I Have A Climber!

Oh CRAP I have a climber! Today I was in the other room checking my email while the girls were watching Sesame Street and I heard this unusual noise. It was a strange enough noise that the dogs napping at my feet jumped. So I went in to check on the kiddos. Ziva was ON the couch reaching for things on the end table and getting ready to climb over onto the end table! Apparently she's decided to skip walking and go straight to climbing. She was being very careful and deliberate about what she was doing though and only managed to knock over a picture frame (that was the strange noise).

So I decided to call my mom and share with her this exciting story, and as I was talking to her on the phone I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see Ziva STANDING on top of one of our little storage cubes on the other side of the couch! This was maybe less than 5 minutes after I caught her on the couch. Dang it! Now that she's figured out how to do it she's going to be trying it ALL the time! I'm seriously in some deep doo doo! I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time before Anya sees Ziva climbing and decides it looks like fun.

I hope I start growing some eyes on the back of my head.

Nearly Mobile!

Well, this has been a fun month with the girls! Every time someone gets on the floor it's a garantee that someone will get tackled. They're full of laughs and smiles and drama. lol

They're ALMOST walking! I'm sure that will happen within the next week or two. They've both taken a step or two without holding onto anything, so now it's just getting the courage to let go completely. My parents gave them these Fisher Price toy cars that you can either sit on or you can flip them up with a handle and push them. So we have both cars in the pushing position and they've been pushing them all over the place! Anya especially enjoys it. She would push that car around until the cows come home.

We've also made a BIG switch in their diet and are working on figuring out what works best for them. We've switched from formula to Lactaid whole milk. I have a seriously long family history of lactose intolerance so I'm afraid to use the real stuff, we can try that next year or something. And we're now feeding them solids 5 times a day: 3 meals and 2 snacks. So far they're doing good. I've had lots of questions along the way and the wise ladies on Ovusoft.com have been helping me out. So I feel like all I ever do is feed babies, but I guess that's all I ever did before except now it's actual food and actual messes. I've been trying to introduce the sippy cups too. Anya will actually drink from it, in fact last night she picked one up off the living room floor and helped herself to it (YAY!!!!), but Ziva won't even wrap her mouth around the spout. So I'm really not sure what to do about that one. It's not even a matter of 'wait till she's thirsty' because she just doesn't get how to use it at ALL. I guess we'll just keep trying. lol I've heard some mom's say that they chuck the bottles at 12 months and only use sippies, but I just don't think that's even possible if she has yet to take 1 sip from a sippy. If any of you expert mom's out there have any suggestions I'm all ears!!!

In the meantime... I've been busy cleaning out the girl's room of all the things they've grown out of over the past year. I'm planning to have a garage sale July 25th and 26th so mark your calendars! Some key items that we're hoping to sell: a 30" HDTV, a white 2000 VW Jetta in nearly perfect condition, baby cradle swing and bouncy seat, 2 matching infant carseats, and lots and LOTS AND LOTS of baby girl and neutral clothes including some matching or coordinating 'twin' sets. I'm planning to sell onesies for $.50 and sleepers for $1 so whoever comes will get a killer deal. Feel free to send me a message and I'll give you my address.

And somehow in the midst of all this I've lost 15 lbs total. It's actually not gone as quickly as I've hoped but I suppose it's better than nothing. :P

Oh, and I did something yesterday that I haven't done since the girls were born. I actually was able to sit down and read 50 pages of a book!!!! Of course it was a book about parenting twin toddlers, but I figure that's something I NEED to read! LOL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANYA & ZIVA!!!!

WE MADE IT!!! One full year with twins! WHEW what a ride!

I'm so happy, glad, excited to be so blessed to have two such wonderful little girls. They are the light of my life, that's for sure!

To update their progress: So far no one is walking yet, but they're thinking about it. They're both pulling themselves up on the furniture and Ziva often will stand up in the middle of the room without holding onto anything. So they're close, but not quite there yet. They've gotten much better at playing nice together. I think they've learned that getting poked in the face can hurt and aren't trying that so much anymore. They've both had a few good tumbles. Anya bumped her chin during one trip up and her lower tooth (yes, she still has just one!) made contact with her upper gum and caused some bleeding. Ziva currently has a black eye because she bumped her cheek bone on the changing table. And of course that one happened the day before their annual Dr's appointment! Thankfully their Dr. was very understanding. Ziva is currently 17 lbs 7 oz and Anya is 18 lbs 11 oz. That puts Ziva in the 10th percentile for weight and height and Anya in the 10th percentile for height and 20th percentile for weight. I've transitioned them to 12 month size clothing but they're pretty baggy.

