Five Months Old
Sheesh… are the girls really five months old already? In fact, they are more than a week in. Am I going to start every post like this? In shock that they are yet another month older? Maybe. Probably.
This has been a tremendous month in terms of growth and learning for us all. The girls continue to develop gross motor skills, sleep amazingly well and are now developing more and more social skills. They are totally alert, bright and engaging. We love them so much we hardly know what to do with ourselves. We gush to each other about how gorgeous and wonderful they are about every 2-3 minutes when we are in the house. In public we try to rein it in a bit, though I’m not sure how successful we are.
This month’s blog took me a while to get out mostly because I’m just so damn busy but also because, sadly, we took an unexpected trip to Seattle for a friend’s Celebration of Life Memorial—our friend, Lisa Mills, died in a motorcycle accident. After our shock and grief, we chose to make her memorial the girls first trip out of town. Overall, despite the very sad circumstances, the trip went very well.
Gina and I
We continue to have some struggles but overall we amaze me. We are still laughing, still forgiving and still working the “team” thing pretty damn well. Occasionally (okay, maybe more than occasionally), I become totally frustrated because Gina doesn’t “see” the dirty diaper(s) she’s left on the changing table, the lid she’s left off the clove oil, the clothes she left on the floor, and at the worst moment can’t find the 7th binky she managed to lose that day. Ah well… I’m not so easy to live with either it turns out: more irritable than may be called for, more critical than is necessary and I could probably use a big fat joint to just relax… but since pot isn’t my thing, I’m hope to get a long massage sometime soon (and knock back a glass of wine before hand, if timing works out). Until then, I’m managing to take a bath in the evenings here and there and read my first novel (The Hunger Games) in about 8 months.
My Body
This past month I’ve had unexpected hormonal stuff. JUST when the girls started sleeping so well I got insomnia. Like, no joke. I had about 2 weeks of getting some sleep respite (if sleeping 2 hours at a time for a total of 6 hours is a respite) when the insomnia kicked in. What the FUCK?! Seriously? I looked at all reasons psychological… all the stress of less money than in over a decade, planning to move out of the house in the summer (downsizing in order to afford a 1-income household), new babies, etc… and for the life of me I couldn’t figure it out. Then I started getting some ovulation-type discharge. Hmm. Next thing I knew I was super teary and irritable and at night I would sweat so profusely that when I did sleep (30 minutes at a time) I’d wake up with my clothes, hair and sheets so wet that everything needed to be changed. Besides being totally annoying, I was again, exhausted beyond belief.
I called my ND and she suggested melatonin for the sleep issues (along with the cortisol pills I was taking), and black cohosh for the night sweats. The first night I slept so damn good I could have kissed her on the lips. However, I sweat worse than ever. BUT, the second night, the sweats stopped. Just like that I woke up dry as a bone. The weepiness, irritability, etc. ended, too. I felt softer. The monster than had hijacked my body was finally gone. I could exhale easily.
Two days later I started my period. WHAT? I was just at my OB annual appointment when she told me that I wouldn’t get my period for about a year so long as I was nursing.
In hindsight, it all makes sense with the above symptoms, I just didn’t expect it to come to soon. I told my ND and she said not to worry, it’s all normal and that it would not impact my milk production in the least. Phew. Still, I couldn’t help but to feel a bit sad, like some part of my pregnancy experience just ended. The door closed. The little bubble my body was in is now over. It surprised me how emotional I felt about it. So, guess I’m a nursing mama that can get knocked up again if I wanted to…
In other news, I am thrilled to share that for some unknown reason, my milk is back a bit in my left boobie. I consistently get 1-2 oz each pumping (which seems small to the 5-8 oz) on my right boobie but when added up, it’s 4oz a day and 20oz a week. Not chump change, eh? In total, this gives me 8-11oz per pumping (which I do 2x a day) instead of 5-8. This is FANTASTIC!
Fini
Speaking of… after a bit of conversation “just to be sure”, we are clear we are not having any more children.
I have found that many twin mamas, including myself, want to be pregnant again after twins just so they can have the experience of a singleton pregnancy… even if the fantasy of it is better than the reality. And even if we don’t want the kid in the end… it’s the pregnancy that we all fantasize about given how difficult and extra challenging a twin pregnancy can be. So, once I saw that (i.e. I long to be pregnant again for the experience of it, I don’t necessarily long for another child), I just let go. The Oregon Reproductive Medicine has been on us regarding what to do with our left over vials of sperm. I’ve been stalling. I’ll be calling them on Monday and letting them know they can go ahead and “destroy” the vials. Now, the frozen embryos we have? That is a different story. I’m not quite ready to let those go. Soon, but I need to be in the right space.
Come ON, get to the GIRLS!!!
Okay… here’s the deal. They are so FUN and FABUOUS!
Genevieve is working on sitting up now. She sort of sits up and hunches over with her hands between her legs. She’s still mostly floppy right now but in a matter of weeks she’ll be an old pro, I’m sure. Calliope is not far behind.
Calliope is a pro at rolling over BOTH ways now. Front to back and back to front. She doesn’t look like she’s anywhere close to doing it and then all the sudden, pop!, over she goes. Genevieve rolls on her belly all the time and prefers sleeping on her side or her belly now. She looks so sweet and cozy that way. Calliope sleeps in all ways, belly, back, whatever mood strikes her.
The rolling over and enjoying being on their bellies more and more now seemed to really take a leap after the most recent cranial sacral adjustment. When they are awake and on their tummies, they look like they are swimming– as they are practicing crawling. The cranial sacral guru who was here last week said they both look like they’ll be early crawlers (like I was). So… we’ll enjoy this “non-mobile” time while we have it! Looks like in just a matter of 6-8 weeks or so they could be, at the very least, scooting along somehow.
