Trying for Baby...And Got Two!

Goodbye 2011...Hello 2012!

2011-12-31T19:18:00.000-08:00

I have been away a long time! Work has been crazy, so I haven't had the time or energy to post anything. This school year has been difficult and not good at all. I cannot wait for it to be over, and I don't think I've said that before in the 10 years I've been teaching! I think with the economy, more and more kids are having major issues at home, and when you get to know students and are trying to teach them, well, it wears on you. Top that with no permanent administrators, and it's not a good thing. But enough about work!

The girls turned 3 this year, which was exciting. Yes, 3s are rougher than 2s! With the 3s, it was like they were bipolar. It has gotten a little better, but there are still major mood swings! It has been awesome seeing M & S grow up. They are so big now and becoming these little, interesting people.

I don't think I've gotten any twin comments this year at all. It's funny, when they are infants, you get so many comments, many of them not welcome, and then it diminishes. Which is totally fine, I just think it is interesting. It is so much easier now that my girls are older. While I still prefer to go shopping alone- it is so much quicker! I can take them shopping by myself, and it's not that big of a pain. Not like it was when they were 2 and under. Pretty much everything has gotten easier. The tantrums are not fun, but once you know the best way to handle them for each (because oh, they respond SO differently to things!), it gets easier.

I noticed someone asked me a question on my last post, and I never answered it! So I will now. They asked about how long I kept the girls together in a crib when they were infants.

I had a full size co-sleeper that they both slept in for a long time. I think I kept them both in it together until about 4 months, when they started rolling over. And even after that I would have them nap in it. We had 2 cribs set up from the start, but didn't need them right away. They slept in the same crib until they started really rolling around, probably around 5 months. Before that, sometimes I would have one sleep in the crib and one in the co-sleeper. It just depended on what they needed. The best lesson I ever learned being a twin mom: You do what works for YOU! People will give you suggestions, which are great, but you need to find what works for you and your babies and stick with it. Good luck!

Big Girl Bed Update

2011-09-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

I hesitate to write this, but I felt the need to report. We switched a couple months ago to toddler beds. Has it really only been 2 or so months?? It was a big deal and it took me back to the dreaded newborn days. I was not getting ANY sleep. First, I had to sleep in the room with them until they fell fast asleep. Then, they started waking in the middle of the night, and who can forget their lovely super early in the morning wakings? Which are still going, by the way. Anyway, I am happy to report that it IS getting easier! I now rub their backs until the fall asleep and then sneak out. And it hasn't been taking them long to fall asleep. I am pleased at the direction this has been going!

Oh, and another HUGE update! M finally, FINALLY is pooping on the potty!!! Twice now she has gone on her own. S is next.

Pacis, Pre-school, and Poop

2011-08-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

Pacis
Last night M asked for her paci. It was really so sad. She first told me that she was sad. I asked her why and she said, "Because I want my paci." and she said it in a way that was so sad :( I did not give in though!! I told her that she was a big girl now and didn't need it, and that I wished I could give it to her, but couldn't. She did eventually go to sleep too!

Pre-school
Pre-school is going well! They love it, of course. I have been dropping them off since I have been on break, and S is always the first one in, not looking back, ready to go! M started to hang back and hide behind my legs a bit. Once she gets in there, she is fine, but I think she also wants to spend time with me. The only thing I don't like, is when I pick them up. They go to afternoon pre-school, so when I pick them up they are super tired. I bring them home and they act crazy. Bipolar even. They will get upset over the smallest thing, then be happy, then upset. I want this, no I want that! Do this for me, NO don't do that for me!! It's exhausting!

Poop
I originally put "poop" in the title just so I could have another "p" word- the English teacher in me acting up- but I do have some poop things to write about. Mine still will NOT go in the potty. I have tried bribing. That doesn't work. Bribes just don't work all that well with my kids. They say they are scared, so we talk about it, but they still won't do it. Some have told me to take away the pull up at night, since that is when they poop. They hold it until they get in a pull up then let it all go! I tried that with M a couple times, but she will either just hold it and then have an accident at school, or poop in the undies. Not ok. So we continue with pull ups at night. I keep reminding myself that they WILL get it eventually. Just like they got peeing in the potty. Laid back is what they need. I just need to remind myself of that!

