ME!

I have breastfeed the twins for 11 months. And when I say I have breastfeed the girls for 11 months, I mean it. They hardly had any supplementation from formula (less than one cans worth in 11 months). There were times when I wanted to throw in the towel and just be done with breastfeeding, but I persevered and here we are- 11 months later.

I think one of the driving forces that kept me breastfeeding for as long as I did was the convenience factor. I did not have to prep, make, and wash bottles. I did not have to mix and warm formula. I did not have to worry about holding two bottles for two different babies at the same time. Have you tired to feed two infants bottles at the same time? I don’t find it easy. I know a lot of twin and triplet moms feed their kids bottles at the same time, but I just could not get that skill down. The milk ended up spilling all over them. One of the girls would scream while I tired to get the other one feed. It was a disaster. So breastfeeding was just simpler. I used a twin nursing pillow. Put them on the pillow and feed them at the same time- about 10-15 minutes later they were done. No mess, No prep, No clean up…Just done

But here is the catch… I did not do bottles very often. Anna gets a bottle every night before she goes to bed with daddy while I breast feed Molly. I did this because I don’t have enough milk to satisfy them both at that feeding. Now, Molly refuses a bottle all together. My mother-in-law has watched the girls a few times recently for me and Molly refuses her bedtime bottle and just went to sleep without that feeding. I tired last night and she did the same for me, even after 5 different bottles/ sippy cups. AHHHHH!!!!

I wanted to start the process of weaning the girls because they are going to be one in a month. But at this rate, I might be breastfeeding until they are they are 18. Okay, not that long, but I am so scared that they are never going to wean.

So if there are any moms out there who had kids who gave them trouble weaning and taking a bottle or sippy cup, please share your advice. I am glad I made it this far with breastfeeding, but I am ready to be done.

* Cooper had a stomach bug (I think he is on the mend)
* Anna cuts her two top teeth
* Anna & Molly have double ear infections
* Anna breaks out in some usual rash on her back
* I get sick with a stomach thing for two days
* 3 trips to the doctors for the twins
* Fussy 10.5 months olds
* Anna has trouble sleeping
* Cooper is walking around saying, “Mommy hold me” all day.
* My house is a wreck
* I am beat tired
* Oh, Doctor tells me today that Anna is cutting a molar now
* My patience is running thin
* I cannot take two steps away from Anna without her loosing it.

Sigh… It has been a rough week. Please pray for us.

Cooper loves the movie cars. He owns almost all the characters from the movie in match box car size. Here is a video of Cooper playing with his Cars on a track/ packing lot I made with painters tape. I got the idea from Becca’s blog. She has a ton of great ideas you can do with your toddler. You should totally check out her blog!

Sorry that I have not been so good at adding videos. But here is a short little clip of the kids I took the other morning. Nothing special, but I thought it would be nice for all of you to see them in action. Enjoy!

This is my second winter in Houston and I have to admit, my blood might be thinning a little. I don’t handle the cold as well as I use to. I have grown use to not having to wear a jacket and enjoy not having to warm my car up before I get in. Even thought I’ve become more of a wimp in cold weather, I still laugh at Houston’s response to “winter weather”.

Houston Weather forcasted that we were going to get snow and maybe freezing rain. Before ANYTHING happened, everything closed. All school systems were closed. All church activities canceled. Walmart was packed with people buying toilet paper and milk for when we all get “snowed” in. Local businesses decided to announce they would be closed before the storm even hit.

SO WHAT HAPPENED? YOU ASK….
Nothing much really. I woke up and opened my window and saw not much. There was a little ice on the flower beds, but our road seemed fine. We turned on the news, and a few roads had some black ice,  but if your from Maryland, you know that as the morning warms up, the black ice will melt away. The news reporters were making such a stink about the treacherous conditions on the road and advising people to stay home. Seriously?

My father-In Law sent me this video. It cracks me up because it is exactly how people in Houston respond to the mention of “bad weather.” Enjoy!

Cooper: Is that a hotdog?
Chris: No, it’s a popsicle. Daddy’s throat hurts and this helps sooth it.
Cooper: Is it good?
Chris: Mmmm hmmm.
Cooper: My throat hurts.

So recently, we have been trying to turn bad situations into happier ones with Cooper. So we have be telling him to laugh when he is getting his hair washed (because he hates water poured on his head). Or when he is in time-out, I ask him if he is done whining and crying because he has to have a happy heart to come out. Those are just some examples.

