HomeThe Adventures of Motherhood with Twin Boys
The Adventures of Motherhood with Twin Boys
Love, Hugs, and a few Tears
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Twins and One Mommy at the Park
Oh, Look Twins! Playground Faces Autumn Run Reflection Sleep is Good; Night # 3 Find Beauty Everywhere Night #2 Night #1 Changes at Night February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 
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I just have to share the good news. My twins slept through the night. They slept 4 hours, from 7:30 PM - 11:30 PM. Then nursed back to sleep and slept from midnight - 6 AM. I got 8 hours of sleep for the first time in months! I have to enjoy it while it lasts because the night before last, they woke up ever 2 hours.
My twins and I attended the Mommy and More event at the Natomas Racquet Club today. We had a great time. We met new moms, made new friends, entered drawings for free gifts, and enjoyed free food. Our favorite part of the event was the "mommy and me" yoga class. Five moms and 8 kids attended. The kids ranged in age from 5 months to 8 years old. There were two sets of twins. The instructor included the kids in each of the poses. All of us enjoyed stretching, strengthening, and relaxing together.
I am sitting here drinking a Virgil's Rootbeer and enjoying a moment of peace and quiet all by myself. The twins are asleep and my husband is out on a night ride. I'm not going to do any more work..at least for the moment. When I say moment, I mean just that. The reality with being a mom of twins, is there is not much down time. When one baby is content, the other one needs me. There are times when both babies need me at the same time. They rarely nap at the same time. And when the do sleep, they usually wake up within 30 minutes of each other. The first sleeping shift of the night, is about the only time I have when they both fall asleep around 7 PM, and both sleep for their longest stretch of the night. Their longest stretch of sleep averages 3 hours currently. Occasionally they will sleep 4-6 hours at a time, once in the night. This is a nice gift they give me about once a week, which allows me to catch up on my need for sleep. Speaking of sleep, I'll go to sleep now.
I was just watching the 5 PM Channel 10 News. I saw an interview with one of our moms and her daughter about our beautiful sunny weather. I believe it was southernmama? It looked like you were at the McKinley Park playground. Anyway, if that was you, you looked great on TV!
As I write this blog, my twins have runny noses. All three of us have head colds. This is their first experience with a cold. The cold mist humidifier helps them breath better at night. Saline drops and occasional use of the suction bulb allows them to breath while they nurse. Their technique is to rub their noses as if they have magical powers to make their snot disappear. Of course, this doesn't work, so they get frustrated resulting in tears which just increases their snot.
The last three nights they have slept through the night. The first night a 4 hour stretch, then 4 1/2 hours, and last night 7 hours. Maybe their head cold has made them sleepier? I thought having a cold would make them wake up more frequently due to being stuffed up. Either way, I've been getting some much needed sleep. The only problem is the longer they sleep, the less they nurse, and my breasts become engorged with milk. After their longest stretch of sleep, and after they nurse, I've had to pump in order to prevent a clogged duct and mastitis. It was a strange sensation pumping again. I haven't had to pump for at least 2 months. The 2 month break was nice. The good thing about having pumped breast milk, is I can use it to mix with their rice cereal. They seem to like their rice cereal better mixed with freshly pumped breast milk over the previously frozen breast milk. I can't blame them. Well, life is always an adventure. Got milk? We've got plenty here!
My twins have been practicing eating solids in the form of runny rice cereal for the 3rd week. About all we have accomplished is making a big mess. They don't seem anymore interested now than they did when they took their first bite. Just as much cereal comes out of their mouths as goes in. However, we did make a great discovery over the weekend while attending Yeah Baby. We bought several SungEase Bibs. Now my twins can eat runny rice cereal and they stay dry and clean. There is virtually no mess, except for when I spilled the entire bowl of cereal all over the high chair tray. So for those parents who are tired of wet and sticky kids with stained clothes after meals, try a SnugEase Bib. Believe me, it's a bib that really works!
I must apologize if I sound like an advertisement, but I just couldn't help sharing my discovery. Its nice to have a product that really works. In case you're curious and want to try a SnugEase Bib, they sell them at Goore's in Sacramento.
