No meeting tonight. I'm bummed. Bill had a parent/teacher conference which he thought was Thursday. Turned out it was today :( So, I'm stuck at home. And the minivan is in the shop. BAH!!!

So, I'm home, waiting for pizza to get here.

Boys have been fussy today..Had a few cute moments. The boys were on their play mat and I put them facing each other. Ryker and Ronin were smiling at each other. It was so cute! I wonder if they remember each other from the womb.

The rest of the week, not much is going on. But this weekend, I plan on going to see my mom and see grandma at her new place.

OK, gotta go. Ronin's fussy.

Sunday was a really good day!

We met our friend Naomi and Chad at Kid to Kid (it's a consignment store). They have a little girl who is 3 weeks younger than the boys. She is a big girl! Makes me realize how tiny Ronin really is. I of course, got some clothes for the kiddos.

After that, my friend Karla calls wanting to know if I wanted to go to a movie with her! The guys said that they'd watch the kids..all five of them! So, we went to see Music and Lyrics. It was cute, but predictiable chick flick. Get back and the boys had been crying and the girls were fighting..

Finally got home and Ryker went straight to bed. Ronin was in bed shortly thereafter.

Anyhoo, not much is going on. Tomorrow, I plan on going to dinner with the BF'ing Moms group. Friday is the library for story time, and that;s pretty much it..

Today was ok. It was just booooring.. I was going to go shopping with my friend Naomi, but it was SO windy, and Bill didn't feel comfortable with me going. It was so windy, several of our neighbors' fences got knocked down. The entire sky looked orange, because of the dust.

I let the dogs out to go play and do their business. Well, I go out there to bring them back in and I couldn't find Ginger! I think she got out so I go run around then neighborhood. I couldn't find her. I really thought she was gone for good. So, I take another look in the backyard and I heard her. Bill had taken down part of our fence, and it fell on her! But she's ok, thank goodness!

The boys are doing very well! They're noticing their big sister. They loove watching her and they smile at her. It's SO adorable. It makes those difficult first few months worth it.

Oh, just to let you know..if I'm gone for several days, it's because of the computer. OUr computer keeps crapping out on us. So, we have to do a quick restart and reinstall EVERYTHING. We don't have the $$ to get a new computer, so if this one goes kaput, it'll probably be awhile til I can get back online.

Wow, a new entire world has opened up to me since we have this van!! We went to story time at the local library, and Kalynn LOVED it. I got her a library card and we checked out some books. I even met some SAHM's too! We talked the entire time. They have kids that are K's age. One of them had a tiny newborn baby, and she has 3 older kids! I'm so glad I met them! There is even a SAHM group here in Midlothian! Wow, I feel like I've missed out on so much.

Another thought, I'm thinking about going to cloth..Specifically, using fuzzi buns



Or Wonderoos, a pocket diaper like this..
This is from the website:
http://www.parentingbynature.com/fuzzi_bunz.htm

Pros:
-Won't have to keep on buying diapers.
-Can use with both boys instead of buying 2 different size packages
-They are very easy to use
-Less $$ in the long run and can be resold.

Cons:
-Laundry! I can barely keep up as it is!

Maybe...I can get some FB's, but keep a package of diapers on hand when I run out..

Well, bah humbug..My parenting message board is taking too long :(

Morning!!

Last night was pretty good. Went to the park. There were some boys throwing rocks and Bill told them to stop and they did. Kalynn had a good time.

Going to the library here in a few hours. Then probably will see Brandon and Karla and their clan tonight hopefully. Saturday, plan on going shopping with Naomi. So, it'll be a nice weekend.

I talked to my grandmother yesterday afternoon. She has moved into an assisted living home. It's so weird to even say that. She was so independent, so it's hard to see that she does indeed need help. But I talked to her and she seems happy there. I'm glad.

I get so annoyed with the discouragement of nursing twins. YES it CAN be done. It CAN be hard but it can be overcome. I had a VERY rough time with it for 2 months (mild reflux, nipple confusion, all that fun stuff)!! But I stuck with it, and now we're going strong at almost 5 months!

But anyhoo, I better get some things done around the house before we go.

What a beautiful day! Today has been going pretty well! I am planning on taking everyone to the park when we're done with dinner.

Tomorrow, I'm going to take the kidlets to the library here in town. There's supposed to be story time at 11am.

Last night, for some reason I couldn't sleep. I guess I had a lot of things on my mind.

