Halloween 2009

Caterpillar and Ladybug

We found these adorable costumes on Kijiji for a steal and had to have them for Chick and Pea.  We made the rounds tonight to family and friends' houses and had a great time.  Sure, Chick slept through it all, but Pea got to enjoy the company.

Since you can't really see Pea's costume all that well in the picture above, I thought I'd add another shot of it here:

Does it get any cuter?

We stopped at Gramma and Grampa's house first (where we took the couch shot), then we stopped at Uncle John and Aunt Lisa's house.

Uncle John and Pea

Aunt Lisa and Chick

So much fun to be able to take part in Halloween in a way we've only ever imagined.  I can't wait until they are running from house to house to gather candy for me themselves!

Mr. Smiley Pants

It's been a long, long journey to get Pea to the point where he is a happy boy. Having colic for the first nine weeks of his life didn't help. He would cry nonstop for hours and hours and would even cry in his sleep. We felt so badly for him and only wanted his belly to stop cramping up long enough to give him some peace. Now, at almost 11 weeks (are they really almost 11 weeks old?) he has become a VERY happy camper. It took Pea a long time to smile, but when he finally did, our hearts melted. He looks completely different when he smiles and it makes us so happy to see him happy.

We haven't bought a lot of new things for the babies (we have borrowed a bunch of great things from friends and family) but the one new thing we bought has brought such joy to our babies and BIG smiles from Pea. I highly recommend this product for any new baby as it is full of stimulating toys and music. Our babies love it so much and our routine of eat, play, sleep has been greatly enhanced by the addition of the Baby Einstein Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym.

Just this morning, Pea had a ball batting away at the gym and smiled the whole time. Heartwarming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just love this kid!

Me...times two.

Tell me tomorrow will be better.

Halloweenies

 K2 and I have always enjoyed carving funny pumpkins.  These were the pumpkins we carved last October.

K2's pumpkin is on the left and mine is on the right. Trick or Treaters thought we were dentists.

Yesterday, K2 thought he was funny.  The babies?  Not so much.

 

Disclaimer:  No babies were harmed in the making of this year's pumpkin.

Today, we put the babies in some Halloween onesies that my friend Sarina bought for them.  I was going to wait until next weekend to dress them in these, but they will never be able to wear them again, so why not get the most out of them?

How cute are they? Honestly!

 

We took a total of 58 pictures just to get this ONE of them both (sort of) looking up at the camera.  Here are a few of the outtakes...

Pea:  "NO!  You may NOT take my picture!"

Chick: "Look at my foot!"

 

 Pea:  "When can I start using deodorant?"

Chick:  "Not soon enough, mister."

 

Pea:  "This is boring..."

Chick:  "I think this is GREAT!"

 

Pea:  "You know what?  This IS fun!"

Chick:  "Wait a minute...this isn't my best side!"

Pea:  "I may have just tooted..."
Chick:  "Gah!"

3D Is Now 4D

Doris and Dan saw the face of their beautiful daughter today! Head on over to their blog to see for yourselves how precious she is.

Couldn't be happier for our very special friends!!

Couldn't Be Happier

So far today, I've been peed on, pooped on, spit up on, and puked on.  It's only 10:30am.
I couldn't be happier.

Pictures taken just a few moments ago.

Troopers

The babies had their two month check up today and they are both doing very well.  Chick now weighs 10lbs 6oz and Pea weighs 10lbs 10oz. This is funny because Chick eats SO much more than Pea does.  Chick has been sucking back 4.5 - 5 oz of milk every four hours while Pea has only been eating 3.5oz at every feed up until this week.  Now he is up to 4 - 4.5oz.

The most difficult part of today was that each baby had to get their vaccinations.  Oh, the horror.  We were very worried about them and hated the thought of them being in any kind of pain, but it was okay.  The first shot was easy and neither baby flinched, but the second shot sent both into big cries.  As soon as we picked them up, though, they were pretty well soothed.  I think it was harder on us than it was on them.

So, now we watch for any signs of a reaction or fever.  Hopefully, we'll only have slight fussiness for the next 24 hours or so.  Wish us luck.

Pea (Left) as we left for the doctor's office.

Chick (Right) asleep on her daddy after the fact.

Daddy's Home

Thirty two hours.
Alone.
Just the babies and me.
And we made it.