Well, he has been applying this “happy” thing incorrectly apparently. So today, Molly was in the playroom play near Cooper as he sat on a stool near the window and played with cars. Molly fell over and I rushed back into the room to pick her up and console her. I did not even think Cooper was the cause of her falling over until he blurted out, “Mommy, I’m happy. Molly fell down.” This is Cooper’s way of saying, “Please don’t punish me. Look, I’m happy, I cannot get in trouble if I’m happy.” I decided to quiz him a little more to see if he had pushed her down, but he just kept on insisting he was happy and Molly fell down. Humm, I guess I need to do a little bit more instruction on what “happy” means and telling the truth.

I just got back from the twin’s 9 month check-up at the doctors office. So it appears that Anna May has finally “caught up” with her sister. Anna was almost a pound lighter than Molly at birth. They were the exact same height and weight now.  Anna still have a larger head though (she must be smarter, haha). Doctor said they looked healthy and no real concerns for either of the girls

Anna May
Height: 27.5”(48%ile)
Weight: 15 lbs 13 oz (6%ile)
Head: 44.5cm (65%ile)

Molly
Height: 27.5”(48%ile)
Weight: 15 lbs 13 oz (6%ile)
Head:44cm (50%ile)

The twins will be 9 months old on January 9th. My daughters are so sweet and I love them so much. They are such good babies.

I am just LOVING them right now. They are playing together so well. They got a little tikes play kitchen for Christmas from my mother-in-law. They love it. They are sitting there and playing with it together. Then they will crawl over and start playing with their activity table together. They laugh at each other and it is so cute. SO different than when Cooper was this age. The girls hardly require any of my attention these days. It is cute to watch them “explore” together. They will crawl together, play together. Just the other day they were sitting in the hall way together playing with Cooper’s new car track and getting the biggest kick out of the toy and themselves. Cute! Cooper could not play that long on his own. I think having a constant friend your age makes independent play a whole lot easier. Their naps have been good. No new teeth seem to be trying to pop up, which probably explains why they are so content all the time. They still wear 6 months, but they are slowly starting to get to the point where they are near the end of the clothing size and working towards 6-9 month clothing. Their favorite toys right now are Cooper’s cars, this activity kick gym that sings and has a spinning wheel, the Little Tikes Kitchen my MIL gave them, and the Leap Frog Activity Table. Cooper and the girls end up fighting over the little toy cars pretty much every day. I think I might have some tom boys on my hands

Quick Little Anna Highlights
Anna is my “happy baby”. She is always happy and smiling. She does not have much stranger anxiety and loves to be around the action and other people. Anna LOVES Chris. If Chris is in another room, Anna starts crawling right toward him- so cute. Anna is also our Cheerleader. When she gets excited, she starts to flap her arms up and down and screech. Anna’s favorite thing to babble is- babababa. She will say this syllable in various ways and it sometimes seems like she is having a conversation with you. Anna is very independent. She loves to crawl all over the bottom floor of the house exploring. She tends to be the leader of the girls and Molly just tags along. Anna LOVES her blankies. She sleeps with a few different ones and she chews on them. It is kind of gross because when I wake her up in the morning or from her naps, he blankies are always wet from her slobber and her chewing on them.

Quick Little Molly Highlights
Molly is my sensitive, cuddle bug. She loves to snuggle. When I put her down for her naps, she loves to rest her head against my chest and suck her thumb. When she get’s tired, she starts to suck her thumb, which in my opinion, is so cute. She needs reassurance from Chris and I more than Anna. She tends to want to be around us more than Anna. Molly loves her big brother Cooper though. She loves to be around him and crawl on him. Cooper has an affection for Molly too, it is cute to see the two of them interacting. Cooper pretends he is chasing the girls, which means he is just running by them and making them laugh. Molly loves it when Cooper does this and just busts out laughing. Molly has a great chuckle and when she laughs and smiles she crinkles her nose up, which is so adorable.

New Developments:
Fully crawling
Babbling a Ton
Can go from laying down to sitting up
Crouches on knees
finger grasp much better- can eat small pieces of cheese and puffs
Just Anna can pull up to standing, Molly is not quiet there yet
Take their hand and pat their mouths to make the sounds of “wa, wa, wa, wa”

Anna May, Cooper, Molly

Love, Chris, Susanne, Cooper, Molly, & Anna May