Paci Update!

2011-08-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Getting rid of the paci was a little LESS painful than I expected! The first night, it took them forever to fall asleep. But, after the first night, they did not even ask for their paci at all! We had explained it a bunch of times and talked about it for well over a week beforehand though. I really was expecting them to ask and cry for it though. The only thing that is happening, that I think could be paci related is that M is waking in the middle of the night. And she wants me. And she doesn't want to stay in her room. She wants to come sleep in my bed. I really need to stop letting her do that! It's like when she was 6 months old again!

Paci Fairy, bedtime, etc.

2011-08-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Paci Fairy is coming! What happens is she comes during the night and takes the pacifiers and gives them to the babies who need them. She leaves a nice toy in its place though! I'm not too worried about Sofia, she'll be ok. Maya is the one I'm most worried about. In the past 2 weeks she has gotten even MORE attached to the paci. I got them each a LaLaLoopsy doll, so I'm hoping that will help, but I have a feeling the next few nights will be horrendous.

I am STILL laying on their floor with them. Not sure when this will change. I'm flattered, really, that they want me around all the time. I know that will change eventually, but I do need to get stuff done!

Potty Training! It is going well. They go pee on the potty all the time now. Maya wakes up dry in the morning and after naps (WHEN they nap, which is an entirely different post!). But they won't poop on the potty! M went in her undies yesterday. Other times, she will ask for a pull up. S just waits for her pull up at night and then poops. I'm going to try bribery. I got a few Hot Wheels cars from the store ($1 each!) and I will show them to the girls and let them know they will get one every time they poop on the potty. I'm hoping it works, but knowing my girls... it might not.

Toddler Bed Update

2011-07-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a little over a month since we switched to the toddler beds. IT's still pretty insane. Most nights, I have to lie down with them until they fall asleep. And they won't go to sleep until it is fairly dark outside. So our bedtime routine- I mean process- usually goes like this:
* brush teeth, use potty, get jammies on
* story, or 3
* girls get in bed, I lie down next to them
* 5 seconds later, I'm telling them again to lie down
* repeat
*repeat
* repeat, threaten to leave
* actually leave
* go back when they start beating each other up
* repeat all of this until it is almost 8 pm. Then, they will lie down, and eventually fall asleep.

2011-07-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Check out this post from Rants From Mommyland. It is SO TRUE! Threes are insane!
Top Ten Reasons Why Three is Worse Than Two

July 2, 2011

2011-07-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yes. The toddler beds are STILL giving me grief. Ok, the beds themselves aren't, but it is still a struggle. There were a couple nights that were fine. Then, there are the horrendous nights where one wants to go to sleep, and the other just wants to run in circles. Pair that with super stressful work, and it is not a good combo! I think we have been in toddler beds for what, 2 weeks now? Feels like an eternity though.

2011-06-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Wow. So last night was HORRIBLE. They stayed up. I even tried sleeping in the room with them. At 10 pm I told hubby he was on duty and went to bed. No idea what time they fell asleep, but they did sleep later this morning!

Night 6 (I think?) of Toddler Beds

2011-06-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 6 nights?? In some ways it doesn't seem like it has been that many nights, and in other ways it does...

It's getting better. Last night M went to sleep quickly, and in her bed! S was up for a long time and then she woke in the middle of the night. Luckily hubby took care of that! As for tonight, I put them to bed at 7. It is now 7:56 and it is quiet in there. This is a huge improvement. It had been hours of them being awake and playing. Now, tonight they did start the, "Mommy, I gotta go peepee!" routine. I think it was Rebecca who asked about this. My girls recently potty trained (pee only!) and have been doing very well. However, during sleeping times I put a pull up or night diaper on them. They do not wake up if they have to go. M usually stays dry, but S still soaks a diaper overnight. I'm not even going to stress about night potty training. I'm hoping by the time they night train, they will pretty much be able to go on their own. We'll see how it actually pans out! :)

I also had to strip their room of just about everything. The first night I thought I got everything out that needed to be out. I was so wrong. Same thing for the second night. By the third night I had gotten everything out. They did dump one drawer full of clothes, but, and I am SO proud of my obsessive-compulsive self, I just put them back in the drawer, without re-organizing and did not even flinch. Well, I hardly flinched.