In a couple of weeks, ECI will be coming out to evaluate the boys. Seems like Ryker is a little bit behind. Neither boy is doing what 4 month olds do, but I know that's because they're 6 weeks behind. But it seems like Ryker is behind even for his adjusted age. He still has trouble lifting up his head and he hasn't rolled over from either side. He doesn't seem to babble as much as Ronin either.

Anyhoo, not much else is going on. Just that my boys are the cutest boys on this planet and I could just eat them up!

The rest of the day was pretty good!

The pediatrician ended up calling me! She was very nice but I think I'm going to search for another one.

Last night I went to that meeting called "For Babies Sake" in Arlington. It's not associated with LLL but it's run by a LLL leader. They were SO nice and welcomed me. They loved the boys, and held them. They'd hold one while I nursed the other one. Ronin had a good time, he was such a little flirt! One of the girls was talking to him and he was smiling and giggling! It was SO cute! He's such a happy boy when he's not crying!

We talked, and I am amazed about how much misinformation is given by pediatricians! And I think that's why you have to be really educated about how bf'ing works and have lots of support. Pediatricians can sabatoge a new mom's bf'ing relationship. I think if I didn't have the support I did from Bill and the nurses and my own knowledge and experience, I probably wouldn't be bf'ing right now.

But anyway, I'm glad I went. Next week's meeting is at a restaurant, so I plan on being there!

Gotta go! Fussy baby!

Pictures!


Fussy!

Morning!

I uhh..overslept so I didn't get to interview that pediatrician..

Last night was pretty good!! Bill took Ronin and let me go to bed. Sleeping been a sore spot for me. I'm kinda jealous that he gets to go to bed whenever he wants. I'm in a constant state of exhaustion. Because of my exhaustion, I have been a bit snippy. My house is in a constant state of messiness. I try to catch up but then, a day later, I'm behind again. Bill and I haven't had much time to ourselves . I'm in mom mode 24/7. I am in desperate need of having just a few hours to ourselves, just to dinner, with no kiddos.

I guess that's one thing that has surprised me. That even though we've done this parenting thing before, it's still difficult on us. I mean, we're "ok", we've just been really snippy and tired. We both get easily annoyed. Bill helps out a lot, and of course he should!! He holds babies when I ask him to, changes diapers, plays with them. It's just been hard. I wish I lived closer to my family..

Anyhoo, I'm hoping to get some pictures of the boys today! I was playing with them on the floor and they were laughing! It was so cute!

OK, I gotta do some chores. yay.

Later

Today wasn't too bad.

I got a recommendation for a pediatrician in Waxahachie. So, I called to see if I could interview her. They wanted me to come in at 7am! HA!! So I asked if I could speak to her over the phone. So, I have a phone interview tomorrow at 7am! Although, I kinda feel bad for looking for a new pedi. I kinda feel like I'm cheating on her. I know she genuinely cares about the boys, so I feel bad.

Kalynn was pretty good overall. The boys were fussy today. I wonder if they are going through a growth spurt. They usually eat every 3 hours but today they were eating every 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. And plus, during a growth they are fussy too. Just checked on kellymom (a great bf'ing resource) and yup, they're due for a growth spurt.

Kalynn is doing much better today. No pukies! She's eating back to normal.

Tomorrow, I am going to a meeting. It's another breastfeeding group, but not associated with LLL. So I'll be going there with the boys tomorrow. Kalynn will stay here with Bill. I'm excited ! It'll be nice to meet other new moms.

So I am VERY frustrated right now as far as losing weight. I gained 60 lbs with the boys, and then lost 30 lbs of it. So, I have 30 lbs to lose. I do good in the morning and in the afternoon. But then I get REALLY hungry, and want to snack all the time. I want to start exercising again. Today, I was going to but then the boys got really cranky. Then by the time they got settled down, it was already dark. I might just go around the neighborhood in a little bit. I know what to do, but I just don't feel the motivation to do it. I was happy with my weight before I got pregnant. I'm just SO tired and I don't want to do anything.

But I think I will set a goal. Walk/run for 30 minutes 3 x's a week.

OMG, what a rough couple of days!

Friday night was pretty uneventful until later that evening. Both boys were crying. I couldn't do ANYTHING to help them. I felt like I was going to lose it. So Bill took the boys and told me to go to take a break. FINALLY they are both asleep. I get stuff done.


Saturday morning, we wake up around 5am. Feed boys, put clothes on Kalynn and we hit the road. The drive to Jasper was pretty good. The boys both slept and Kalynn watched Veggie Tales.

We get there and Bill's mom was happy to see us. We visited her a bit and then took her to go see her mom (Bill's Mimi). She enjoyed seeing the boys!

