Working Mama-hood

Today was my first day back at school... and I survived. I did shed a few tears as I told the boys to be good for Grandpa and Grandma and headed out the door. I'm lucky to teach with some of my best friends at a great school, which made a world of difference. I can't imagine having to return to a job that you really don't enjoy. I printed off the following picture collage to take to school. (I love how this turned out.)

Plus I received this texted picture via my mom while I was at school.

I thought the blurred legs was a good sign; lots of wiggling = happy babies!

Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Lens, Learning, Lemon, and Lots of Water

I bought this 50 mm lens after admiring the pictures that my college friends were taking of their daughter. My friend said it's been great for portrait pictures, especially in low light. I agree! Here are a few of the shots I've gotten so far:




In the first three of the above pictures, the boys were working on "tummy time". They are doing great and I predict that they'll be rolling over any day now. Of course, it also helps to give them motivation... like having the Rockies game on TV:

(Post Edit: Despite my fondness of TV, we do not park the boys in front of it. So no need to turn us into protective services. In fact, I'm surprised the cable company hasn't called to see if everything's ok.)
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More answers to your questions (Thanks!):
Do the boys have "assigned seats" in the car?
Not yet. So far we've been randomly placing them in the car. However, after Reid christened one of the car seats when we were at the Village Inn, I started placing him in that same car seat. It has the blue dog toy hanging from the handle. (Aiden's has an orange dog.) Reid tends to drool a little more than Aiden, so on the way back from Cheyenne I switched Reid to the seat in front of me so I would be able to mop him up.
In the stroller?
No and yes.
In the stroller frame that holds their car seats, I usually randomly place them. If one of them is sleeping when I get them out of the car, then I place him farther away from me. If one is fussier, I place him closer to me.
In their BOB jogging stroller, I always put Aiden on the left and Reid on the right. (As you're looking at the stroller from the front.) The boys and I often take an afternoon stroll over to my parents' house to get a change of scenery. They LOVE the ceiling fan in their family room. I plan on taking full advantage of this before they gain their mobility and lose interest. As we were leaving their house this afternoon, Reid christened the BOB stroller with some spit-up. I was able to clean it up with no problems, but he has now secured his stroller location.
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Made this Glazed Lemon Pound Cake tonight. Yum!

1 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Rind of one lemon (grated zest)
Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the milk and eggs, blend together. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture and blend. Add lemon rind. Pour into loaf pan and bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove pan to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Using a wooden chopstick or similar tool, poke holes into the cake approximately every inch. While still in pan and slightly warm, drizzle the top with glaze. Once cool, remove from pan.

Glaze: 1/4 cup sugar and juice of one lemon plus a little pulp; mixed together.

[Illustration by Lisa Orgler]
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My poor alma mater, Iowa State is flooded, as well as my aunt and uncle's nearby farm. Hoping for a speedy clean-up.

Four Generations

On Sunday, the boys took their first road trip. My dad, Aiden, Reid, and I drove up to Wyoming to visit my Grandma Starrs who lives in Cheyenne.

Four generations (Photo taken: August 8th, 2010):

Great Grandma Starrs with Aiden, then Reid:




Aiden with my Aunt Charlene; Aiden and Reid with my Uncle Bill (my dad's brother):




Mother and Son:

The boys were great and have now been in 3 states!



So long, Wyoming! Until next time...

Smile : )

Progress

I'm still working on deleting old files and photos on my computer to create space to download current pictures from my camera. I have some 3-month pictures that I will share in a future post.

For now I have our official, unofficial growth stats:
Aiden is 23 1/2 inches and weighs 13 pounds, while Reid is 25 inches and weighs 13.4 pounds! It's amazing to think that they now weigh more than twice their birth weights!

They continue to give us the cutest smiles, are working on holding their heads up at tummy time, and talking my ears off. Of course, I don't quite understand them, but I thoroughly enjoy our conversations.

Perhaps the development I'm most excited about... they are thumb-suckers! A couple of books suggested ending the use of pacifiers cold-turkey at 3 months. I think it timed out well because the boys were starting to discover and suck on their hands at that point. I am a proud (former) thumb-sucker and it will be nice for us not to have to keep track of pacifiers any more. (By the way, Aiden seems to prefer his right thumb, while I've noticed Reid usually works on his left fist/thumb.)