And as I'm typing this, I now hear 2 little voices! So they are not asleep yet, but hopefully soon. I hear M talking about going pee-pee. Hmmmm...

Toddler Bed- Day 3

2011-06-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight went even better than last! No nap today since they had preschool, and Maya was super tired. After baths, Maya was out in about 5 min. Granted, she fell asleep again on the floor, but I'm not picky. Sofia gave me a bit more grief tonight. It was hard for her to even think about going to sleep with all the "fun" stuff in her room like her clippies, the extra liners for the diaper can, and other random things I never thought they'd play with. So after stripping the room of just about everything, keeping some books in there, she finally settled down and went to sleep. M even climbed back into her bed!

Those of you with twins considering moving to a toddler bed- hold out! Hold out as long as you possibly can! But also know that when you do switch, it is very difficult at first, but gets easier every night. I do feel like I am in the newborn stage though, with all this lack of sleep.

Toddler Bed- Day 2

2011-06-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

Whatever possessed me to think switching to toddler beds was a good idea??? Going to bed used to be so nice. They would lay down in their cribs and go to sleep pretty fast, or at least lay quietly. Yesterday we decided to switch to toddler beds. It's really not much different from the crib. Same bed, just no side railing. But to the girls, it is totally different.

Night 1, M was up partying and jumping on her bed. I went in and laid with them for about an hour and they fell asleep. Then at 3 am, M woke up and was waking S up. I got them to lay quietly and got about 1 more hour of sleep before they were up for the day.

Nap day 1- I was super tired and luckily hubby let me nap. The girls did not nap, so he put them in the play room, which right now is our spare bedroom. They played until they both finally passed out on the bed and slept for about an hour.

Night 2- I put them to bed early since they were SO tired. 6 pm. S is pretty good with the bed. She will lay in it and not really get up. M is having difficulty. I've been in there now I don't know how many times. I even tried laying in there with them, but M was just jumping on me and laughing. They are now quiet and both laying on the floor. Hopefully they fall asleep, and stay asleep!!

Word of advice- put off changing to a toddler bed AS LONG AS YOU CAN!!!! If I just had 1 to deal with it would be easier I think. Don't rush moving to a bed. If they are not climbing out, be happy they are still in cribs!

2011-06-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

I love comments! Please feel free to comment on any posts. Unless you are just advertising, that is. I just deleted a comment that was simply links to different things. I will delete those. Sigh.

The girls had their first day of preschool yesterday! They loved it!

2011-06-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger! I know it has been forever since I have posted. Life is super busy and stressful. My students stress me out- they all have so many emotional needs, and I just wish I could make everything better for them! They break my heart on a daily basis. The students I have this year are really good kids. So their horrible home lives really kill me. Plus, since I teach at a K-8 school and the middle school part of the school is so small, and I have all the 7th and 8th graders, I am closer to my students than I have been at other schools where I had many more students. It's emotionally draining, and I just hope that having them for a short two years is a good, positive influence in their lives.

And then, of course, there is life at home with my girls! They are 3! I still can't get over how much they have grown, and how much they are talking and becoming these awesome little people! I never thought I'd be able to say this, but they are pretty much potty trained!!! I think we have been pull-up free during the day now for 2 weeks! My theory always had been that they will get it quickly when they are actually ready, and that was the case. One day Maya did not want to wear pull ups anymore, and Sofia followed the very next day. We have had a few small accidents here and there, but really it has been good! They will not poop in the potty yet, but they will get there. It truly is about them being ready. We try to push kids to be ready to potty train way before they are actually ready. I am looking forward to not buying DIAPERS anymore!

Next week the girls start preschool! We are all very excited. I had been looking into local preschools for quite some time. I needed something that wasn't very expensive, developmentally appropriate, and good. I put them at a local Methodist church preschool. Now, I have had many reservations about putting them in a church preschool. However, I know many, many moms who have their kids in this particular preschool, and it seems much less preachy than most around here. And when I've visited, the church aspect doesn't seem to be a huge part, so I think I'm ok with it.

Even though this is the cheapest preschool I've found,it is still a stretch for us. But we have to do it. Not only will it be great for the girls, but hubby needs a few hours during the day so he can do school work. So this will work nicely. We will just have to make it work monetarily!