There were offers to help. My friend Cari offered and my parents as well. But, I'm incredibly a little stubborn and sometimes need to do things on my own in order to know that I can, indeed, do it.  Not only do I need to know that I can do it, but that I can do it and do some over-the-top things while at it;  you know, like bake pumpkin bread, give baths to the babies by myself and do all the nighttime feedings back to back.  Turns out, I can do it.  The result is that the babies are happy as clams, but that I am completely worn out.  Completely.  Worn. Out.  I don't know how single women and men do it.  Haven't a clue.

Don't get me wrong.  I loved almost every second of being with the babies this weekend.  But when K2 walked through the door today, I could have cried.  A huge wave of relief washed over me and I didn't realize how much tension I was holding in my body until I could let it out once he was in the house. 

The thing with twins is that there are times when I can't get to a crying baby.  If I am changing Pea's diaper and Chick starts to cry, I can't just stop what I am doing a tend to her.  And it kills me.  If I am bathing Chick and Pea starts to cry...again, I can't just leave her and tend to him.  When I am feeding the babies and have to burp one, I have to stop feeding them both and the one who is waiting typically throws a fit because they are like, "Hey!  What's the deal?  I'm waiting!!".  That is what is difficult.  I know that this is what will make our babies easier to deal with later (because they are learning quickly how to self-soothe) but right now, it hurts my heart when I can't immediately soothe one or the other.

All this to say...

We're happy to have Daddy home.

A video?  How about a "First Giggle" video?  Here ya go!
Please note that this video was taken very early in the morning and I was on very little sleep.  Disregard hair and silly noises.  A girl will do anything to make her babies laugh.




Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

I'm Alone With The Twins And I Made Pumpkin Bread And I Don't Even Bake Under Regular Circumstances Because I Don't Know How To Use My Oven (Only The Timer Because Doris Taught Me)

I'mnotevenkidding.

Okay, so maybe I'm going a little crazy, but that's to be expected, no?
I did it all while a certain twin played the "Let's-drop-my-soother-a-million-and-one-half-times-and-then-cry-until-Mommy-comes-to-put-it-back-in-my-mouth" game. I won't say which twin it was but her name rhymes with "Slick".

Chick had fun this morning out staging her brother in a photo shoot.  I think we're in for trouble with this one...

Maybe if I make a funny face, everyone will look at me!

Maybe if I cover Pea's face everyone will be FORCED to look at me!

No!  You can't touch the fun butterflies!

I love you, man!

Fracture Clinic *Updated*

Today we're taking Pea to the Fracture Clinic at a hospital in Toronto.  He will have an ultrasound of his hip to see if he does, indeed, have hip dysplasia.  We're hopeful that he doesn't, but only the ultrasound will tell us for sure.  Our boy has been through enough.

*Update*
Pea was a SUPER boy this morning and did well at his big appointment.  The doctor found a slight abnormality in the ultrasound and would like to see him back in three weeks.  The doctor indicated that the hip can heal itself and it may be normal in three weeks, but if not then Pea will have to wear a harness 23 hours a day until his hip is better.  This will save him from having to have his hips replaced later on in life.  The doctor also wants Chick to have an ultrasound when we bring Pea back in.  Because this is a congenital affect, we want to rule it out for her as well.  And so, we continue to wait. 

At Long Last

We are beyond THRILLED for you!

Transitions

We had so many plans before the twins were born. How they would feed, what they would eat, where they would sleep, etc. However, once they were home with us, they had their own agendas and we changed ours as well. I never, in a MILLION years thought that I would have babies sleeping with us in our room. Never! However, when we saw how uncomfortable they were in their expansive cribs, we knew we had to figure something else out. We don't have bedding or bumpers in their cribs, as we know they are unsafe so we think the babies both felt a little vulnerable in there. We decided that they would sleep in bassinets in our room; Chick on K2's side of the bed and Pea on my side. It worked and I was happy to have them in with us. It was convenient for nighttime feedings and I could check on them easily by peeking at them from the vantage point of our bed.
Now, however, they are beginning to wake each other up throughout the night. Chick is more of a sound sleeper and can sleep for 5 hours at a time, while Pea still needs to feed every 3.5 to 4 hours. So, in order to maintain Chick's super sleep schedule, we decided to move her out and into her own room.  
**Side note:  We bought this monitor at a consignment shop last week and it is AMAZING for making us feel as though our babies are safe.  We put this one under Chick's crib so that we could monitor her breathing and movements from our room.  We only have one now, but we are trying to buy another through e.bay. ** 

Two nights ago, we were all ready to make Chick's big transition to her own room. Her crib was ready, the monitor was set up, the temperature in her room was great and she was nice and sleepy.  Someone, however, was not so ready for the change.  K2 decided, at the last minute, that he couldn't let her sleep all by herself.  So, he set up the air mattress in her room and slept on the floor.  He did so again last night.  I'm not sure how long he will feel the need to sleep with her, but I think he's a pretty amazing dad for wanting to keep her safe and secure.