We leave there and then took Bill's mom out to lunch. We went to a place called Casa Ole and it wasn't very good. We take her to Walmart, and then back to her place. Visited her for a bit and then left to go home.

The ride back wasn't fun. Boys would sleep on and off, but scream and cry when they were awake. We got dinner and then about 2 hours from home, Kalynn said her tummy hurt. Being the drama queen she is, I didn't really take her TOO seriously until she kept complaining about it. There wasn't much I could do. Then, a few minutes later. she blew chunks. A LOT. All I had were travel wipes, and tried to clean her that way. Finally get to a gas station and we change her and try to clean her carseat the best we can. Poor thing. She said "I'm good as new! But I don't smell good as new!" LOL

She's all changed and we're about 30 minutes from home, all of a sudden, she blew chunks again. Finally home and she's showered and dressed. Kalynn said "I'm good as new!"

So, few things I learned on this trip:
#1) Keep some towels in the van
#2) We won't be traveling like this for a LOOOOOOOOOOONG while.

Arrggh, what a day!!

The boys usually take a nap in the morning and I catch up on my internet journals, message boards and all that jazz. I had to pay a few online bills as well. Well, I try to get on and no luck. It'd get to a screen and just freeze. I tried for several hours. Then, I found the quick restart CD's and did that. This takes about 30 minutes or so. No go. I tried about 4 x's. Bill gets home and he tries, with no luck. FINALLY about 5pm, it works!

The rest of the day was crazy. Both boys were so cranky all day. I"m thinking it was from the shots. So, I wasn't able to get a lot of things done. And, I found a hair wrapped around on Ryker's toe! It had cut into his toe, but it didn't look red or swollen, so I'm just leaving it alone.

But today, Ronin giggled!! It was SOOO cute!! Just melted my heart.

Let's see what else. I'm peeved at Allie's Dr!!! I called her to see if she found out what her baby is. They won't do another u/s til she's 6 months! What's up with that??

Stephan is engaged! Yay! He and Kindra will be getting married sometime soon.

I need to get a few things ready for tomorrow's trip, and clean the house a little bit. My friend Kim will be letting the dogs out tomorrow.

OK, time to go..Gotta nurse Ryker before bed time.

Morning!

Yesterday was pretty good! Bill came home and gave me a tin of chocolates. It was yummy. He also gave me this gorgeous rose shaped crystal bowl.

We went to Johnny Carino's for dinner, and they took forever! I know it was because of Valentine's Day. It was crowded too.


Ronin has found his thumb! I don't mind it at all. It's better than the stupid paci. I hate that thing.




OK, I gotta get dinner started..

Ummm..sorry about the giant text. I tried fixing it but for some reason, it won't let me fix it.

Happy Valentine's everyone!!!


Let's see..yesterday was pretty good. I went to Walmart by myself with the boys while K was at school. That was an adventure LOL I had to take a quick lesson on how to do the stroller, but other than that, I think it was a success! The boys of course got lots of attention. The cashiers there thought they were just cute! Of course, I tend to agree.


Today was the boys' appts, this time with all 3 kids! I got everyone dressed and out the door on time. The dr's appt went well. Here are the stats:

Ronin
12 lbs 5 oz 24" long
he was on the 5th percentile, but now is on the 10th!

Ryker:
14 lbs 1 oz 25" long
He was on the 25th percentile but now is on the 50th!
She was happy that they are growing very well and moving up on the growth chart!

She said that I could start solids, but I am going to wait on that. For one, it's now recommended to wait til they're 6 months. For two, I don't think they're ready yet (they still have their tongue thrust reflex),

She gave us a chart about how much to feed, etc. On the place where 0-2 months was, it said to BF or FF (formula feed) 6 x's a day. Ummm..big fat NO. It's 8-12 times a day. I think 6x's a day is ok for formula though, if I'm not mistaken.

Gotta go! Kalynn needs me for something

Mom, does this look familiar?

Just wanted to comment how BIG my boys have gotten!!! Ronin is finally outgrowing his 0-3 month stuff!! I can't believe how far he's come. He started out tiny, 4 lbs 11 oz..Not even big enough for preemie size! Last weight check he was 11 lbs 14 oz so that's a gain of 7 lbs and 3 oz in 3 1/2 months!


Ryker is a big boy. Yesterday I tried to put him in a 3-6 month outfit, and it was TOO SMALL!!! Holy crappola! Then I tried putting him in a 3-6 sleeper, still too small!! So, looks like I'm going to have to go shopping! I dont' have a lot of 6-9 stuff because I wasn't sure what the weather was going to be like when they needed 6-9. Little Man probably won't need 6-9 til the weather gets warm.