My Review

2011-05-14T07:49:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at One Step Ahead

Love the sun hats!

By TwinGirls08 from San Diego, CA on 5/14/2011

Pros: Durable, Good Value, Comfortable, Easy To Clean, Quality Construction

Describe Yourself: Parent of Multiples (Twins etc)

Last summer I bought the Sun Smarties hats and loved them! They did run a little small, so this year, for my three year old twin girls, I bought a size Large. They are a tiny bit big on them, but I'd rather have them too big than too small! I like that this year they have included the chin strap, and I love that they are reversible!

I looked around at different stores to see if I could find a hat that was less expensive. However, every hat I found was super thin and would not have kept out the sun's harmful rays. I will stick with the Sun Smarties hats!

(legalese)

Turbulent Threes

2011-04-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

For awhile I've heard my friends with slightly older kids telling me that the threes are so much worse than twos! I admit, I was a little scared. And for good reason.

The threes are like dealing with someone (or in my case two people) who is bipolar and switches between extreme happiness and extreme angriness and/sadness all in the space of 2 minutes. I kid you not. There have been a few days when one of the girls would be super happy, and then super angry. Or sad. Or even both at the same time! It's craziness. You never know what might set them off.

While the twos had some tantrums, threes are more intense. They have an even better sense of self and want to assert their independence every chance they get. Sometimes this is welcoming. Sometimes it is not. When you just want to do something quickly, yet they want to put on their own socks, it can get frustrating. In cases like this, I do remind myself that a few extra minutes will not kill me. Other times, the asserting independence is in the form of refusing to do something- very frustrating! I have learned to let a lot of things go. M definitely likes to do her own thing and make sure I know that she is calling the shots. She has long hair, no bangs, so it gets in her face all the time. Most of the time, she will not let me put a clippy in her hair. Or a headband, or anything. On days like these, I breathe, and let it go.

Threes are also a lot of fun! They are saying lots of cute and unexpected things. This morning, the first thing they sad to me was, "Can we go back to the party?" Last night we went to our friend's daughter's sweet sixteen party, and the girls had a blast dancing the night away! They did not want to leave. I was a bit surprised though that they still wanted to go back in the morning! I then asked them what they wanted for breakfast, and S replied, "A cheese sandwich"

Hmmm. They have only ever had grilled cheese. But S was specific. "No butter. Just cheese and bread, mommy!" Well...ok. I asked Maya if she wanted the same, and she did. I was still skeptical but I prepared their sandwich, and they ate it all!

Be prepared for The Threes. Lots of frustration, but lots of fun too.

2011-04-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Question of the Week: When Did it Get Easier for You?

My favorite thing to do when I see brand new moms of twins, is let them know that it WILL get easier. When I was walking around in a fog during those newborn days, I had a twin mom tell me that exact thing. And it helped. A lot. Having twin infants is hard. It's a lot harder than anyone can imagine (except another mom of multiples). I did not enjoy those days. Not at all.

However, I survived! And yes, it does, in fact, get better. And easier. The first 3 months were rough. After that, it got a bit easier. Again, at 6 months, it got a little easier. The first year was definitely the roughest. The second year was tough too, but around 2.5 years it got a lot easier! Now that my girls are 3, I'm just starting to get a glimpse of my life - as ME- as it was before. It is better, no doubt, but I do have a little more time for myself. I also feel more confident in my parenting skills, and I know how to deal with my twins. I've been doing it awhile. For me, while each stage got easier, after age 2 is when it gets much easier. Of course, the tantrums are rough to deal with too. Nothing, nothing at all compares to those newborn days. That was the toughest, and I would not want to relive them- unless I had lots of help so I could get sleep and ENJOY the girls as newborns.

It gets easier. It really does. And the joys of having twins are enormous. Nothing compares to the sweetness of twins!

3!

2011-03-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

The girls are 3! WOW! It really does go by fast. Just 5 years ago I wasn't sure if I'd be able to have ANY kids, and now I have beautiful twin girls. It has been awesome to see my girls grow up. They are awesome little people!

2011-03-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Devin. You have touched my life, as well as many, many others. Thinking of Nat, from Relaxing Doesn't Make Babies, and her family today.