Another benefit of thumb-sucking is the the ability to self-sooth at nap time. I'm still working hard trying to synchronize their naps. It's actually going well. I try to watch for signs of tiredness (yawning, glassy eyes, loss of interest in playtime, fussiness, etc.) I then take the boys upstairs to the nursery and put them in their cribs. If they're not too tired, I read to them while they are lying in their cribs. If they seem pretty tired when I get upstairs, then I tuck them in and leave the room. This works for Aiden, but poor Reid is still struggling to settle down on his own. I try to give him a chance to settle down on his own. After 5-10 minutes I go back in to hold/rock him to sleep. Tonight when I put them to bed, Reid woke up when I put him in the crib. After a few minutes he started crying, so I gave him some time to cry. After a few minutes, he suddenly stopped and eventually drifted off to sleep. Hopefully he'll be able to start doing that at nap time as well. I was thankful I had the video monitor so I could watch Reid and make sure he wasn't crying because he had spit up, etc.
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The boys and Grandpa Starrs at Best Buy:

More Answers

Thanks for the follow-up questions! This has been great for helping me to reflect AND write down those reflections.

Q: I hadn't noticed your extra large boppy nursing pillow before! Usually I have the baby in one arm and then sort of push the boppy around my waist with the other hand. But how do you manage that large pillow and two babies when you are on your own?

A: The nursing pillow is a special one for twins. I also bought an inflatable one that I used when we were in Ohio. We also have a couple of Boppy pillows which I originally wanted for use when other people are bottle-feeding the boys. I’ve also seen people use them to prop their babies when they’re learning how to sit up.

I usually nurse the boys while sitting on the couch. First I lay both of the boys on the couch. Then I latch the nursing pillow around my waist and sit in between them. I put one of the boys on the pillow and kind of pin him down with my elbow while I grab his brother. It sounds kind of rough, but I swear I’m not hurting them. It was hard at first because they couldn’t hold their heads up very well and were very floppy. It’s easier now that they are bigger and more steady. However, I’m wondering if it will get more difficult as they continue to get stronger and try to wiggle off of the pillow. The teacher at school who has twins one year older than ours said she had to stop feeding hers at the same time because they started hitting each other. Here’s to hoping Aiden and Reid can behave themselves. I also use this pillow for carrying the boys up and down the stairs at the same time. Rest assured, both are safely pinned under my arms. The pillow supports their heads more than anything. (I should have Eric take a picture of this.)

Q: Will you be able to nurse in the morning before you leave and in the evening - or will they go to bottles all the way?
A: I plan to get myself ready first and then nurse them before I leave for school. I’m glad I have six inservice days before the students begin to try to get used to this system. Even though I’ll shower the night before, I think I’m going to have to get up at some ungodly hour. However, I’m telling myself that I can survive doing anything for a year. I’ve been freezing milk and will pump at school so the boys can have bottled milk instead of formula during the day.


Q: Their great aunt in Iowa wants to know how Aiden and Reid are interacting with each other? Have you caught them smiling and talking to each other yet?

A: I think they’re on the verge of interacting with each other, although it may be way too early. I caught Aiden really studying Reid the other day when they were lying on the floor. (OR: “…laying on the floor?” Ahh, now I’m paranoid because former-English-teacher Dad corrected my grammar the other day. Apparently, I didn’t pay attention to his lecture.) Lately, Aiden’s been bringing things closer to study: burp clothes, toys, and his fist. Perhaps, Reid was just another “thing”. I haven’t seen either one of them smile at the other. Usually when one is really wailing, the other just pauses and gives me a look of wonder. What’s going on? What’s making that noise? Should I be crying too?

I mentioned in the previous post that Reid has a strong falling reflex. I think because of that, he prefers to have his arms straight out at his side. Likes he’s tap dancing or playing basketball defense. My dad has dubbed him “Birdman” because it looks like he’s trying to fly when he starts wiggling around with the outstretched arms. When the boys are lying close to each other, Reid usually has his arm stretched out so that his hand is on Aiden. I like to think that he’s checking to make sure Aiden is still there. Reid also does this when they are nursing. So one of Reid’s hands is quite often on Aiden’s head. We’ve had the occasionally accidental poking of the eye or bopping of the head, but Aiden really doesn’t seem to mind.

(P.S. Great Aunt- We can't wait to see you! xxoo, Aiden and Reid)


FYI: Denver Nuggets basketball player Chris Andersen, aka Birdman:

Answers

Thanks for participating in my Questions post. I really appreciate it. :)

Now for the answers.

Q: When do you go back to school again?
A: August 13th… Friday the 13th! We have 6 days of inservice (teacher training, meetings, planning, etc.) and then the students finally start on the 23rd.