Another change that we hadn't anticipated is that we will not be rooming the twins with one another as we had expected.  When one cries, the other follows suit, so we decided to dismantle the den in preparation for Pea's transition to his room.  With this transition happening so quickly, we have to figure out the decor for his room and get the requisite furniture.  Looks like we'll be doing some online shopping this weekend.
It just goes to show that you can have all the plans you like, but babies will surely dictate how those plans play out.

Calming Babies

When Pea is having a "moment" (which generally lasts 45 minutes) there are a few things that generally work to calm him down. K2 likes to "Windmill" him by holding him outward and lifting him up and down in a circular motion. Personally, I think it terrifies Pea into submission, but K2 firmly believes it is calming. Hmph.

Another surefire method of calming Pea is to breastfeed him, but this isn't feasible since he would be attached to me nearly the whole day and Chick would miss out.

What is best for Pea, it seems, is to carry him as tightly against me as possible. We spent $15 at a consignment shop for a Snugli and it has saved our souls so many times over.  Not only does it calm Pea, but I can carry one child while doing dishes, while making beds, while feeding another child, etc.  VERY handy for moms of twins, for sure.  And, how great is it to look down and see this?

Pea asleep in the carrier this morning after crying for a long while.

On another note, do you think this bib is too big for Chick?  Hopefully, she will grow into it soon enough!  I laughed SO hard when I put this on her this morning.

First Thanksgiving

With so much for which to be thankful, we spent a lovely Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends. As we were driving to my brother's house for dinner last night, I told the babies all about Thanksgiving and why we celebrate together as a family. Okay, so they slept the entire time I was talking, but no matter. Perhaps they understood through osmosis.

K2 and I were SO excited to be invited to have Thanksgiving dinner with my

~
Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.
~

parents, my brother and his family not only because we love them and enjoy their company, but because we have been living primarily on whatever is quickest to eat for each meal of the day. Twins tend to tag team people and getting a meal prepared and eaten is not an easy task. Most nights, we dine on Mini Wheats and Raisin Bran. So, knowing that a hot, scrumptious meal awaited us was a very exciting prospect (we also got to take massive amounts of food home with us).

The babies were great while out last night and were cuddled by all of the people who love them so much. We successfully made it through dinner without having to tend to the babies as we put them in their bouncy seats and each had one under foot. They were bounced throughout the dinner and made nary a peep the entire time. Sadly, none of us remembered to take any pictures.

I just looked up from the computer to see two beautiful blue eyes staring at me from a bouncy seat. I thought she was sleeping, but she is simply taking it all in.

Indeed we have so much for which to be thankful.

Two Months

Watch in full screen for better viewing.




Two Months from Two Kayaks on Vimeo.



Monthly Growth Shots:

 

Don't Give Up

I read a post the other day written by a woman who had just given birth to her son after losing her twins at 19 weeks last year. It resonated with me and I wholeheartedly agree with everything she wrote.

What did she write? Essentially, she wrote "Don't give up".

We are in the thick of it. This baby rearing gig, I mean. I have heard that the first three months of parenthood are the most difficult and that the first three months of parenthood with multiples are downright hazy to say the least. The sleeplessness, the lack of time to do anything other than feed babies, burp babies, change diapers, rock babies to sleep, make bottles, wash bottles, breastfeed, pump, and stick soothers in mouths a zillion times a day can make sane parents lose their minds. It's difficult, to say the absolute least. However, having ached for this for so long and having moved heaven and earth to have these babies in our lives, we have a different kind of appreciation for every little moment. Not necessarily a greater appreciation, just a different one.

We have had our babies home with us for almost two months and though there have definitely been moments of terror, of frustration and of irritability, the spans of incredible elation have far outweighed them.

~
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
~ Dale Carnegie
~

We wake in the middle of the night for feeds to see big beautiful eyes staring at us from inside bassinets. As we feed, we feel tiny fingers petting our hands. We feel the wonderful sensation of warm breath against our necks as we cuddle and console them throughout the day and night. Newly discovered smiles melt our hearts and surprise us every time. It's taken a bit of time, but when the babies need consoling, they recognize our voices, our touch, our love and are almost instantly calmed.

