Thursday, September 29, 2011

Our new normal

I was so anxious to find out what our new normal would be - going from 1 daughter to 2 daughters and a son. It is calming to be in a routine and have a schedule. Even if I am back at work and it is non-stop.

The babies are now a little over 14 weeks old and wow, things just keep getting better. I remember about 10 weeks ago hitting the wall of exhaustion and thinking I would NEVER get to sleep again. I convinced myself of this. Well, I made it through and I am now averaging 7 hours a night! 6+ of which are straight! Holy Cow - it is fabulous. As I read other blogs of newborn twins my heart goes out to them.....those first 8 weeks are really not cool. I am here for anyone who needs a pep talk!!

Some recent pictures:






I have been meaning to post about the book I use - I never hear of anyone else using it but my sister introduced me to it. It is The Contented Little Baby Book. When I was pregnant with Charlotte I had no idea what to do with a baby when I brought her home - no idea when and how often to nurse, what to do with her, etc. This book provides very "strict" schedules based on age. The whole premise of the book is to teach your baby to sleep from 7pm to 7am. Um, yes please. There is a lot of over the top advice, but if you read it you can understand her thought process and take bits and pieces as you need. I tried to start following it around 6 weeks - which I think was a bit difficult as the babies still slept alot and wanted to eat more often. Right around 12 weeks they were able to start following the schedule and guess what, they started sleeping the longest stretch ever....between 6-7 hours straight. Just wanted to share. (There is a twin version, but I prefer the regular one)


Baby stats...

Bennett is cooing and making all kinds of fun noises. And when he smiled he pulls in his lips. He is HUGE - probably almost 17lbs and sleeping in 9month PJ's right now. He eats like a champ and is sleeping at night from 7pm-10pm (10-11 we have awake and eating time) then from 11pm - 6:45am. Rock on Bennett. He is starting to reach for toys and rolls onto his side. Bennett watches his big sister like a hawk.

Violet smiles the biggest smiles I have ever seen. Her mouth is open, her eyes wide, and she just makes your heart and soul happy. She is quiet except for her gassy grunts. An occasional coo (but loud) here and there. She was sleeping great but has gotten into a routine of waking around 5:30 rather than going all the way to 7. Maybe she is just extra hungry right now. She is also grabbing toys and kicks her legs up to roll to the side.

And for good measure...Charlotte. She has come out of this all a stronger, happier, more caring little girl. The first 8 weeks were hard for her too. But, she loves her brother and sister, talks about them growing bigger so they can do things with her. She says her ABC's, counts to 20, digs around the kitchen for food, sings twinkle little star to the babies, and holds Violet's hand in the car. Melt my heart.