How is everybody?

[charmarty]

I havent been here in a while. I want to know how you all are doing???????????Howz your life in twinland??????
Check in kepp me up to date...share..rant.vent I am here for it all!

[Tigerchild]

Things are settling down a bit here, now that Dylan and Tom have hit the 3 month mark.

I am still a bit worried that Dylan is lagging behind Tom by about 1 1/2-2 pounds (yes, I know that is silly to worry about, can't help it though). But they are actually starting to look more and more alike! I am kind of glad that there is a noticeable size diffrence between them, so that I can get to know them and hopefully I'll never have a problem telling them apart at a glance! Both boys coo and smile a lot...Dylan is the more ready smiler, Tom normally requires some entertainment first. They are both snugglers. Also, they have just started to notice each other. Before this point they could not have cared less about the other's presence (outwardly, anyway), but now they will smile and coo at each other as well. The all time favorite of the household is their big sister Fiona, though. Both boys LOVE to look at her and light up when they hear her voice. She likes to kiss and pet them, but still can get a little rough--though this bothers my husband and I more than the babies!

Nursing is going well, no issues with supply or weight gain. I'm feeling physically better now that they're giving me 3-4 hour breaks inbetween nursing sessions...the round-the-clock thing was really exhausting.

http://home1.gte.net/res0tv8j/newboys.jpg

This is Tom:
http://home1.gte.net/res0tv8j/newtom.jpg

And this is Dylan:
http://home1.gte.net/res0tv8j/newdylan.jpg

[amnesiac]

Yeah, Charmarty's back! I am so glad your baby girls are feeling more themselves these days!

Aren't Tigerchild's boys just too cute?! I think those first 4 months were probably the hardest for me too.

My boys are 8 1/2 & just started third grade. They're also about to start Cub Scouts for the first time. They're growing up too fast.

[lexbeach]

Hi Everybody!

Things are going great here in Jasper and Lukas land. They are 6.5 months old, and life has gotten much easier. I think the major turning point was when the boys learned how to crawl. Luke started a little after 5 months, and Jasper started at 6 months. They were both sooooo frustrated in the month or so before they figured it out. It seemed like they were never content to be on the floor because it was just so frustrating. I was going a bit nuts myself (major understatement ). But now Luke and Jaz both are just zooming all over the place, happy as clams. Jasper makes Luke laugh all the time which is just about the cutest thing in the world. They do lots of wrestling, and neither seems to mind it so we let it happen. One neat thing is that if I put them both down to play in the "playroom," they will, without a doubt, end up right next to each other playing with the same toy. Whenever one of them heads over to a new toy, the other will certainly follow.

I am still nursing them all the time, probably every two hours if not more often. They don't have any interest in eating solid food yet (though lots of interest in grabbing it off of our plates!). I am mostly nursing them one at a time, but lately have tried doing them tandem a couple of times. It's a bit awkward though since they are so big (18 and 20 lbs), but still aren't able to support themselves that much while they nurse.

Tigerchild: your babies are adorable!

Can't wait to hear how everyone else is doing!

Lex

[Amandzia]

Oh, I love to hear about the babies! It helps me remember when my two and half yr olds were tiny. I remember that point where they just started to notice eachother and the first interactions between them. Now they play pretend games together and it's soooo cute!
Tigerchild, I have a Fiona too! That's a great name.
My girls are fraternal but I still get them mixed up at first glance very often. Their mannerisms and size are different as well as their temperments, but they look a lot alike. People often think they are identical. The zigote test indicated they are fraternal, but it won't test for polar body twinning. Does anyone know about that sort of twinning? It's when one egg split before being fertilized by two sperm. I don't know if they test for that. Sorry, off topic.T

[charmarty]

So glad to hear things are good for everyone!
Tigerchild your children are beautiful! Love those huge smiles!

Hey there amnesiac I do know what you mean when you say they grow up too fast! The time really is flying by for us too. So everybody keeps telling me things only get harder as they get older. Zat true?


Lex~good to hear from you too!
My your boys have grown since the last time I took peek at thier pictures! But they were new born then. Still little heart breakers!

