Saturday, November 11, 2006

This is my life

I had a dream the other night that involved, among other things, putting the babies down for a nap and coming back to find them as toddlers running around. A few nights later I dreamed I was nursing one of them, except it (she?) was talking to me.* Do you think my subconscious thinks things are moving fast or something? :)

We have crossed the three month mark. MissM and B-Boy are blossoming, growing, changing. They are developing personalities, exploring, taking in the world. I put them on their fabulous floor quilts (made by a dear internet friend and greatly loved) and they kick and squirm and grin at me, at J, at the ceiling fan, at their favorite wall (black frames on a light wall - it’s captivated them from the very beginning). They are (slowly) learning to nap in their crib. They’re starting to notice each other. It’s beginning to seem real, like this is actually my life.

So, if this is my life, here are my latest questions:

Am I now a mommyblogger? And if I am, what does that mean to me?

Any tips on blankies or lovies? The kids seem to really like to grip fabric, but the blankets I initially offered are too big/heavy for them to maneuver (plus seem like too much to let them have when they're sleeping, ever). I know I can’t force them to pick a particular thing, but it would be good if the thing I offered had some potential, right?

Why does my MIL manage to find ways to be helpful when visiting more easily than my own mom does? How improbable.

How do the babies manage to sometimes sleep on totally different cycles, and other times wake up at exactly the same second?

Any advice for traveling with 4 month old twins? We’re heading cross country for Thanksgiving (though thankfully [ha!] flying outside of the major travel times. But still. If we’re not successful with the pumping/bottle routine by then, what do we do during takeoff and landing, since I can’t tandem nurse on the plane (and given that we bought seats for the kiddos, it seems like I shouldn’t be holding anyone during takeoff and landing anyway. So, if not bottles of pumped milk, what? Pacifiers? Bottles of water? Chamomile tea? (We’ll do formula if absolutely necessary, but the problem here isn’t the feeding so much as the sucking. Though given the seating configuration, and the fact that I can’t easily sit with both babies, feeding might be an issue at some point, too.)

*Also, I could see the milk as she sucked, like through a clear tube. I think my breast looked rather like a Podee.

7 comments:

  1. mmm I can only give advice re blankies which I assume are cuddly cloth things sort of pre-teddy. We call ours a 'snuggle' and it is a toy which is a lovely thick soft piece of cloth with a teddy head attached (he has a sleepy face) and instead of arms and legs he has knots in the cloth. My 4 month old does love his and wraps it around his face as he sleeps which is alarming at first but ok.

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  2. Blankie advice: something dark. Big G adopted a big white blanket, that he is holding wrapped around his head to ease the pain of his double ear infections at this very moment. It's permanently filthy. In truth though, they'll probably chose their own thing, and probably not til closer to a year old or so. Just hope that it's not one of your nighties. Happened to a friend of mine who is now trailed by a 3 y o daughter dragging around a silky turquoise slip.

    On flying, at 4 mos old, I think they'd be old enough that half water/half apple juice would be fine. Or if that worries you, you could try sugar water. They're more likely to suck on the bottle with something like that than with breastmilk if they aren't taking the bottle well. Whatever you do, try it out once beforehand. Pacifiers work just as well if you can be sure they'll take them.

    And I'm so glad the quilts (crappily constructed as they were) are coming in handy!

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  3. I think the babies will do just fine on the takeoff and landing without having to suck on anything. We've flown quite a bit with our twin boys and have never had any problem. Unless your babies are sick, they should not have a problem with the pressure change. Just nurse them one at a time during the flight.

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  4. Yeah, I think you're a mommyblogger now. What that means, well, I'm still trying to figure that out for myself.

    Lovies, we have some, but they don't seem interested yet. They like to hold things that get near them, but they don't really reach out for things yet. I read somewhere to just leave them in the crib for now eventually they will attach to them when they want to. But they are too blanket like for me to feel comfortable leaving in there right now.

    Sleep: No advice, but I feel your pain on that one.

    For the plane, I'd rather do pacifiers or some water than formula personally, but I don't think it will make a difference what you give them.

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  5. I've been reading your blog for a while but never post. But I had to because I just was looking back over your old posts and resonate with so many things -- my B/G twins are also different in size, currently about 3 pounds different at 10 weeks. And the bathing thing, we had dirty children for a while as well! Thanks for putting it all in writing.

    On the blanket front, someone bought us these things called silkies -- little blanket squares with silky edges. Not really ready for them yet, but look comforting. Oh yes, and someone else bought us ookies, which are kind of like stuffed toys but really simple and almost like a blanket. Supposed to carry it with mom for a while to get her scent and then give it to the babes.

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  6. There's a great thing called a Raggy Tag. They are designed and made in England but I am sure you could get one in the states or order online. You can get cotton or velour and it has different colours and textured ribbon. They are great.

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  7. The Big Taggie at http://www.toys2wish4.com/bigtaggie.html because they're right, babies love tags.

    Also any of the "doll/bear head on a velour body" type toys -- Magic Cabin has the most reduced form possible at
    http://tinyurl.com/smk6c

    No idea what it is about MILs, but even when mine was driving me crazy (and she did that for two solid years when the babies were first conceived/born), she was always still more helpful than my mom.

    No idea on the sleep. Courage.

    I hope you traveled successfully and are now full of wise advice!

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