While in postpartum yoga on Wednesday, I discovered I have diastasis. I wish I had known back in August 2007 when I gave birth, so that I could have been doing exercises along the way to correct it sooner. But it 's never too late to start now.
Diastasis is a separation of the two halves of the rectus abdominus that sometimes occurs in pregnancy. It more commonly occurs in women carrying twins or higher order of multiples, but can occur with women carrying a singleton as well. To test for diastasis, lie on our back. Lift your head, and place two fingers in your belly button pointing down. If you feel a gap or space between the two sides of your abdominal muscles, you have diastasis. If you have diastasis, you will want to design your exercise program to avoid exacerbating the condition. The following website explains how diastasis works, recommended exercises to treat it, and how long it takes to recover. View website://health.howstuffworks.com/how-diastasis- works.htm The good news is that diastasis is not permanent. With the right type of exercise, it will heal. Before long, you'll be good as new. Well, that is what I'm telling myself. :) So I am off to start my daily exercises. Wish me luck!
After our walk Tuesday morning at McKinley Park, we had lunch with some other moms and their babies in West Sacramento. After lunch, it started to rain as we walked from West Sac over the I Street bridge through Old Town Sacramento, under the freeway, up K Street Mall, to Starbucks Coffee for drinks. After warming up, we continued walking past the Capitol, around Capitol Park, to the intersection of 15th & N Streets. Here we stopped to watch the final 4 laps of the AmGen Tour of California Bicycle Race. The riders raced by in a sea of bright colors on the slick wet streets. Most of the babies were awake watching the race and all of the commotion of the spectators. After the race ended, we walked back through K Street Mall. Visited Macy's to use their restroom, nursed and changed babies, and then made our way back over the I Street bridge into West Sac. Believe it or not, all 6 babies made it the entire afternoon without any meltdowns. It was a long day, with lots of walking, but everyone had a great time.
As a new mom, I thought my twins would never get cradle cap. I didn't even know what it was until one of my twins developed a severe case. Cradle cap is a form of seborrheic dermatitis. It looks like scales and feels like crusty, flaky, dry skin on the scalp.
The most frustrating thing about treating cradle cap, has been the conflicting information I have received from other moms, our pediatrician, and books. Treatments I have tried: 1. Washing his scalp once a week. This seemed to make it worse. 2. Brushing his scalp twice a day. This did not help. 3. Massaging vegetable oil into this scalp. This did not help. Currently, I wash his scalp daily with a Aveeno Baby Wash and Shampoo. Then I scrub his scalp with a soft brush. Twice a week I wash his scalp with Neutrogena T-Gel, a mild tar shampoo. The only thing I haven't tried is a humidifier in his room while he is sleeping. I've heard that this may help moisturize his skin. But my pediatrician suggested I only use the humidifier when the twins are sick with a cold. The reason being, the humidified requires daily cleaning, to prevent mold/mildew from being put into the air. After all of this, my twin still has a mild case of cradle cap. Will it ever go away?
Bicycling with the twins on the Big Blue Bus, our name for our tandem bicycle, has become a favorite family adventure we look forward to each weekend. My husband is the captain. I'm the stoker, and the twins are the passengers. My husband and I were avid cyclists before having our twins, so it seems natural to bring them along on rides in their bike trailer. In order to keep the kids safe and securely fastened in their seats, we use Kiddopotamus fleece inserts. Their bike trailer has a built in cover the protects them from various weather conditions.
We ride on the American River bike trail. Our favorite section of trail is between Watt Avenue and Beals Pointe. Not only is the bike trail beautiful, but there is virtually no vehicle traffic, with the exception of where the trail crosses park entrances. The first few rides with the kids, were about an hour in length. They slept the entire time. Every other ride, we have gradually increased the length. This last Saturday, we rode for 2 1/2 hours, just over 31 miles. The kids did great! They slept most of the time. And, even when they were awake, they did not cry. We had so much fun on Saturday, we rode again on Monday, President's Day. We are looking forward to the longer days and warmer temperatures of Spring. We'll be able to ride farther and longer. Some features of our upcoming rides will include stops in Fair Oaks at the Sunflower Drive-in, Gold River at Jamba Juice or Starbucks Coffee, and Beals Pointe for a picnic before heading back home. Send me an e-mail If any of you are interested in joining us on our rides. Feel free to view the three photos I attached to this post.