Last night was pretty good. We went to Brandon and Karla's house (which I refer to as B&K) and then out to eat. The girls enjoyed playing together. They cracked me up, they were talking about getting married and then Journey announced that she had a baby in her tummy. It was too funny.

Got home and Bill took Ronin to rock him. I was exhausted and went to bed.

Anyway, gotta go do some laundry and I hope everyone has a good Sunday!

Yesterday was pretty good!


We went out to eat at Applebee's--Hooray for Gift Cards! We ended up running into another family with twins! They also have twin boys and an older sister. We thought it was pretty cool!


Saturdays is Mommy and Kalynn day. We usually go to McDonald's for lunch (or as Kalynn calls it "Old McDonalds) and went to Wally World. Kalynn did SO well at the store. I think everything is getting everything-with the boys and with Kalynn. I think the reward chart along with us going out by ourselves has helped a lot.


We ran into our friends from Kalynn's old dance class. Then Kalynn started to ask about going to dance again :( I felt really bad because we aren't able to afford it this time.


Next weekend, we're thinking about going to go to Jasper to see Bill's mom. ONly for the day though.



Anyway I better go.

Afternoon!

Yesterday went ok. We took Kalynn to the opthamologist. Apparently, her VEP test came back on the low end of normal. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but they want to follow her more closely. Her next appt is in October.

While at the hospital, these 2 girls and their babies were looking at the babies and saying how cute they were. One of them said "Oh I couldn't handle it". I said "Sure you could! You wouldn't have a choice!" I get that comment all the time..It doesn't bother me, it's just kinda funny. OF COURSE you could handle it.

After that, we went to Walmart to get some meat and other stuff for the crockpot this coming up week. OMG, roast and stew in the crock pot is SOOOOO yummy.

Got home and Kalynn was being very defiant. I sent her to her room and I check on her a few minutes later and she's zonked out! Poor kid. She didn't get a nap.

The boys are 4 months old today!!! I can't believe it!! 2 more months (or later) is when I plan to introduce solids. They still have that tongue thrust reflex so they're not ready yet.

Their Dr's appt is next Wed. I'm hoping that Ronin is over 12 lbs. I'm curious to know how much Ryker weighs. I'm guessing about 14 lbs.

After this appt, I'm switching Dr's. This Dr isn't very supportive at all of me BF'ing. She told me in the hospital that lots of twin moms in her practice don't breastfeed their twins..Well, gee, I wonder why! With the lack of support that she gave me, it's a wonder why they don't breastfeed twins. She told me that Ronin would never learn to nurse. She also berated me for saying that I felt that breastmilk was better for them, especially with them being preemies. Whatever lady. I'm just glad that I've had experience nursing and have educated myself to know she's full of crap. Yup folks, Dr's don't know very much about BF'ing. Now that's not to say that if my boys needed to be supplemented, of COURSE I would (which I did when I was in the hospital). But if they're growing and gaining weight, why do it? Although I'm afraid she is going to try to push formula on me since Ronin's only 12 lbs. Normal weight gain for bf'ed babies is 4-5 oz a week and Ronin is doing just that. He's gained almost 3 lbs in 2 months, I think that's pretty dern good!

Nights continue to go well with Ronin and the chamomile tea. Wow, what a difference. From going to bed at 12-1am to going to bed at 10pm! It's so funny, I usually give it to him in a syringe (he won't take a bottle), and he'll open up his mouth wide waiting for it! He's such a happier baby now. He hasn't projectile vomited in several weeks now.

Anyway, I better go check on my princess.

Pics:

I want to go somewhere!!!!!! But I'm still kinda afraid of driving the minivan long distances. I don't mind around town though, driving on the freeway for some reason intimidates me.

OK gotta go..

Kalynn cracked me up today..I was changing Ryker's (aka Jose) diaper and Kalynn was looking through the boys' drawers. She found some baby shampoo. She said "Behold!! Gold soap!" That girl, I swear, she's silly.

I can't believe my boys are going to be four months!! They are getting so big!! Ronin was so cute today! He was fussing in the bouncy chair and I was in the kitchen. As soon as I sat down by him, he got a big smile on his face! He started to babble and coo. It was just so adorable!


Things are just going so well. A lot easier than it has been. It's nice to have them on a sort of "schedule", of which they put themselves on. I'm able to get things done! But I have yet to go out by myself with all 3. Now that I have this minivan, I can do that. I'm kinda skeered though..I just gotta do it though.