Amandzia~sorry Icant answer your ?But I am sure someone here can. Our children are almost the same age.Mine (id girls) will be 3 next month! Time flies!!!
I can totally relate to the pretend games they play! I am a little worried cuz now thay are are already switching identities on us! I will aks them something and end with thier name and they will say "NO!I am (sisters name)!"LOL!
They call each other `sister` all the time.
"You ok my sister?"
"I love you my sweet sister"
"Sister, time to eat!"
Its soooo cute!




I cant wait to hear form others.
Take care

[amnesiac]

So everybody keeps telling me things only get harder as they get older.

Not IME. Though I will say that there does appear to be some kind of developmental stage they're entering right now & one of the boys' teachers confirmed that it's common for them to go through this independent/rebellious type phase somewhere late 2nd-3rd grade.

[Amandzia]

I don't think it gets necessarily harder, just different. The challenges change. It just seems that whatever stage they're in is the hardest. It's the "grass is always greener" thing. The memories of the difficult phases fade as they enter different difficult phases. At least, that's how I see it....on my good days. On the tough days, "It's the worst day!!!" LOL
~Amanda

[flminivanmama]

my twins are three and a half (and my other son is 2 and a half) and so far it is only getting easier. Each stage is progressivly better and makes things easier (first palying together, then walking, then talking, now potty training) of course there are major challenges but.... you know

[JoDoula]

Hi! I don't know if anyone remembers me. I posted while i was pregnant. We had our babies 7 weeks ago...at home! It was a wonderful birth. They are doing great, and sleeping so well. I am amazed. It is easier than I thought! ( Knock on wood!) It is neat to be here amongst those that have walked this path. Thanks! Here is our website my awesome doula and friend put together for us. The Homebirth of my Twins

[Amandzia]

to jo

congradulations!
It's so great to hear a happy twin birth story. We hear so much about what goes wrong that it can scare pregnant women. I hope you'll spread the word to all pregnant mommy's, twin or singlton that it's good to be prepared, but to expect a happy birth. I'm so happy for you and your family!
~Amanda

[angie6]

Everything is fine here too! I haven't had much time to get on here lately and miss the wisdom that everyone has to offer.

My 2 year old twins drive me insane in ways that none of my other 4 children ever did but they also give me an over-whelming sense of joy at the same time! Parenting twins or other multiples is a very different parenting journey and can only be understood by those that have walked the same path! I am so glad we are all here for each other.

We have big changes going on in our life now and am hoping that Amber and Jade and the other kids handle it all well. We will be moving in 3 weeks to a wonderful 100+ year old farm house sitting on a very beautiful 5+ acres. I have always been a city girl and so have all my children so this will be a huge change. We currently live in our dream home we had bulit 5 years ago but when the twins came along I quit my job and we simply can not afford to stay here any longer. It is sad because it has all the room we could ever need and is perfect in every way other then the cost. I just hope the new owners treat it well!

I plan on potty training as soon as Amber and Jade show signs they are comfortable with the move. They have actually been using their potties for a long time but I haven't really pushed the issue yet.

I also plan on weaning sometime soon after that. They are causing me to get mastitis regulary due to the way they push their heads into my breasts and they will not stop. They are also starting to use the breasts as a control issue. I can not even sit down to try to take a break because they instantly climb on me and assume the position to nurse everytime I sit down. It is getting very annoying. Have others gone through this? Amber is getting over thrush that she developed due to me having to take an antibiotic when I had a very bad case of mastitis the last time. I honestly think she has had a touch of thrush her entire 2 years of life but the doctors said NO. Well she always had a white coating on her tongue and some toher symptoms and now that she is on Nystatin guess what, the white coating and symptoms have disappeared! Hmmmmmmm! What is weird is that Jade has never developed it and I didn't get it on my nipples. I have to say I ave never seen thrush as bad as it was in the very back of Amber's throat. It was weird!

All of my other kids started new schools this year and things seem to be going well so far. I have one that started highschool. one starting middleschool, one transferring to a new school in 4th grade and one starting kindergarden. It has been very busy!