None of this is wasted on us. Not one second of it.

Last November, we were at the point of giving up. It had been nine years and in those nine years we saw multiple failures, had multiple losses, and saw an adoption move from an exciting prospect to a seemingly unattainable dream. We were mentally and physically spent. As much as we wanted to give up and as much as we dreamed of what it would be like to not have this ache inside of us any longer, to sever the desire to have a family, we tried again. After being knocked down time and time again, we got up one last time. Two little lives were born as a result.

I keep looking back over the past nine years and comparing them to an ascent of Mount Everest.  We made our own path, trudged through difficult terrain, had to stop from time to time to catch our breaths and to acclimatize to the current state of affairs, and sometimes lamented that it just couldn't be done.  After finding whatever it was inside of us that gave us the motivation to take another step, then another, we found something amazing.  The view from the top.

No matter where you are in the process to create your family and no matter what you have to do to bring your children home, don't give up.  Keep reaching deep inside to find the strength and the courage to be tenacious, to alter the course of your original destination and to stand tall against obstacles.  Whatever you do, don't give up. 

Introducing...

Chick

and Pea!!

The community has spoken and Chick and Pea were the clear favorites.  Since this is what I have called them from the very beginning, it seems very fitting to continue with that now.

The final poll results are here:

Thanks to all 84 of you for voting and for being a part of this decision!

Nicknames

Okay, so I've delayed this too long already. I've put a poll at the top of the page asking what you think I should call the twins on the blog. Here's some background to the choices:

Chick and Pea: Throughout my pregnancy, I referred to the babies as Chick and Pea.

Peaches and Tater: Our girl has the fuzziest head I've ever seen. She looks and feels like a little peach. I love rubbing our boy's head. It's beautifully shaped and looks a little like a tater tot.

The Girl and The Boy: Self explanatory. Simple and to the point.

So??

Luvable and Irresistible

We went to our first dinner party last night with the twins in tow.  We were a little concerned about how things would be for our boy considering there would be fifteen or so people in attendance during our boy's typically worst time of the day for his colic. Would he scream uncontrollably throughout the evening?  Would we end up consoling him the whole time?  Would we have to leave super early? Thankfully, all was well and our boy had a great night out!  Both babies were awesome and slept amid lots of laughter and lots of hustle and bustle.  How great is that?

Thanks to an email from reader of this blog (who didn't leave a blog address) we decided to switch our boy's formula to a hypo-allergenic one to see if this would help his symptoms.  We were thinking about doing this for a few days before we got the email from Deborah, but her

"What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all."
-- Benjamin Spock

recommendation solidified our decision.  Our doctor had mentioned this formula at our last visit but said that because of the cost, he only recommends it to parents of babies who display colic symptoms 24/7.  We, however, just wanted to see him content no matter what the cost.
The first 24 hours of the switch we saw no improvement whatsoever, but we knew it might take some time for the results to take effect. Lo and behold, by the third day on the formula, we saw our baby boy calm down, lose the tummy rumblings we had been feeling through his skin, and rest a whole lot easier.  I can't tell you
how incredible it feels to see him so content...finally.  We are only on day three of seeing these changes, but we are hopeful that he will continue to do well.  The formula really is ridiculously expensive, but we would pay ANY amount of money to see him this content. 

Let's hope we get to see more of this calm, happy boy!  We even got to see SMILES from him yesterday! Of course, we didn't capture them on camera, but STILL!!

Yes you are!

Bum Love

I never knew I could love someone's bum so much...

Sigh...

He fell asleep on my lap as I was trying to burp him.

Don't you just want to nibble on it?

Look at this one!! 

Three Babies?

This cat has serious issues.

Luck

I can't tell you how many times we have been stopped by strangers who tell us how "lucky" we are to have our twins.  It gets old very quickly to be stopped every few minutes while out by people who assume that our journey has been easy.

It has nothing to do with luck.  We have worked very hard to get where we are.  We never stopped trying, even in the face of brutal diagnoses and doctors telling us that our efforts were futile.  We researched medicine, we called many doctors who might help us in our plight, and met some pretty amazing people along the way who inspired us.  Luck is not part of this equation.

The equation looks more like this:
Love Between K2 and Me + Support From Family and Friends + An Incredible Medical Community + People Believing In Us = Two Beautiful Babies Who Are the Lights of Our Lives

But...you can't tell this to the nosy woman in Wal.Mart who thinks that babies fall out of trees.  Instead, we simply smile and say, "Yes, we are very lucky".