Their party was a huge success! We had about 25 people come to our house for a BBQ. We had a "Peas in a pod" theme, so everything was bright green and white. The girls had a lot of fun visiting with family and friends, and had a great time smashing up their first pieces of cake! Ziva went at it with gusto using both hands and even going face first into the cake while Anya took a more lady like approach and poked it with her index finger and then tasted the crumbs. They were SO adorable! Since then they've had a lot of fun playing with all their new toys!
DJ's mother and sister were able to come for the festivities. His sister stayed with us for a week, and his mom stayed for 2 weeks. DJ's sister is really throwing herself into the Aunty role! Seems like every time she comes to visit she teaches the girls a new 'trick'. Last time she was here for Easter she taught them how to 'sing' and this trip she taught them how to 'tuck & roll' doing little baby sommersalts. Ziva REALLY got into it and now puts herself into the tuck position and waits for someone to roll her over. She also taught me some baby calisthenics moves and both the girls really love that too. We had a lot of fun with Aunty and Grandma! They taught me a new card game too, Hand & Foot Canasta. If any of you folks know how to play lets get together because DJ won't play with me and I'm now addicted! We can't wait for their next visit!

The girls seem to need a LOT more of my time and attention now. They're down to only one nap a day, so that means less me time and more play time. I'm ok with that though, I'm having a lot of fun!

11 Month Update

I know it's only been 2 weeks since my last blog entry but I'm trying to get back on schedule! lol

Anya & Ziva finally had their last Synagis injection, WOO HOO! No more going to the Dr. for shots every month! We still have to take them in for their annual exam next month, but after that we should finally have a break from the Dr.'s office. The billing has been such a headache for these injections. Seems like I'm on the phone with the insurance company every week trying to get things sorted out... it's become like another job and I'm going to be very thankful when the last billing is taken care of. Oh, I guess I should say that the injections are supposed to prevent RSV infections which can be very problematic for preemies.

I had a very nice Mother's Day. We went out to dinner w/ my parents, my grandmother, my aunt's Charlotte & Sharon (who are also twins) and their families. My sister and her family were also there briefly but they had to leave early. The girls were very well behaved the whole time.

Anya has started crawling! We're so happy for her! She's also started to get her two bottom teeth just within the past couple days. Now that they're both mobile they tend to follow each other around the living room. They smile and laugh at each other a LOT! It's very cute to watch. Anya has also stopped nursing as of a week ago. I kind of have mixed feelings about it. I'm glad because nursing can be very inconvenient but I'm also kind of sad because it was such a wonderful bonding experience for both of us.

DJ and I have decided to start this weight loss program called Take Shape for Life. If anyone is interested the web site is www.kennedy.tsfl.com. Basically we'll eat 6 meals a day, 5 prepackaged meals and 1 lean & green meal. We've ordered our food and we're waiting for it to arrive. I'm really looking forward to loosing weight, but I'm kind of scared of what my skinny post-babies body will look like. I guess there's only one way to find out!

10 Months Old!

Well, the girls are now 10 months old... and very quickly they will be 11 months old! How time flies... I can't believe it's almost been a year since they exploded in on our world.

We had a wonderful time with DJ's family when they came to visit us last month. DJ's mom stayed with us for 2 weeks, and his sister and neices were with us for almost a week. We had family pictures taken, and they turned out beautifully! Finally we have a good professional family picture of the four of us! And we did some cute ones of the girls by themselves. Anya, was a bit of a tough customer, but in the end we were able to make her smile and have fun. We celebrated Easter at Skamania Lodge with DJ's mom and my family. They do a wonderful Sunday brunch, if any of you have a chance to go you really should! It was delicious!

While DJ's family was here the girls just blossomed! Ziva started crawling with much more confidence and she started standing up without help by pulling herself up on the furniture! Now a days she's cruising around the living room holding onto things, it's so amazing! Anya is getting up on her hands and knees and rocking back and forth, so we're hoping that she starts crawling soon. Ziva has crawled up on top of Anya a few times and they end up just piled up laughing at each other... it's so cute! One time a few days ago we were helping Anya to stand up, and Ziva crawled over and used Anya to brace herself while she stood up too! So they ended up both standing (Anya with help) face to face just giggling with glee!

Our Dr. suggested having the girls evaluated by Infant Early Intervention program because they were preemies and Anya is somewhat behind schedule developmentally. But since Anya is starting to make headway we've decided to wait and see what happens. We kind of think our Dr. is overreacting and we know that a lot of babies, preemie or not, take a while to learn how to crawl.

We've started dressing Ziva in long sleeved onesies and Baby Legs. If you don't know what Baby Legs are you should look it up because they are SOOOO cute and really helpful for crawling babies. We've found that footed jammies are harder for her to crawl around in because she ends up crawling up inside of her outfit and then she gets stuck. lol But it's much easier for her to crawl when she's wearing Baby Legs... they're like little baby leg warmers. I can't help but think of any 80's dance movie when I see her in them. lol

We all had colds this month, which is why I haven't been all that motivated to update this blog or do much of anything else. But I think we're finally healthy again... took about 2 weeks to get over it.

After barely leaving the house for almost a year I'm starting to get a bit stir crazy, but at the same time I'm terrified of taking the girls out by myself. I've been trying to think of ways I can get out and leave the girls with DJ, but by the time he wakes up it's time for dinner practically. It's pretty frustrating. I've had some seriously scary nightmares about being out in public and being stuck trying to hold both girls at once... they're getting so big and heavy. I'm just not sure I can do it. But everyone who has twins keeps telling me that it gets easier, and eventually they are able to walk and over time become well behaved and you can actually go out in public with them. I seriously can't wait for that day!