Yesterday I met a couple of moms from this site at Starbucks in Davis. We had a great time visiting and getting to know each other. One of the topics we discussed was, "When do you make time for yourself?"
We all agreed that open communication with your spouse or significant other was the first step in finding alone time. As a mom, we need to help them understand that just because we can meet other moms for coffee, or go for a walk or run, we still have our kid(s) with us. Alone time is very difficult to make with out help. I continually struggle with asking my husband for help with the kids. So I just asked him now if he would watch the kids tomorrow morning, so I could go for a run, alone. His answer was, " Yes, of course." Now, I just need to ask him for help more often. What are some ways you make time for yourself?
Even though my twin boys slept great last night, I didn't get much sleep. The usual, their sleep schedules were not synchronized. I am tired, but I know it's going to be a good day!
Grandma arrived just after 9 AM. While she played with the kids, I cleaned the bathrooms. While I was at yoga, she took the kids for a walk. By the time I arrived back home, the kids were ready to nurse and take a nap. Amazingly, the kids took a nap, actually sleeping, at the same time, for 30 minutes. Grandma was only here a few hours, but we all love it when grandma comes to play, no matter how long she stays. When Grandma's here, I know it's going to be a good day. 3:00 AM Last Saturday, I woke up to my twin boys crying because they needed their diapers changed and to be nursed. My stomach felt nauseous and my entire body ached. I had to take care of my kids, so I dragged myself out of bed, hoping it wasn't the flu. I already had my flu shot for the season. 4:00 AM The kids were back to sleep, and I was officially sick with the flu, making frequent visits to the bathroom. 6:00 AM I was so weak, I could barely move. My kids were crying, hungry, and ready to to get up to begin their day. All I wanted was to stay in bed and sleep. 7:00 AM My husband woke up and began to prepare to leave for his 4 hour bike ride. 8:00 AM I was nursing the kids again, when my husband asked me "Are you going to be okay?" In my sick state, all I could say was, "I guess so." Which was the incorrect answer. My husband headed out the door, saying "I'll leave my cell phone on." 10:30 AM For the past 2 1/2 hours I hung out on the couch with the kids, making random visits to the bathroom, and lifting the kids a little as possible. I felt as though I was going to pass out from dehydration and lack of food. I was concerned my milk supply was going to diminish and my kids wouldn't have enough to eat. I had reached a breaking point, I needed help! So I called my husband, telling him, "I need you to come home now!" 12:00 PM My husband finally returned home. It was at this time, he realized how sick I was, and that he should have never left. And at that moment, Super Dad emerged. He brought me water and 7-UP. He made me vegetable broth to drink. He changed the kids and brought them to me to nurse. He took the kids shopping all afternoon, returning home every two hours so the kids could nurse. I was able to nap in between nursing. The remainder of the day, evening, and into the night, Super Dad continued to help. 6:00 AM The next morning (Sunday) I felt so much better. I was still weak from being so sick, but as least I could function as a mom again. Lessons learned: Moms aren't suppose to get sick. But if they do, ask for help immediately. Every Dad can be a super hero, when given the opportunity.
My twins were born 5 1/2 weeks early. While they were newborns it was easy to keep them on the same feeding and sleeping schedule. They seemed to naturally be hungry and sleep at the same time. Now that they are 5 months (adjusted age), they aren't always on the same schedule.
There are days and nights, when no matter how hard I try, they do not sleep or feed at the same time. It was frustrating at first. I felt like an assembly line. Then I realized the positives in this situation. Their schedules are changing because they are each growing and developing. Their different schedules allow me a few moments of one on one time with each of them. After all, they are both individuals, each with their own set of needs. And just when I get use to one change, they'll change again. My twins continually remind me that change can be a good thing.
Every Tuesday morning a group of moms meet with their kids in strollers to walk around McKinley Park. Most of the same moms return to walk each week, along with a few new moms who join in on the fun. This morning as we walked, I realized the importance of the camaraderie we share. Even though we are all very different, unique individuals, we share something in common. We are all moms. It is this bond of motherhood that brings us together as friends, and keeps us returning each week, rain or shine!
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