More Potty Training

2011-01-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

Potty Training continues! I have a feeling if I looked at my posts in the past 6 months, that most would be about potty training. I think I wrote before about my laid-back approach, which works fine- up to a point. I think it also really depends on each individual child, and having twins seriously underscores that.

I have had four weeks off of work (woohoo!) and I was going to get more serious with potty training. I waited until after Christmas, and I knew that the girls had pretty good control of their bladders. Not perfect, but I felt like they needed an extra nudge in the right direction. So, they went bare bottom for a few days. The first two days were great! Everyone went peepee on the potty, no accidents, I kept thinking, "ok, really?! Is it going to be this easy??" But, of course, it is not. The third day was AWFUL. Awful. Having accidents, M even had an "accident" on purpose! I gave up on that day and the next. Then I went back to bare bottoms, and it went better. I tried putting the thicker training undies on the girls, but S would go in them. I think she thought they were just like pull ups.

I continued on with bare bottoms- mostly with S. I am now asking M if she wants pull ups or nothing, and today she chose pullups. S has been so well that today we took a fairly short trip out and she wore undies. I was scared! But I was prepared with pullups, pants to change into, and a travel potty. It seemed like she knew she could not go in her undies this time. She also had a skirt on and did not want to get it wet and change into pants. I think we were gone for about an hour and a half to two hours. I took her potty before we left, when we got to our destination I wanted to her to use the travel potty, but she said no. Then, when we were done and got back in the car, I had her sit on the travel potty. She went a little, and then held the rest until we got home and went on her potty.

I know there will be setbacks, but this is great! Potty Training really is a long term thing. "They" don't really make it seem like that- especially the people who tout the 3-day potty training stuff- but it is a process. A long process. I am convinced that being laid back is best, for my girls, and sometimes they need a nudge, but it is a constant assessment of their needs.

Blog Hop!

2011-01-08T12:52:00.001-08:00

Potty Training- Again!

2011-01-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

We briefly tried potty training last summer and it didn't go so well. Since then, they have been wearing pull ups and we have been asking if they need to go on the potty. They will always go after a bath, and recently, as soon as S gets out of the tub she shrieks, "I have to go pee-pee!!" It's like she held it and just cannot hold it any longer!

Since I have 4 weeks off over this holiday, I decided I would try the bare bottom style. I know that they are ready, and just are being lazy about having a pull up on. Yesterday was Day 1. It went well. We only went bare bottom for a few hours in the morning. There were no accidents and both went peepee in the potty. M was holding it more, but she at least went.

Today we did bare bottoms all day (except for nap). S did so great! 1 minor accident, but 98% of the time she went in the potty. She even ran to the potty a couple times on her own, without telling me! I thought that was a huge step.

M was having more trouble. I really think this is a control issue with her. She is totally capable of it, I know. I wasn't even going to push it with her, but she wanted to be naked like her sister. Today, she had a few accidents. One time I asked her if she needed to go and she said no. Not 10 seconds later, I notice she is peeing. Of course, I do not make a big deal out of it, but it is frustrating.

No potty training tomorrow, we are going to the zoo!

New Year

2010-12-31T19:15:00.000-08:00

With about five hours left of 2010, I thought I'd do a reflection on this year post. Very original.

2010 was a year of changes. The girls turned 2, and with being 2 came more independence. A good thing. But with independence come tantrums as well! Besides all the tantrums, it has been so fun watching the girls grow. I loved watching them go from parallel play, to actually interacting with each other and playing with one another. I loved watching them develop their imaginations as they now do lots of imaginative play. I have loved watching their personalities develop.

We had other huge changes as well. My husband's dad died, and while that was very sad and very difficult, it brought about some changes that have moved us in a positive direction. My husband quit his dead-end job and enrolled in college. He is going to get his bachelor's degree- which has been a dream of his for a long time. That makes money extremely tight, but we are managing. And even though money is tight, we have more energy because he is staying home with the girls and he is able to clean. Plus, he gets to spend tons of quality time with the girls. So even though money is stressful, it really is a good thing.

I don't know what 2011 will bring, but I am excited to find out.

Lastly, I don't know if I am the only one who ponders these things, but I remember being a little girl and imagining life after the year 2000. It seemed very futuristic, and I thought we would have flying cars by now. Besides the flying cars, it seemed so far away, and now it is here. Crazy to think about.