Well it is late and I need sleep badly so I will close! Goodnight everyone!!!!!! Good luck all you new moms! Hang in there it does get easier over time!
Angie

[Amandzia]

reply to Angie

Angie,
Good luck and congradulations on move. I fear it may hinder the potty training and weaning efforts, though. But, who knows. The excitement of going potty in a new place and the distractions from bfing may actually help.
I know what you mean about sitting down and having toddlers jump into your lap and laying down into the bfing position. I often stand and lean on the counter to read or have a cup of tea for that very reason. We haven't had any thrush, thank goodness, but it's just not so comfortable any more. I've been keeping nursing to bedtime, wake up time and nap time...usually. I try to make a game of it. When they come and ask to nurse, I pick them up and kiss them lots and laugh and say, "no noo-noo's now, that's for bedtime!" Sometimes they laugh and accept it. I try to remember to give them plenty of non bfing related attention too.
I think your kids will have a wonderful life at the new place. What a wonderfully large family you have. I'd love to have more kids. I've been trying to talk my husband into adoption, but he's resistant to adding more kids into the mix at his age, 49.
~Amanda

[1Plus2]

Hello, everyone! It's so good to read updates on you all and catch up!

My girls are just over 9-months-old and it's so hard to believe that they've been here longer then I was pregnant with them. They are both crawling everywhere and have begun pulling up on the furniture. They are very busy babies and into everything...saying I'm really on my toes is quite the understatement. They are each nursing about 4 times during the day and a lot at night still. They started solids at about 5 1/2 months and are little piggies! They've got 6 teeth each and are working on number's 7 and 8.

Come look at my girls when you get a chance:

http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/l/lilliefaith
Password: two girls

[lexbeach]

Karen: your girls have gotten so big! And they are sooo abdorable! I especially love the beach photos of all three kids. I can't believe Lillie and Faith are only nursing four times a day! My guys are still nursing way too many times to count. . . at least 10 times a day each. But perhaps they'll cut down in the next two months! Anyway, it was great to see your babies. I need to update my page too!

Lex

[1Plus2]

Hi, Lex! Thanks for taking a peek at their page...I love those beach pictures too. We had such a good time on our vacation...it ended way too soon.

The girls are nursing about 4 times during the day but they are still about every 2 hours at night. So, I guess that makes it about 10 times in a 24 hour period. And it shows...you should see their chunky thighs!

[Periwinkle]

Hi everyone! I haven't been here in a while. I love to hear how everyone is doing and glad we're all hanging in there!

Dd and ds are 16 months old now. Life is so good. Yes challenges are different, but man it's nothing like newborn days. They are great sleepers, which is a godsend, and eat pretty much anything and everything. I'm holding my breath that toddler finickiness doesn't take that away! I used to think they noticed each other and interacted, but oh wow, nothing prepared me for their toddler antics! They make up games (for example, taking turns chasing each other under the dining room table), call each other by name (soooo cute!), give each other hugs, and are so ecstatic when they are reunited (e.g., if I take one of them to the grocery store while the other stays home with daddy).

They are still nursing, but not much at all anymore - a couple of times a day for a few minutes each max. They're always on the go, and just don't want to sit still during the day to nurse, but like to do a few catch up sessions at night. Plus they drink cow's milk (and water) from cups, and eat all table foods now. I think with 20/20 hindsight, the switch to cow's milk sped up weaning. They love their milk - probably drink a pint or maybe a little more per day. So I guess when they drink milk from other sources, they wean earlier (not surprising). Not sure if I would do it differently if I had to do it over again, but I was sort of shocked at how "early" they cut back on nursing. I stopped tandem nursing a long time ago... they like the special "mama time" so much and I love paying attention to each one individually.

We're down to one nap a day, which is terrific most days. Still a bit of an adjustment others. More and more, they're able to extend their early afternoon nap to be a "mega nap", but occasionally they just sleep for 1-1.5 hours and are cranky by bedtime (which is around 7pm). They've also extended their nighttime sleep from about 11 hours to about 12 hours, which is wonderful.

New challenges: mostly just run of the mill toddler stuff. I've been trying to figure out how to effectively discipline them individually without causing confusion for the other one. (I mean gentle discipline, of course.) e.g., if I say "You may not hit the kitty. Here, gentle touches for the kitty" then the other one a) gets interested in what all the hubbub's about (!) and b) starts hitting the kitty too. They are doing a lot of copying these days and I have to think fast when one is doing something, so as not to inadvertently make it into a game! As in, let's all bang on the windows!!!

:LOL

Anyway, I am so glad to have it this toddler phase. Life IS a lot easier for us now, and for the first time in a while, feels back on an even keel.