Their motor skills are getting more and more succinct now, too. I sat and watched Genevieve stare at her thumb as she aimed and pulled it toward the big whole on her face the other day. The look of concentration was more than I could stand. I almost reached for the video camera but didn’t want to miss the moment. They can now put their paci’s in and out on their own too, and last week Genevieve held her own bottle for a meal.
Calliope still tends to be more verbal and Genevieve more physical. Though that said, G just found a whole new level of her voice last week and has been using it ever since! The look on her face when she belted out a sound 3 decibels above her usual made Gina and I spontaneously burst into fits of laughter. Then of course, she kept on! Still though, G is mainly a kinesthetic girl, she loves to feel a hand, face or just skin near her to get sleepy and she’s a major cuddler when she’s awake. Calliope expresses herself all day long with her voice and body so that when it’s time to sleep you just lay her down with her “monkey” and she’s out. Genevieve needs to “wind down” a bit more.
They both love standing now, too. Their muscles are getting stronger every day– it’s miraculous to witness. They really like holding our hands and pulling themselves up from play time or a diaper change and standing up with just a light grip on our fingers for balance. They get big gummy grins on their faces, really loving the new view apparently!
Speaking of gums, they have teething toys they love chewing on, green rubbery-like rings that their Nana gave them, Sophie the Giraffe from friend Kerry, and of course hands and fingers. They also have some favorite toys they play with now, too. Still drooling and no clear chompers yet but the gums are no longer slippery where the teeth will be, they are just slightly rough, threatening to break though any day now.
They are still sleeping like champs, too! Callie will go down around 6pm and sleep until 8 or 8:30am, waking for two feedings in there and G goes down around 6:30 or 7 and wakes up (usually) at 7am on the nose with also two feedings. That said, just this last week they have been stretching that first feed to later and later so that there is only one nighttime feed (2am) and then an early morning feed. We still bring them back to our bed most often in the early morning hours (6am). Getting to wake up with them and snuggle for a bit is one of my favorite parts of the day.
Naps are still easy and plentiful too. Now that they are older, they can skip a 90 minute cycle here and there and go 3 hours awake. They can’t do it more than once a day but we take great advantage on the weekends, though by Monday, we have to make sure we really get them back on track. I suppose the hardest thing about naps right now is that the girls have an uncanny ability to sleep exactly opposite each other right now. One will wake within 5 minutes of another falling asleep. Occasionally there’s a bit of sleep overlap, like 20 minutes or so, I use that time to cram food in my face, pee and that’s about it. In essence, this means no downtime for me at all. In the next few months as they get older, I’ll sync them back up again, but right now in their development it’s best for them to sleep in their own rhythms as they each need.
Family Time
Two weekends ago (which was Easter weekend) it was sunny and warmish for the first time all year and we had so much fun as a family. I kept saying over and over all weekend… I love our family! I just LOVE our family!
We strapped the girls on us in our baby carriers and took them to the Saturday Market on the water front. We listened to music, ate delicious gyros, watched street performers where the girls saw many of their first instruments (sax & drums namely), got lots of “Oh my gosh how cute, twins!” attention and the girls even took a nap in the quiet area with a nice breeze.
The next day we cleaned house but around 1pm we realized the day was even warmer than the day before so we took blankets and an umbrella out on the front lawn and stripped the girls naked. They laid out there in the warm shade for hours. We nursed, visited with neighbors, laughed and played. The girls absolutely loved it and so did we. This was the first time they had felt warm air and sun on their whole bodies. It was crazy obvious how good it felt for them physically and emotionally. That night, Calliope slept from 6pm-9:30am. We got her up for two feeds but she slept through them. Genevieve wasn’t shabby either with her 7pm-8:30am sleep.
This past weekend we took the girls to the Kennedy School for their first time in a soaking pool. The last time they were there I was in labor. They LOVED it! They are absolute naturals in the water, which makes this Mama very, very happy. The pictures below say it all.
In Sum
All in all… we are really, really good. The girls are sleeping well, they are developing miraculously and playing with them is a total blast. Their personalities are so great- Gina and I say often that we really like who they are.
G and I are finding a rhythm together as well. Camille continues to be a godsend (she met us in Seattle and babysat for us while we went to the memorial—all gratis) and I find that having her just each morning helps me get food, a shower, milk pumped, dishes done and my day off to a great (and sane) start.
My fortieth birthday is next month, hard to believe. I actually think we may be ready to go out on a date solo! The girls have plenty of people in their lives that they love and trust as do we… who knows, perhaps we’ll get a nice meal out and maybe even a movie!
Until then,
Love, gratitude and all the goodness that babies bring.
xo
The girls first trip to Ikea... getting a second crib!
I love this photo just for the funny facial expressions....I can only imagine what Genevieve (right) is saying to Calliope.
I love this photo because it's the view that I always dreamed of and now have...
Genevieve (left) as always, with some part of her touching her sister.
Genevieve getting some giggles out just before nap time.
Regina and Callie in baby Bjorn at the Saturday Market
Gina and Genevieve in baby Bjorn at the Saturday Market
Regina and Girls at the Saturday Market
Genevieve smiling in the sun!
Calliope's little faux hawk... this is on our trip to Seattle... she was very tired here.
The girls first Hotel stay... again, G outreached to C. 🙂
Calliope in her red sunhat
Gina with Callie (now in green hat) and Amy with Genevieve in red hat
Calliope flying in her green hat!
Genevieve flying in her red hat!
Giggling Calliope.
Gina heading on a walk with Calliope
Regina in the Kennedy Soaking Pool with the girls (C on left, G on right)
The girls LOVED the pool. This is one of my all time fav pics of Genevieve!
This photo is taken in the very same place we took a pic of me on the day I went into labor... it's a full circle at it's finest.