Croup

2010-12-28T21:09:00.000-08:00

Croup is scary. I hope my girls never ever get it again!

Right before Christmas, S had a very stuffy nose, but it wasn't bothering her too much. On Christmas, M started getting a stuffy nose too, but she was fine. Christmas night, I put her to bed and she was not going to sleep. I thought she was wired from all the excitement of the day. Then, she started crying a bit and saying that she couldn't lay down. This was weird since she usually never complains at bedtime. I kept trying to put her back down and finally brought her in my room to sleep with me.

That is when I noticed that when she was sleeping, she was having noisy breathing and she would also sometimes gasp for air. And she had a horrible "barking" cough. I had already called the nurse line earlier because during dinner a red spot appeared in her eye which freaked me out (turned out to be a broken blood vessel), so we already had an appointment scheduled for the following day. I called again though because I was worried. Nurse said it sounded like croup, and told me what to do.

First, I had to take her in the bathroom, and run a hot shower and sit in the steam for 20 minutes. Then, we had to go outside- luckily it had stopped raining- and breathe the cool, moist air. That seemed to help for a bit. I then had M laying on me as I was propped up so she could breathe better. By this time it was about 3 am. At 5 am I was very close to taking her in, but I didn't.

I got maybe 1 or 2 hours of sleep. M got about 3, if that. She was fine though during the day. Took her in to the doctor, got a dose of steroids, and she has been fine ever since! That night was so scary though. Croup is awful.

2010-12-20T07:49:00.001-08:00

My body works! Amazing!

I forgot to refill my bcps, so I tried an experiment. I stayed off them. A couple weeks after stopping them, I got fertile cm. I was shocked! But, my body has a way of playing tricks on me. So I waited. 2 weeks later, my period showed! Yes, it was very light, but it was THERE. Amazing. Now, a friend of mine who also has PCOS has been having regular cycles since giving birth and weaning, but I figured since I went right back on the pill I would not be fixed. But I am! When af came, I seriously wanted to throw a party! I cannot tell you how nice it feels to see my body working. And no, not thinking about trying to have another. I'm just thrilled my body is doing something right.

2010-10-07T19:54:00.000-07:00

WOW! You know you are a twin mom when...

So the below post... I mean, half post...I started I guess about a week ago. I remember going to write it, and I thought I had finished it and posted it. Then realized tonight, that no, I never even finished it!
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I hate it when I have a great idea for a blog post,
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Ha! So not only do I hate it when I have a great idea for a blog post, and don't go and write down immediately and forget, but I also hate it when I go to WRITE a blog post and don't finish. Definitely a twin mom. I now remember that I started that post while the girls were eating dinner and I of course got distracted with them.

That half-post totally sums up the twin mom experience :)

Potty Training!

2010-08-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the question of the week from Multiples and More:
What are your tips and tricks for potty training?

* What age did you begin with your child(ren)?
* How long did it take?
* Did you use a "system", or just wing it?
* Did you use specific rewards for incentive? How did that work for you?
* If you could change anything about the experience, what would you do differently?
* Did you use Pull-Ups?
* Do you think it's easier to potty train multiples at the same time, or separately?

It is too funny that this is the topic I have been focused on for the past month, and now it is a question of the week :)

Note: I do not claim to have THE definitive answer on this, and I'm not sure any tips or tricks I share will actually be tips or tricks. But, I can share my experiences!

My girls are 2 1/2. 29 months to be exact. At about 18 months, I purchased two potties and they become toys for awhile. Eventually, they would sit on them. M had been showing tons of signs of readiness around age 2. I decided that when I went on break from school, that was it, we would potty train! I tried 1 day of putting her in big girl undies and sitting her on the potty every 15 min. By the time the first hour was up, she flat out refused to sit on the potty anymore. So I quickly changed my plan.

Now I am doing the "Laid back" approach. They go on the potty if they want. They wear pull ups. Sometimes they want to go on the potty, and sometimes they are too busy playing to want to sit on the potty. This works for us right now. I think I will try the no diapers at all thing again, but not until my next break. I do believe that the closer to age 3 they are, the easier it will be. I hope.

