Three weeks ago (8.19) the twins had their 12 month checkup and we needed to work on a few things:-
1. Read more
2. Transition to whole milk
3. Get rid of bottles
4. Ditch the binkie

Reading Is Fundamental
I knew I should’ve been doing this A LOT more but it’s easy to use my three year old as an excuse; BUT No more excuses.

I’ve been reading to them at least once every day when we’re at home, typically early morning (before 7 a.m), mainly because I’m not ready to go downstairs to start our day. Somehow, staying in their room feels like the day hasn’t started. They don’t listen to the stories half the time, but I’ve also been making a conscientious effort to do more educational things with them, but big sister is my priority.

Transition to Milk in Sippy Cups

Switching to milk wasn’t the difficult part. They would drink the whole milk if it was in their bottles, but REFUSED if it was in a sippy cup. They would literally GO hungry rather than drink out of a cup. I remember one day baby girl was so upset; almost an hour after falling asleep she was having palpitations.

We tried several different sippy cups. They really liked this orange one by Nuby and of course we couldn’t find a second one. So they fought A LOT. I don’t think the type of cups was the issue; they were just testing me to see if I was serious.

They will be defiant. They will cry A LOT. The key is staying consistent. It hurts you more than it hurts them; It truly does. The first week was the hardest week. They fussed excessively. Morning. Noon. Night. Sometimes I gave them their bottles just to stop the crying, but look at them now…

She can be so silly sometimes

He even knows how to rotate the cup when the milk is almost finish. That’s big boy status. Lol

NO Binkie Allowed

The big Kahuna. This is the one I’ve dreaded the most! Nelle ONLY used a binkie when her brother was using it. She would literally snatch it out his mouth. So half the battle was done. He’s been attached to his orange binkie since birth.  They are like two peas in a pod.  There are plenty of pics.

Once I was successful with #2 and #3 I started to SLOWLY ditch the bink.  I took it away during the day and he didn’t fuss at all but I would give it to him at bedtime. We did this for about two weeks.

I figured with summer’s unofficially end, so too shall his bink.  After Labor Day weekend, we returned home and he hasn’t seen the binkie since. He cried the first three or four nights but now just like his bottle, the binkie is a distant memory. 💃💃

I’m so glad this phase is over!!

If you’re going through these phases, it will get better, I promise 🙂

TIP:- Use sippy cups without a straw because you will have to teach them about when to and not to tilt the cups
~TOODLES~
Stacey

I know I’ve been MIA for quite some time. The past month has been pretty hectic. Lots of traveling, which I hope to share with you soon; but until then…

Time for your check up!

Is that a let’s go mom face or a please don’t make me go mom face?

Yesterday, the twins had their 12 month checkup. I really need to start bringing the hubby with me because these babes are BUSY.  It probably didn’t help that I left their stroller, but I was running late and you know how doctor offices are when you are more than five minutes late. So I grabbed both babies in my arms with big sister hanging on to my dress and off we went.

They are growing quite well, especially compared to Jayla, who lives in the five to ten percentile much of her life.  Batman weighed 20 lbs 15.6 ounces.  Nelle is still behind at 19 lbs 2 ounces. She’s always lagging, even when they were wombmates.  Jayla didn’t break 20 lbs until she was about two years old.  At least Nelle’s leading her big sister.  When it comes to height, Nelle stands tall at 29.5 inches, beating out her big brother of three minutes by half an inch.

After the nurse completed all the measurements, I asked her to watch the twins while I took Jayla to the little girls room.  MY SON LOST IT! He screamed the moment I left.  When I returned she was standing with him just outside the girl’s room; another nurse was holding Nelle and both were eating a cracker. It was the only way to calm them down.  The look on the nurses faces was priceless. In exasperation one said, “Can I go home now? I won’t be any good the rest of the day” It was only noon. Lol

The twins wouldn’t let me put them down. I guessed they figured I was going to leave the room again.  During all the tears and whining, the doc assessed them and I learned we are behind on a few things that were mastered effortlessly when I only had one child.  The twins are still bottle-fed and my littlest lady refuses to fall asleep without her bottle. Both NO-NO’S with their pediatrician. She gave me the mean look which was probably hard for her. She’s the sweetest thing! I never feel rushed with her and she works around my twins.  Another area in which the twins, or should I say mom is lagging, is reading to the little babes.

Operation read more and bottle weaning began right after we got home from their doc visit.  They refused to drink milk from the sippy cups so far.  I have three months until their 15 month checkup to break these habits.  I think we can do it and we will because mommy didn’t like being scolded by the doc.

This picture sums up his day perfectly. I can hear Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” playing. Lol

In other news, Nelle is working on tooth number five while big brother is rolling full steam ahead with numbers five through eight! 👀 . Naps still elude them, but at least they are still sleeping through the night.

No adventures for us until the weekend.  Hope you have a lovely Thursday!

So happy this is the final of the first year photo-shoot! Trying to get them to lie still and look at the camera at the same time IS WORK, but a great feeling when you’ve captured it.

~TOODLES~
Stacey

Eleven months of pure joy, attitude and everything in between. Don’t you just love these faces?

My twinsies are almost at that juncture where I will no longer give their age by months. It makes me nostalgic because I will miss all these little milestones I live for, but it also means lots of discovery ahead.

Together they have a combined almost eight teeth, each having four. Twice the pain; hasn’t been fun for anyone around me.

What are they eating?
A better question is what aren’t they eating. They no longer want anything to do with baby food. At the sight of real food they will toss their bottles.  They will even yell (in their own language, of course) at you when they want more. My son devours meat so I have to feed him veggies first.  While they are greedy  (many would say, like mommy) they love to share. Nelle doesn’t like to hear no thank you for an answer; she will push whatever it is she’s eating in your mouth until you accept it.

