nilestwins - Stories Page 13

December 22 ~ The girls are doing so much! Crawling, pulling up to kneel, standing with a little help, babbling, screeching, eating more foods, and refusing to sleep (because it's much more fun to do all the previous things!).

It's taking them quite awhile to wind down for bedtime (often 45-90 minutes!). We watch them on the monitor: rolling, pulling up, babbling to each other. Their cribs are in an L shape next to each other. They gather in that corner to hang out together.

They LOVE the new expanded playzone in the office/playroom. (and we love not having it in our dining room anymore.)

We gave them 2 toys tonight to start off the christmas giving. We're going to continue to stretch out the gifts so they aren't so overwhelmed on the BIG day.

Sleep Training... -- A Baby's Perspective (funny!)

OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for
almost 7 months. The first few months were great--
I cried, she picked me upand fed me,
anytime, day or night. Then something happened.
Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to
STTN (sleep thru the night).
At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only
getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's
pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months.

Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need
to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to
sleep--they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a
plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this:

Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed.
I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying.
Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.

Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed.

Night 3--every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly
after about 3 nights.
Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the
change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours,
shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS
KEY!!
If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she
will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not
need the sleep, she is just resisting the change.

If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can
stop crying for about 10 minutes,
just long enough for her to go back
to bed and start to fall asleep.
Then cry again. It WILL eventually
work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight,
so I know she can do it.

Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to
decide to stick to it and just go for it.
BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any
reason I could come up with. My sleep sack tickled my foot. I
felt a wrinkle under
the sheet. My mobile made a shadow on the wall. I
burped, and it tasted like pears.
I hadn't eaten pears since lunch,
what's up with that?
The cat said "meow". I should know. My
Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL.
Once I cried just because I liked how it
sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the
other room. Too hot, too
cold, just right--doesn't matter! Keep crying!!

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am.
Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am.
You need to slowly shorten the
interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal
clocks.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me.

The girls have their bottles in the highchairs now. (Since they climb/roll off the boppies). This makes the bedtime bottle VERY difficult when there are 2 babies and only 1 adult. When there are 2 adults, we can each hold a baby.

I'm considering using the highchairs, but it's difficult to strap them in once dressed for bed in their sleep sacks. Either way, I don't imagine bedtime going smoothly. I hate mondays.

Syd refused her AM nap. I'm researching if/when I should move them to only 1 nap per day. All the experts agree that it's too early. However Syd appears ready. Sam could probably stay on 2 naps, but then their schedules will be completely opposite. Confusing.

December 17 ~ We moved the playzone into the office. Well, now it's office/playroom. It's a much larger configuration (approx 8' x 8 '). They LOVE it!

Sam & Syd can both pull up and kneel. They will soon be pulling up to stand. Syd loves to stand (but can't get in the position without help yet).

Sam easily transitions from crawling to sitting to crawling to kneeling, etc. Syd still isn't getting into a sitting position on her own yet.

Syd refused her morning nap. Daddy took charge most of the weekend, since Mommy was burning out (with the nap issues).

We've switched to a faster nipple which is helping them drink alot better. I had tried awhile ago to switch, but the speed increased the spitups too much. They are spitting up again a bit more with the fast nipple, but it's better than fighting them to drink at all.

Bailey got in big trouble for waking Sydney from her (much needed) afternoon nap. Pretty much the entire day was a nap disaster. Mike finally got Syd back down for a nap, but had to wake her at 4pm, to not screw up her bedtime.

December 15 ~ Dr. Wall appt. Flu shots. Sydney appears to be okay (regarding last months concerns). She still doesn't love to sit (prefering to crawl and stand with assistance). Putting her back on 3 doses of Zegerid is helping.

Unfortunately, Syd refuses to allow us to put the syringe in her mouth. So it's gotten very challenging to get any meds in her. I'm considering dropping the afternoon dose again just because of the frustration.

December 13 ~ 10 months old! Grandma & Grandpa returned to Florida. Another bad napping day.

December 12 ~ A challenging day for naps. Syd cried for an hour this afternoon and then slept for less than 30 minutes.

Thankfully, a MUCH smoother bedtime. Hopefully we are over the worst of the rebellion. However, the girls will be going through another adjustment tomorrow... Grandparents are going home to Florida (after working for 2 weeks, they probably need another vacation). And it's back to Mommy only. (yikes!)

December 9, 10, 11 ~ We (Mel & Mike) went to Carmel Valley for their first weekend away from the babies. With much anxiety (on all our sides), we left for a relaxing weekend of massages, gourmet meals and most importantly SLEEP. Many thanks to Marcia & Richard for babysitting the girls.

With Grandma and Grandpa in charge... The first day and a half went smoothly. Then Sam lost her mind. 1.5 hours of screaming before finally going to sleep. She continued this behavior (and often dragged her sister down with her) for the next several days of naps and evenings of bedtime. Another power struggle and/or separation anxiety.

Monday night was intense with another hour and a half of screaming. Mike did a great job shhing and patting and calming them.

Costco outing. Sam & Syd sat in Grandma's cart. They played with (and fought over) toys. Grabbing back and forth, then giggling.

December 6 ~ First visit with Santa Claus. Mike met us during lunchtime at the mall. The girls did really well meeting Santa. No tears! In the evening, Grandma and Grandpa went to SF to see "A Christmas Carol".

December 5 ~ Out to brunch with Mom, Grandma & Grandpa. In the evening, Mike & Richard went to see the new 007 movie.

UPDATE on Sam's formula issue. It was not physical. We think it was emotional and power struggle. It began the day everyone arrived. Big change in her environment. Turns out Sammy is pretty sensitive.

December 4 ~ Storytime at the Library with Mom, Grandma and Grandpa. Shopping with Grandma and Mom. (Grandpa didn't want to go shopping with the girls). Poor Dad worked a very very long day.

Syd is getting more defensive about Sam stealing her toys. Sam is still obsessed with feet (hers and everyone elses).

December 3 ~ Grandma, Grandpa, Daddy, Samantha & Sydney are planning to visit Uncle Joe, Aunt Opal and Great Grandma. Mommy is taking a much needed vacation day (massage and rest).

UPDATE: Not as restful as we had hoped. The visit with Uncle Joe didn't go well (grumpy, tired, wet, hungry babies). Daddy got in some trouble with Mommy for not keeping on schedule.

December 2 ~ Twin Mom's brunch. Decorating for Christmas. Cooking "Thanksgiving" dinner. Yep, it's alota holiday all in one day. The girls are so tired they are heading for an early bedtime (we hope!)

The past few days, Sam has decided she prefers food over formula. She is refusing her bottle. We are battling her at every feed to get a couple ounces (Syd will drink 7oz, Sam 2-3 and it's a battle). They still need to drink formula until they turn 1 year old (then they are allowed to have milk). We don't think she's sick. She'll take juice from a bottle. She's simply lost her taste for formula. Consulting the Pediatrician on what to try next.