy places so that they would get used to the noise and not be bothered by it. Nonsense!! My babies needed less noise and more quiet... and, as a mother, I should have followed my instinct and given them what they needed. Instead, I found myself in far too many social situations with two sad, overstimulated babies.
Whew! So, there it is. I'm still learning. I'm learning that there is no ONE way to take care of your babies, and what works for one may not work for another. I'm learning to follow my instinct more... no one knows these babies better than I do (and D.R.). I'm sure in four months, I'll have a whole new list of regrets... but for now, I'm learning to truly savor time with my babies, giving them what they need and letting everything else take second place for awhile.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Aren't we sweet?
A fun new development... the boys love to know you're looking at them... and will flash you gorgeous smiles if you do!
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Ten Years!
After living in Minnesota for ten years (yes, ten years!), I finally own my first Gophers T-shirt. Sorry Wisconsin Schroerluckes.... it just had to be done! :) For D.R.'s parents' Christmas photo, each of the Schroeder siblings chose a MN sports team logo for their family to wear. We got the Gophers, which is completely fitting... since I'm married to one!
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
So many new tricks!
The past few days have been ripe with new developments, which has been so very rewarding for me...especially considering how crazy the boys' sleep patterns have been the past week or so. Just when I'm thinking, "Please take a nap... please! I need to take a break!", one of the babies will do something absolutely phenomenal and it's an instant adrenaline boost for Mama.
A list of my babes' amazing new feats:
- They are both reaching out and grabbing dangling toys. It's the neatest thing to see! What used to just attract their eyes is now enticing their little fingers. An added bonus is when the item makes it into a baby mouth, at which point there is much celebrating, squealing with delight and flailing of the arms and legs. Absolutely hilarious.
- When placed on their tummies, with the support of a small rolled up blanket, they lift their huge little 90th percentil noggins off the ground and into the air! Yes, it's true, they're accomplishing the impossible. Sure, it lasts less than a minute (I think Jax actually made it to 1.5 minutes this morning), but it is really something! The best is when they look up at me with this proud little expression, as if to say, "Ah ha! And you thought our head were too big!!"
- The half-roll. Sure, most parents celebrate at the complete roll-over, but I think the half-roll is something to be pleased with. Dex pulled off a 3/4 roll yesterday... so we're anxiously awaiting that complete back-to-tummy maneuver.
- And lastly, my favorite of all..... the full-fledged giggle. Sure, we've had squeals of delight, we've had coos and gurgles... but the contagious, bubbly baby giggle is something that could keep me going for hours. It is easy to elicit this new sound with our new favorite game of Peek-a-Boo.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring? :)
A list of my babes' amazing new feats:
- They are both reaching out and grabbing dangling toys. It's the neatest thing to see! What used to just attract their eyes is now enticing their little fingers. An added bonus is when the item makes it into a baby mouth, at which point there is much celebrating, squealing with delight and flailing of the arms and legs. Absolutely hilarious.
- When placed on their tummies, with the support of a small rolled up blanket, they lift their huge little 90th percentil noggins off the ground and into the air! Yes, it's true, they're accomplishing the impossible. Sure, it lasts less than a minute (I think Jax actually made it to 1.5 minutes this morning), but it is really something! The best is when they look up at me with this proud little expression, as if to say, "Ah ha! And you thought our head were too big!!"
- The half-roll. Sure, most parents celebrate at the complete roll-over, but I think the half-roll is something to be pleased with. Dex pulled off a 3/4 roll yesterday... so we're anxiously awaiting that complete back-to-tummy maneuver.
- And lastly, my favorite of all..... the full-fledged giggle. Sure, we've had squeals of delight, we've had coos and gurgles... but the contagious, bubbly baby giggle is something that could keep me going for hours. It is easy to elicit this new sound with our new favorite game of Peek-a-Boo.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring? :)
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Sick Babies
Last week, Dex scared us by waking one morning with a fever of 101 degrees. He proceeded to develop a pretty nasty cold, complete with congestion and long, drawn out coughing spells. Sweetie that he is, he shared his cold with Mom and Dad, who are both still sniffling! Jax was the last of the bunch to get sick, and the poor little guy seems to have the worst of all symptoms. He started with a fever of 102 in the middle of the night... and I spent the next three hours nursing him, placing cool cloths on his head and rocking him until he was able to fall back asleep and the fever started to fall. We had a scheduled 4-month appointment the following day, which was a very good thing, because we discovered that Jaxon has an ear infection, as well. This means, in addition to the coughing and sneezing (it's so hard to see someone so little coughing so hard!), he has to endure swallowing his first round of antibiotics. I can't say that he's a fan, but he bravely accepts his medicine and, consequently, has received much TLC and rocking from a very sympathetic mom.
Speaking of rocking... I have now perfected the art of comfortably rocking both babies at the same time. Yipee!! This skill involves lifting each baby up from a lying down position, turning them mid-air and one-armed so that they are both facing out, each resting on one leg. I can't even begin to describe how good it feels to be holding both babies close and snug against me as they each fall asleep. I know there's a school of thought that suggests rocking babies to sleep encourages dependancy on rocking... but I can't believe it's not good for them... being so close to their mama, listening to music or singing, falling asleep in the comfort of warm arms. Perhaps one day they'll outgrow it, but for now, it's a soothing and easy way to get both boys to sleep at the same time... and it make me pretty happy, too.
In other news, the boys are growing quite well!! Dex weighed in at 12 lb. 15 oz. (15th percentile) and Jax weighed in at 13 lb. 6 oz. (20th percentile)!! We've been really pleased with this continued movement up the growth chart, since they are both still only breastfed. Interestingly enough, though both boys tend to be on the smaller side (as far as height and weight are concerned) their noggins rank near the 90th percentile. :) I can only imagine how much more difficult this is making it for them to hold their heads up, but they continue to work at it, and every day make it a few seconds longer.
Speaking of rocking... I have now perfected the art of comfortably rocking both babies at the same time. Yipee!! This skill involves lifting each baby up from a lying down position, turning them mid-air and one-armed so that they are both facing out, each resting on one leg. I can't even begin to describe how good it feels to be holding both babies close and snug against me as they each fall asleep. I know there's a school of thought that suggests rocking babies to sleep encourages dependancy on rocking... but I can't believe it's not good for them... being so close to their mama, listening to music or singing, falling asleep in the comfort of warm arms. Perhaps one day they'll outgrow it, but for now, it's a soothing and easy way to get both boys to sleep at the same time... and it make me pretty happy, too.
In other news, the boys are growing quite well!! Dex weighed in at 12 lb. 15 oz. (15th percentile) and Jax weighed in at 13 lb. 6 oz. (20th percentile)!! We've been really pleased with this continued movement up the growth chart, since they are both still only breastfed. Interestingly enough, though both boys tend to be on the smaller side (as far as height and weight are concerned) their noggins rank near the 90th percentile. :) I can only imagine how much more difficult this is making it for them to hold their heads up, but they continue to work at it, and every day make it a few seconds longer.
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