9 Months Old! Can You Believe It?!

I can’t! :p It’s been a crazy month, and crazy past week or so especially.

Anya & Ziva did pretty good at their 9 month check up. They had to have 2 shots, which is never fun but they did ok. Anya is 14 lbs 8 oz and Ziva is 14 lbs 2 oz, so Ziva is really catching up and is only ½ an inch shorter than her sister. The Dr. suggested that we have them evaluated for developmental delays by the infant early intervention program. There aren’t any major concerns, but apparently there are things that they can do for 9 months old if they catch things soon enough. So I have a call into them to set up an appointment for someone to come to our house for an evaluation. Apparently our insurance pays for 70% and Bill and Melinda Gates pay for the rest.

Solid feedings have really gone well. Anya took off with it right away, and really enjoys it. Ziva took about 3 weeks before she actually swallowed a bite, she has a pretty strong tongue thrust reflex. But Ziva is now very excited about eating and will pull the spoon into her mouth with her hands, so I’m sure she’ll be ready for some finger foods soon. Anya is pretty happy with us feeding her without her involvement. :P

Ziva started crawling about 2 weeks ago, so that’s exciting. She’s a very busy girl to say the least. Anya has gotten really good at rolling where she wants to go, but she hasn’t put her knees under herself yet. And just last night Ziva stood up in her crib while hanging on to the rails! She was VERY excited and proud of herself! And I’m very proud of her too!

There’s been a little trouble on the home-front. DJ was in an accident at work. His leg is injured, but he’s ok and hobbling around. I won’t go into what happened because he doesn’t really want everyone to know about it, but it was VERY scary and could easily have been lethal. The accident happened at 1:30am during his shift, and since he didn’t need surgery or anything he decided not to call me so I didn’t find out until I woke up and he was home that morning. I’m very very thankful that he’s alright, but we’re both still in shock over it. If you think about it please pray that he has a smooth recovery.

We're expecting DJ's mom to come and visit us tomorrow. She hasn't seen the girls since they were 3 months old, so that should be fun. She'll be staying with us for 2 weeks. His sister and nieces will come and join us after Easter and it will be the first time his sister and one of the nieces will see the girls. We're very excited about their visit!

8 Months And Going Strong!

Lots of changes this month!

The girls are now sleeping in the nursery. Anya was a bit fussy the first few nights but calmed down faster each night and now she doesn't complain at all about it. As a result I'm sleeping wonderfully! YAY! We also set up the high chairs and started solids. Anya is taking to eating really well. Ziva is a little tricky, it's very hard to put food in someone's mouth when their tongue is sticking out. It's very entertaining though, both for me and the girls. Messy, but entertaining.

We also got a jumparoo which they girls both love! They squeel and laugh while they're in it, really fun to watch. They've each also fallen asleep in it. lol DJ thinks we need to get another one, but since they're only going to use it for a few months I really don't think it's worth it.

They still aren't crawling yet, but they're finding lots of other ways to move around. Ziva has gotten really good at rolling where she wants to go, and now that Anya is in her crib more she is also rolling over more often and reaching for things that she wants. Bottle time and diaper changes have gotten tricky because Ziva is ALWAYS on the move. While she eats she's kicking and waving her arms around, turning her head... it's like a wrestling match trying to feed and change her. Anya on the other hand is much easier, she just lets me do what I need to do. They've both gotten very giggly. Just last week they started interacting with each other a lot more. After a feeding when they're both on my lap they'll reach for each other and smile and laugh at each other, it's so cute! I can't put them in a crib together because they get too excited and someone ends up scratched or poked and cries.

At their Dr. appt. we learned that Anya is 14 lbs. and Ziva is 13 lbs. This means that they haven't gained much weight over the past month, so we switched to the higher concentration baby formula and we're going to be pushing solids more so hopefully next month they'll have a decent gain. It makes me glad that we're going in every month for their synigis injections so that we can catch things like this before it becomes a real problem.

Another big change, I've lowered my dose of lactation drugs by 1/2. I accidently skipped a dose and realized that it's those meds that were making me so sleepy and tired all the time. Up until then I was taking a nap every chance I had because I was SO exhaused, I just felt like I couldn't function. So now I only take it at night and I feel SO much better! It's like I'm back to being me again. As a result my house is clean again and I've actually made dinner a few times instead of running out every night for take out. And I just feel less overwhelmed by every day tasks because now I actually have the energy to accomplish them. I've also decided to give up my breastpump rental when it comes due this month, and that will be one more task out of my hair each day. I've just decided that the girls have already gotten such a huge benifit from my milk and at this point I need my own sanity back. I'm still nursing Anya though, but we are supplimenting her with formula more and more these days and since she's learning to eat well I'm sure that in a month or two she'll probably be done nursing. I'm glad to finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, but sad because I know I'll miss sharing that closeness with my girls. I have a feeling that I probably won't have much time to think about it though because at that point they'll surely be mobile.