They enjoy throwing balls but my fave pastime is when they give me kisses. My son has been doing it for quite some time but little sis recently started joining in on the fun.  When they do something wrong they will lay their heads on my lap or they will give me kisses.  How do they learn these things so quickly?

Just like their big sister, I am blessed to say they are very good listeners. If I tell them not to do something or come see me, they will do just that.  I’m so proud of the little people they are becoming. I can’t wait until they can hold a conversation. I might regret it later if they talk as much though. The only time big sis isn’t talking is when she’s sleeping.

No, you didn’t imagine it.  OUR BABY BOY IS WALKING!!! When he walks, he resembles a mummy or a zombie with his hands completely outstretched in front of himself. It’s so cute! He started taking steps earlier this month but nothing consistently until Sunday while I was away spending the day with his big sister. I didn’t actually see him walking until yesterday.

More about my BIG boy. He’s sporting a size 18 to 24 month shirt in case you were wondering why it’s a little loose. He’s now wearing size FOUR diapers. 👀 Ms. Jayla can still fit a size four diaper and she’s almost three!! If you haven’t bought diapers in a while, the larger the size the less diapers are in the box. At this rate, I just might have to potty train him in the next few months. I don’t want to think of either situation so here’s a few more pics.

I sure wish we could freeze time, but we are rolling full steam ahead. Who will talk first? I think Jaeden will. Check back and find out 😉

~TOODLES~
Stacey

My boy/girl twins will be celebrating their first birthday next month!!!!  The question of separating or not to separate, well, that is the million dollar question! That has been plaguing me for quite some time now.  For the past two or three months I thought for sure I knew what I would do, and that was separating them, but now I am having second thoughts.

They currently share what was the man cave/office. The tiniest room in our home.  The plan was to leave our son in this room while converting the guest room into our baby girl’s room.

I must admit, a part of me does not want to relinquish the guest room because that’s been my place of escape, my serenity (well, before my outdoor oasis) and our second bedroom as we’ve been sleeping in there since the twins were born.  It provided me an opportunity to be close to our kids while avoiding an unnecessary flight of stairs, making nighttime feedings much easier.

We are not co-sleepers.  Not that there’s anything wrong with co-sleeping, it’s just not something we do.  Our oldest slept next to me in a bassinet which she outgrew rather quickly, plus with two babies that was an impossible task and I didn’t want to waste money on another bassinet. They’ve been sleeping in their own crib since we brought them home and they are great sleepers, thank God.

Now it’s decision time. As I stated, they will turn one next month and if I’m giving them their own room there’s so much to do in such little time while planning their party.  Aside from the party theme I’m at a loss. It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be combining their parties. I can’t be as girly with the decor as I’ve been accustomed to, but I know the party will be a hit.

I’m about 80 percent leaning towards letting them room together.  I feel this will give them more of an opportunity to strengthen their bond.  They will be talking soon and it will be cute to peek in on them, via the baby monitor that is, and watch their little antics.  I know they are two completely different individuals and I want to foster that growth, but I also want to allow them to enjoy that unique bond they share.

What would you do? Would you separate them or let them room together for a little while longer?

~TOODLES~
Stacey

Okay I SERIOUSLY need one of those time machines to take me back to my squishy little (well not so little) newborns being snuggled in my arms in my hospital bed with the nurses at my beck and call.

Three days ago my son climbed three flights of steps.  It happened on my watch.  I was washing dishes/bottles like I’m ALWAYS doing when hubby called me hysterically.  I thought he was just calling me like always.  About a minute or two later I walked in and was in shock.

Today, on my clock AGAIN he started climbing the steps after his big sister.  This time I was watching.  I wanted to see how far he could go.  He completed 10 of 13 stairs.  Little sis decided she wanted in on the fun.  It took a few minutes but she completed EVERY LAST ONE!!

I really need gates but I really hope someone has a coupon or a good sale.

I hope you have a great day I’m sure yours will be a little bit calmer than mine.  I would say it’s almost the weekend but I’m a stay at home mama.

~TOODLES~
Stacey

Everytime I drove by this tree I thought this would be a perfect backdrop for a photoshoot and what a backdrop it was!

My girls weren’t enthused about another photoshoot.

My son was smiling enough for all of them. Didn’t he look dapper in his suit?

I did manage a few cute shots of the girls too.

I hope you enjoyed. Have a nice day 😉

~TOODLES~
Stacey

If you’ve held the twins lately, you know they’re like bricks!

We went into their doctor’s appointment on Friday expecting them to be over 20 pounds (at least Batman). I was surprised to find out that neither of them made the cut.

Batman weighed 19 lbs 4 ounces (47%)

Nelle weighted 16 lbs 15 ounces (22%)

As far as length, Nelle at 27 1/2 inches; ahead by 1/2 an inch.

In any event, at the rate they are growing, in no time they will probably be bigger than their big sister (at 2 1/2 she is 27 pounds).

The moment of truth….SHOTS 🙈 It was both a relief to me and my son that they weren’t getting shots.

They do, however, have blood work in a few days 😨

That’s it for now.

~TOODLES~
Stacey

Not one to be outdone by Batman, his little sidekick sprung into action.

Earlier during the day we visited the National Arboretum.  We packed away and cleaned bottles while the kids played.  Hubby took them upstairs for bath time. I joined them a few minutes later. Just another typical day…

The bath assembly line was going when my littlest hopped up on the walker and took off.  Hubby saw her do it the first time.  I tried to get it on tape but she wouldn’t cooperate.

So now I have TWO twinsies on the loose. Who wants to come visit us? Don’t all say yes at once.

Happy Saturday everyone!

~TOODLES~
Stacey