Q: Do you know what classes you are going to be teaching this year?
A: Algebra 2, Statistics, and College Algebra. I’ve taught Algebra 2 and Statistics quite a few times, but only taught College Algebra for the first time this past spring. And I only made it through the first three months before I went on maternity leave, so that class will take a lot of work.

Q: Are your parents all unpacked yet (ha ha :)?
A: (Answered by my mom) Are the parents unpacked? Good one, Janina. Nope, I'm playing on the computer. But I did get my new desk two days ago to help me to start getting more organized. Haven't found my iron yet, but have found lots of other interesting things, like Xmas decorations. Nearly every box has a surprise for me.

Q: As a frequent guest at your house, are there any "stories" dealing with food preparation? Should I start brown bagging it?
A: Thanks, Dad. I seem to be keeping it together in the kitchen… when I do cook. So, no worries there. However, if the brown bag contains ice cream, then bring it over!

Q: Did your washing machine survive the great explosion?
A: YES! Thank goodness. I bought my washer and dryer at a discounted scratch and dent store shortly after I moved into my condo (2003). Glad to see them holding up.

Q: Do you start them out in similar outfits each day, or do you just use what's clean :)
A: Since I do at least one load of laundry every day, usually all but one or two of their outfits are clean. I prefer to dress them in the exact same outfit or coordinating outfits if there isn’t an exact match. I think it looks cute, plus it’s much easier to pick out the same outfit twice. Some days they only match for a couple of hours, but most days they make it to bedtime.

Q: What are some of the differences you are noticing in the boys now that they are a bit older... personality, sleeping, eating, etc?
A: (Ooh; a compare and contrast question. My English teacher friends would approve.)
They seem fairly different to me, but compliment each other so well.
Personality/Sleeping
For the first month of so, Aiden was the feistier one, while we could just put Reid in the Pack N Play and he would babble away or fall asleep. Aiden spent a lot of time crying. Now, parts of their personalities have switched. This past week I’ve been working on figuring out when they need to take a nap so I can try to get them into their cribs when they’re ready to sleep. I’ve noticed that I can just put Aiden into his crib and he almost always nods off on his own right away. As soon as I place Reid in his crib, he starts whimpering and then cries. I give him a chance to “cry it out” for just a little bit of time (5 minutes or so?) and then I go back in and pick him up. (I actually learned that technique from you, Colette! I remember that’s what you did with Lila when we stayed at South Padre.) Most of the time, he falls asleep on my shoulder within a couple of minutes. A lot of my non-twin books suggest using a form of “cry it out” to help babies learn how to comfort themselves. My dilemma is that if I wait too long, Reid will continue to cry while Aiden sleeps. It would be ideal for them to sleep at the same time since I feed them at the same time. Yesterday, Reid did fall asleep in his crib at one naptime without crying or my comforting him, so hopefully that trend will continue. I’m going to keep working on it, but it may be something that Eric and my parents will do a better job of accomplishing once I go back to school. The fact that the boys have been sleeping 9-10 hours at night for about a month now makes the lack of nap coordination not such a big deal to me. That being said, Aiden still needs his comforting time. He seems to be a little fussier in the afternoon, so I’ll hold him while I sit on the floor with Reid. During that time, Reid is usually content to squirm around on the floor. When Aiden is upset, he goes from zero to “car alarm” in seconds. But once he is comforted, he’s back to flashing his huge, dimpled grin. In the morning and after napping, Aiden is all smiles when I go in to get him. Reid’s reaction is mixed. Sometimes I get some cute grins out of him and other times he’s all about conveying how unjust it is that his slumber was disturbed.

Physical Development
It’s been fascinating to see them develop at almost the exact same pace. Their eye focusing developed at the same time. Sleep length changes happened at the same time. Smiling, “talking”, sucking on a fist… check, check, and check. About the only differences have been Reid being taller and heavier.
Reid also has a strong falling reflex which wakes him up in great distress if he’s not snuggled tightly in his wrap. Aiden can have his arms free all night, squeal, and squirm from one end of his crib to the other and he never wakes up.

Eating
Right now they are only doing one bottle per day and end up eating about the same amount. It will be interesting to see if this is true when they start eating from bottles when I’m at school.

(Sniff, sniff. This is when I start feeling sad about going back, because so much of our bonding time has been connected to nursing. I actually like to burp them because that gives me a chance for a little snuggle time. Time to go buy a Powerball ticket or pray that my Etsy sales start averaging more than $0.99 per week.)


(Don't worry. Aiden wasn't being squished. I also touched this photo up a bit. My stretch-marked belly was hanging out a little too much.)