Get 'er Done

I keep sitting down to write this post about how we really do it, but the joke's on me, (as all moms know) because "how we do" changes so much I can barely keep up.

The truth? You do WHATEVER WORKS!

1. Get em fed.

During the day we do solids and milk feeds. I'm currently nursing with an output of about 2 ounces per feeding (generally, breastfed babies eat between 3-4 ounces per feeding). The girls USED to alternate between nursing and a bottle every other feeding, where the baby who nursed also got a little bit of supplement. When I was here by myself, I made one big bottle and gave the majority to one baby and then saved the rest for the baby who nursed.

BUT, of course, we don't do it that way anymore.

Now my dearest Charlotte has sprung two tiny bottom teeth. Technically, Bellina has teeth also, but Charlotte, oh Charlotte. She's a very dedicated biter.  Thus, I am done with nursing Charlotte. Also with the newest addition of solid foods, the girls take bottles less frequently and so I am currently pumping in between bottle feeds and giving that milk to Charlotte. I might be nuts.

When the girls were small, the event of eating occurred on the couch, where I placed one baby in a boppy and snuggled up close so to bottle feed that baby while nursing the other. Yes, I would bottle feed one and nurse the other. At the same time. This was much easier when the girls were smaller, as they didn't wiggle around so much. What am I even saying...? it was never easy...actually maybe it was easy for like, 3 days.

Nowadays I often stagger the feedings back to back. I will nurse one while the other waits and then we switch. I especially have to stagger the girls around naps and bedtime as they really enjoy being rocked. I usually start with Charlotte and Bellina waits on her play mat in the living room. At naptime when I get to Bellina, sometimes she's already fallen asleep on the floor.

Obviously, it's much easier when I have another person here to feed the second baby. What's that? You are free to feed a baby? Great! There is a sign up sheet on my front door.

When Matt is home alone with the girls, he puts them both in boppies on the couch and feeds them bottles at the same time.

It's easiest when there is help.

The girls are now old enough to eat solid foods, too! We are having fun trying new things. So far they are eating : Beef (I bake it, then puree it), sweet potato, egg yolk (boiled for 4 minutes), banana, avacado and pears. Plus I add some good olive oil or butter to the food for some nice fats. Next up I plan to do salmon, acorn squash and pumpkin.

I'm happy that the girls are eating so well, as it means they are getting good nutrition from real food instead of the processed formula food!

We have little portable booster chairs that I put the girls into and we all just camp out on the kitchen floor for all their meals.

lunch on the porch!

2. Sleepin'.

The babies shared a crib for the first 5 months. We would swaddle them up and lay them perpendicular in the crib, parallel to one another. They would often wiggle just enough to end up touching side by side, one baby with her arm over the other's head. Sleeping soundly.

My favorite quote from a friend upon seeing the girls room with one crib...she looked and pointed with an amazed look on her face.. "Do they both...??" "In the same...??"

These pictures are kinda dark...sorry.

Babies sleeping together

Snuggle Sisters

It amazed me how they could sleep while the other baby cried and smacked them in the face with flailing arms.

We recently set up the second crib and the girls have adjusted nicely.

They currently go to bed around 6pm and wake up twice during the night and get up at 6am. We have a little bedtime routine that includes a bath, lotion, pj's, stories and a bottle/nursing before bed. We are bathing the babies one at a time and then switch while the clean baby gets dressed. If I do it on my own then I have one baby in the tub and the other baby in the bumbo or on the floor in the bathroom with me.

Bedtime is also easiest with two adults, but if it's just me then I put one baby out in the living room in the exersaucer or somewhere she can't roll around and feed/rock the first baby and then trade.

When I'm on my own, there are usually tears. (Usually just theirs!)

Then we take turns feeding the girls at night so that we can each get a chunk of time to sleep. Matt is on duty until 1:30 am and then I take over after that. Then we are both up with them in the morning.

I rely heavily on the cribs, swings, bumbo chairs, exersaucer and other contained playing areas. Especially since the girls are rolling all over the place.

3. Playin'.

We have a double BOB stroller that takes us on walks. It has a permanent home in our living room! I gently ease the stoller down both sets of stairs in front of our house and then we are all set to go wherever we please.

We share the swing at the park.

We also have a double snap and go which is what I use for grocery shopping right now.  I put all the food into the bottom of the stroller. (Either that or I go to the grocery alone...)

If we go somewhere in the car, I can still manage to carry both car seats (one in each hand) from inside to the porch, then from porch to car. Not sure how it will work once they don't have carry car seats anymore!

Matt and I really enjoy using the carriers for things like farmers markets and places where strollers are difficult to maneuver.

We have a little living room zone where the girls roll and play on the floor. They also like to play in their cribs.

4. Change 'em.

We are using cloth diapers about 80% of the time...so far, so good! We end up running a load of diaper laundry every day to keep up, but so far we make that work. Sometimes I just use a disposable if I didn't stay caught up with the laundry, but that's not always an option if I haven't bought diapers at the store. The only complaint I have, really, is that the babies' clothes don't fit as well due to the bulk of the diapers.


So, I think that does it for the basics of our day to day life...Probably more than you bargained for. I'm curious, are there other things you wish you knew?

Overall, caring for twins is all encompassing and a lot of days I even ask myself, "How did I just do that?"

I do think there are some perks, such as the babies having each other to entertain and be entertained. In fact they are just starting to notice each other more and tell each other some pretty hilarious jokes: