Happy 6-Month Birthday to my Babes!!!

They are doing so well and growing so big!  They are both rolling over and babbling up a storm, blowing bubbles and raspberries and finding their feet.

They are catching up on their weights and everybody also guesses them at their correct ages.

We are ate the tail-end of their first colds, which they passed along to me, Mia and their Grandpa.  We also brought them in and had them fitted for their CranioCaps.  While they were there the doctor noticed that both girls have a droopy eyelid and really wanted us to see a pediatric ophthalmologist.  You don't really notice it when you are looking at them in person, but you can really notice it in photos.  I asked the doctor if it was hereditary because my left eyelid droops when I am tired and so does Mia's.  He claims it isn't, but I claim he is wrong.  When I looked up "ptosis of the eye" it did say that it can be hereditary!

We are now just waiting to hear back from Gillette's to schedule the appointment to go in and get their caps fitted and to set up some more physical therapy appointments.  Hopefully we will get that taken care of tomorrow and move on with this whole process.  The babies shouldn't really be bothered by their helmets, but we do have to be careful of them overheating when we are outdoors.  This is, of course, just fine with me to have to stay in air conditioning as much as we can.  I don't like the heat one little bit.  I'll take a blizzard over a hot and humid summer day anytime!

I think I am going to go and make some cupcakes to celebrate their half-birthdays.  I know they can't eat them yet, but I can, and well........they eventually will get some through the breast milk.....right?

Baby K'tan Carrier

After I had my twins I looked into some different wrap/sling/carrier options because I was having such a hard time holding them both and getting things done around the house.  My therapist also recommended getting a sling as she thought they would be beneficial to both myself and the babes.  I didn't want to get another Baby Bjorn as they always hurt my back and you can't use them with preemies.  I also did not like the sling/peanut-type carriers because I was always afraid they would suffocate in there all bunched up (I wasn't so paranoid was I?? Remember what just came out in the news in the past few months??).  After some research, I was set on getting the Moby Wrap and headed on over to Baby Grand to get one, but they were out of stock.  I am so glad they were because I ended up purchasing the Baby K'tan and I LOVE IT.

I tried on every single option Baby Grand had, including the Moby Wrap, but I fell in love with the K'tan.  It was so super easy to put on, it was comfortable (even if I was just trying it on with a doll and a stuffed animal), and I could throw it in the washer and dryer.  The only color they had in my size was chocolate brown or pink and I wasn't a fan of either, but since I loved it so much I went ahead and got it in the brown.  (on my way out there was a women getting the pink one and she was so excited that it came in pink, so I made the right choice).

I don't use it every day any more, but I use it so much that I have been keeping my eyes open for a used (read affordable, cheap) one to keep in the diaper bag or car.  Every time I forget to pack the k'tan is when I end up wishing I had it.  Figures. 

I love being able to wear my babies, especially since there is two of them and I can't always hold them both as much as I would like.  Being able to wear one while I push the other in the stroller at least gives them that close bonding time with me while I can smile and talk to the other one; and then we switch so it is fair.  And did I mention that I have had two back surgeries and wearing them in the K'tan causes me NO pain.  It gets hard for me to hold them with my own two arms after about 10 minutes because of my back, so the k'tan actually allows me to hold my babies longer than I normally would be able to.

I wish it would have been around when I had my first baby so I could have used it instead of that back-breaking bjorn.  And I almost forgot......I loved that it came with a cute matching hat and sash....I'm a sucker for accessories.

Cloth Diapering with Flip Diapers

We wanted to try cloth diapers to help save us money and because of environmental reasons, but I didn't want to double my work load or spend a fortune.  I had been looking casually at the different options, but never really got serious about it because we just didn't have the money to invest in them.

About two months ago I sold something on craigslist and the women who came to pick it up mentioned that she was heading over to Peapods.  I said that I really liked that store (and a few restaurants near by) and asked what she was going there for.  She said she had to pick up some more cloth diaper supplies.  Of course that lead to me asking quite a few questions, but by that evening I had forgotten the details of her answers.  That evening I also checked my email and saw that that lovely Mom had written out exactly what I would need to start cloth diapering and some very helpful tips!!  She said to get everything we needed to diaper our twins from now until potty training it would cost us about $200.  I thought that was amazing and started to look into things a little closer, read reviews and become more informed.

We decided to head on over to Peapods to see what they had and ask some questions.  I was fairly certain that I was going to go with the flip diaper system, but I wanted to hear a professional opinion first and make sure there wasn't anything I was missing.  The women that helped us was fantastic!  She went through every type/option that was available and answered all of our questions.  The last option she showed us were the flip diapers and I was sold.

The reason I liked them so much was because they seemed like the easiest to use and were also the most cost-effective, in my opinion.  We decided to go with two Day Packs.  Each day pack comes with two covers and six microfiber inserts for $49.95, and these are adjustable so we never have to buy them again.  So in theory, we should never have to buy diapers again.  The sales women at the store recommended buying more than we did, but my mother-in-law was buying them for us and I didn't want to be greedy and I honestly thought the two packs would be just fine.  It just means I have to wash them every night.  We also got a pack of the disposable inserts for when we are out and about.  You can just buy a wet bag to use when you are out, but having twins I am already short on space in the diaper bag.  The disposable inserts haven't gotten the best reviews, but I haven't had any major issues yet.  We did want to get a wet laundry bag for at home, but they were too expensive at Peapods and so I purchased a Fuzzi Bunz In and Out Mess Free Diaper Bag on Craigslist and 8 cloth wipes for $15 and I absolutely love the bag.  My husband likes it so much he wants me to try and find another so we can have one in our downstairs bathroom as well.

We have been using them for a good week and a half and I can say that so far, I am very happy with them.  We do use a Huggies overnight diaper for bedtime because it is just plain easier for us and I don't have enough inserts to double up for overnights.  We have the four covers and we don't go through them all in a day unless one of the babes has a massive poop and soils it.  We put the used ones in the Fuzzi Bunz bag and then after all the girls are in bed we throw it all in the wash.  We are using All Free detergent, which was listed as safe to use with the flip diapers.  I run them through a cold rinse cycle first and then a wash cycle that washes hot and rinses with cold and then a second cold rinse.  Then if I am still up I throw them in the dryer on medium or I just toss them in the dryer when I get up at 5am to pump.  *I should add that the covers shouldn't go in the dryer, I just toss mine over a chair back to dry*  Then I stack them up in a nice pile for the day and we are good to go.

I wasn't planning on using the cloth wipes but since the person selling the wet bag also had some cloth wipes, I thought I would give it a try.  I put them in a wipes warmer with water, baby soap and baby oil and the babes seem to love them.  They actually smile when I clean them up now and I can use them to wipe off their little faces in the morning as well (before wiping their behinds of course!!).  I just toss them in the wet bag with the inserts and wash them with the rest of the stuff.  My husband isn't so keen on the soap, oil solution so I am going to try and find a different solution to mix up.  I am just using plain old water for now.

The only part I don't like is the poop, but they make these neat little sprayers

Give peapods a visit and see how easy cloth diapering has become!!

Wonderful Wordless Wednesday

Things I Dislike

• worms
• beets
• rude people
• hot weather
• crowds
• people who walk on the wrong side of the hallways, walk to the right people
• the smell of dogs
• dog kisses
• being allergic to eggs
• being close-minded
• weeds
• pumping, some days
• sad endings, I don't watch movies to feel even worse
• sick/hurt children, kids shouldn't have to suffer
• the way women's clothing is sized
• comcast
• poor or non-existent customer service
• modern art
• bad drivers
• watching babies get their shots
• nature shows when you watch the animal die or suffer and want the people filming it to go help!
• worms
• Celine dion
• mariah carey
• rush hour
• allergies that make me itch, sneeze and make me look like I haven't slept in days
• lack of sleep
• strong smells, like perfume and fruity lotion
• ambercrombie stores (loud and strong smells).  I hate that store
• pain
• fireworks at night in any month but July
• people who steal and smash jack-o-lanterns
• fat on meat
• picking up dog poop, they should go in litter boxes like super-smart cats
• death
• the news
• heights
• long car rides
• worms
• kids who trick-or-treat sans costume....don't even get me started
• kids with no manners
• thongs
• jicama
• tapioca

Things I Love

• cool fall days
• thunderstorms
• baby smiles
• big hugs from my daughters
• horror movies
• hot tamales
• coffee
• Starbucks
• iced vanilla nirvana from Dunn Bros
• jeans that fit well
• cozy sweaters
• great conversation
• a fresh coat of paint
• finding and giving the perfect gift
• reading
• knitting
• baby smell
• fires outside
• the smell of someone grilling
• kids that wake up with rosy little cheeks
• ballet
• pointe shoes
• teavana
• the bibelot
• iced tea
• popcorn and milk duds eaten together
• cute shoes
• air conditioning
• brownies
• diet Pepsi
• people that 'get it'
• giant insulated mugs
• ice water
• swimming
• lobster
• crab legs
• plants, especially in the spring when I can watch then grow
• cats
• pugs
• baking
• doing good deeds
• stretching
• chicken gyros
• the Minnesota state fair
• the Minnesota renaissance festival
• Edward Cullen
• quotes
• organizing
• making lists
• art
• learning
• getting my hair shampooed
• massages, the ones that dig in and work the knots out, not those sissy massages
• cream cheese ice cream from Izzy's
• tuna salad from cafe latte
• Halloween
• chinese food
• walking at night
• mac make-up
• nordstroms
• gerbera daisies
• real simple magazine
• naps
• candles
• family
• mexican food
• baby gear
• creating thins
• pools
• lobster rolls
• the smell of baking bread

A few new things.

1. We are trying our hand at cloth diapering.  We have wanted to cloth diaper since our first baby was born over 9-years-ago, but I was kind of a stinker and didn't want to deal with swishing out dirty diapers in the toilet and thought diaper services were just as bad for the environment as using disposables.  Cloth diapers have come a long way (baby) and if they are as easy as they claim, we will be saving a whole lot of money.  (thank you to my mother-in-law for buying the two starter packs for us)

2. My darling daughters got their hair cut on Memorial Day by my super-awesome-mega-talented-hair stylist-brother.  I always tell my girls they can have their hair cut however they want, but I did not expect the short-do that Melanie chose.  Everyone loves it, but I think I may still be in shock.

3. I was visiting my Mom today while Peter was out showing some houses in Hastings and I laid Phoebe down on her belly and she rolled right on over onto her back!!  I put her back on her belly and she rolled over again.  I was so happy and so glad that my Mom got to see it as well.  I couldn't wait to share the news with Peter.

4. Just an hour ago I was playing with the babes on the floor and Avery kept trying to roll over onto her belly so I put her on her belly and just as Peter walked in the room, she rolled over onto her back!!  Again, I put her back on her belly to make sure it wasn't a fluke and she did it again!!!  Both babes rolled over on the same day.  How can you not just love that?