I think tomorrow I'm going to make a pork loin roast. Yummy. Not sure how I'm gonna do it yet.


Thursday Kalynn has an opthamologist appt. I'm sure that will be fine. Not worried about that at all.

Another thing that's been on my mind..I want to lose weight!!! I know how to do it, but I have just been so unmotivated. I am ALWAYS hungry. Always!! I want to go out and walk but I am just so tired when Bill gets home. I'm just unhappy with the way I look. I'm 30 lbs over where I was before I got pregnant. I gained 60 lbs but already lost 30 of it. Just gotta lose that last 30.

Anyway, I better go to bed.. Good night!!

Few things I wanted to share..Just silly stuff..

First, I LOOOOOOOVE my crockpot!! It's been such a lifesaver. We don't have any time to cook, so it's nice to have that thing.

Second, chamomile/peppermint tea ROCKS. When Kalynn was a baby and she'd cry ALLLLLLLL night long. My Aunt Iris told me about it when K was a baby. I gave her some of that and it worked like a charm. Now, Ronin has reflux (pretty much heartburn) and he's SUPER cranky in the evenings-Reflux is at its worst in the evenings and crying makes it worse. I gave him some Chamomile tea with a peppermint candy dissolved in it and I swear, it worked like a charm then. He usually goes to bed around midnight and he's crying the entire time I'm holding him. Last night and the night before when we gave him some, he was SO much better. Last night he went to bed after 10! I also found out that this tea helps babies with reflux. Since he doesn't take a bottle, I just put it in a syringe.

Let's see..I am planning on joining La Leche League, and a Moms of Multiples Group. It'll be nice to interact with adults.

Speaking of LLL..Allie check this out:
http://www.lllusa.org/web/GarlandTX.html

Since you want to breastfeed, I found a LLL meeting that's near you. That way you can get the support before baby arrives.

Anyway, better jet.

Yesterday was pretty good! I drove the minvan. It wasn't too bad! Kalynn and I went to McDonald's for Mommy and Kalynn time. Then went over to Walmart.


That evening we went to my Aunt's house for my cousin's bday party. I can't believe he's 27!! I remember going to my Aunt's house when my brother and I were young and spending the night, and Stephan and Aaron would play. Time sure has flown by.


We had a good time, it was nice seeing everyone there. I enjoyed talking to my sister Allie. And I'm VERY happy that Kalynn behaved herself for the most part. We had a loooong talk about how we behave at other people's houses.

I'm sure the boys loved being held by everyone! Too bad they can't come over every day and hold them so I can get things done! LOL

Speaking of Kalynn..we have another appt with the neuropsych from the advice from her teachers. They are noticing ADHD behaviors. One of the teachers' daughters has ADHD and Kalynn exhibits a lot of the same behaviors that her daughter did. So, I guess we'll see what they say.

Anyway, not much else is going on. I do not want to watch boring football..

Both boys are asleep and Kalynn's watching the Wiggles..

Since having twins, I can't believe some of the comments. I don't mind the "Oh! Are they twins? Are they identical or fraternal?" But the looks of disdain or the sympathy I hate. 'Better you than me" yeah, I'm glad it's me and not you either. Or "I don't think I could handle it" YES you could. You wouldn't have a choice. You just do it.


Another thing, I have made up a couple of charts for Kalynn. First is a Chore Chart. She is to do chores around the house. For the chores she does, she gets a star. Then I made up a Reward Chart. I listed some positive behaviors, and if she does those, she also gets a star. I'm thinking 5 out of 7 days, that she'll get a quarter. I don't want to do 7 days because all kids have bad days.

Anyway, gotta go..Fussy Ronin.

Picture of our new ride:


I'm kinda afraid to drive it though. I know eventually I will have to. The boys have an appt next week!

We have a new minivan!!!!! Yay!!! It's a 2002 Toyota Sienna XLE. We got it last night. It's very nice. Now, I just have to figure out how to put the carseats in. Right now, we have the infant seats in the back bench and K's seat in one of the captain's seats. But, the problem with that is that it's hard to get the infant seat that's directly behind Kalynn's seat. So, we gotta figure out another way.

Other than that, not much else is going on. I'm trying to catch up on laundry. Seems like when I'm almost caught up, I get more laundry to do. It's quite frustrating. I wish I could have a mom's helper, housekeeper, nanny or something. And our house is a disaster. Uggh.

Anyway, I better go and get some laundry going.