Laid Back Potty Training

2010-08-08T22:56:00.000-07:00

As you know, I've stepped away from the militant route and am now trying a laid back approach to potty training. I must say it is a lot less stressful for both me and the girls, and I think it is working! This morning M had diaper rash so I let her run free this morning. I told her that if she needed to peepee, her potty was there and she needed to pee in the potty since she had no diaper on. I was fully expecting an accident, but when I wasn't looking, she went over to her potty, peed and then told me that she went peepee in the potty!

Even S has been doing better. She has been actually wanting to sit on the potty and in the last couple of days has actually peed in the potty! And today she even told me before she had to go (and her pull up was dry) and then went.

Who knew that we would be so interested in pee and poo?!? I am glad they are starting to get it, and I know different things work for everyone, but I must say the laid back approach is nice.

Twinstock is here!

2010-07-31T09:19:00.001-07:00

Twinstock is here! Click on the link to the left!

2010-07-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

M is still resisting the potty. I am tempted to get the 3-Day Potty Solution, but I don't really want to spend $25 on it. Have any of you used it?

I just can't believe how much they are growing up. They are building things with blocks and the big Legos, they are talking a lot, they are amazing!

2010-07-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Potty training is not going so well. Yesterday, I put M in big girl undies. She did very well for the first hour, but I noticed she became less and less excited to sit on the potty every 15 min. Then, she had a slight accident, but she knew she did and got on the potty. A little later, however, she had an accident and didn't seem to care. By this time, she did NOT want to sit on the potty, so I backed off.

Today, pull ups. I asked her every so often if she wanted to sit on the potty, or if she had to go potty. The answer was always, "No." Until right before nap, she wanted to sit on the potty! And she peed! We cheered, and after nap, she did not want o go on the potty. So, I figure we will do the laid back approach and maybe in a couple weeks we will try undies again. I know I should not push her though because she will do the opposite. She does this a lot at meals. She will refuse the bib. I tell her she can't eat until she wears the bib. And still, she refuses. But when I tell her, "When you are ready to put on the bib, you can eat" and walk away, she lets me put it on after about 1 min. It has to be her idea, or she won't want to do it!

2010-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

The girls are now in pull-ups. This is because it is much easier to get them on and off the potty this way. We are not pushing it yet. Hubby just asks if they need to go to potty and we are encouraging sitting on the potty. It is interesting because many times M seems so ready! And then other times, she really doesn't. For example, yesterday she was sitting on the potty and told hubby to look, said "peepee" then opened her legs and started peeing. So, this led me to believe that she does somewhat know the feeling of having to pee. However, other times, she just goes in her pull-up. No warning.

Next week, when I'm done with work, I will try M in the undies. S isn't quite ready yet. I think I may get a sticker chart too.

2010-07-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the comments and tips! This week they are in pull ups, but really NO pressure. Hubby has been asking them if they need to sit on the potty, and lately, they don't want to. Next week we will start having a regular "potty time" and then when I am off I think I may see how M does.

I will have to investigate the "cold" pullups. My girls didn't seem to be too concerned today when their pullup was super wet!

Work is dine one week from tomorrow. I am SO ready! My school is super stressful and insane.

Potty Training Twins

2010-07-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

I am about to start potty training the girls. I get panic attacks just thinking about this. I think here will be a good place to share all of it- the good, the bad, the dirty- in hopes of maybe helping out another twin mom in the future.

We have had potties around for months now. They are encouraged to sit on them, but we don't make it a regular thing. M has peed on the potty quite a few times. S has peed once, I think. She is definitely not as ready as M! I am done with work in a week and 3 days, and then it will be potty training in full effect!

I know everyone says to skip the pull-ups, but the more I thought about having two running around with nothing there to catch it, the more I panicked. I have thought about this for over a week now. I think I have thought about it way too much! I decided that we will start with pull-ups. I think they have two diapers left, and then it will be pull-ups. I may try putting M in undies and see how she does, but there is no way I can do both like that at once.

I think I am so nervous because well, I haven't done this before! I hate the unknown. But I need to remind myself that this, like everything else, will be a learning process, and I will do what works for us, and that the girls will learn...eventually.

Feel free to share any tips you have! I'm not going to promise that I will try any of the tips, or that I will think your tip is the best, but I will read them and probably try them.

Deep breaths...deep breaths... we will survive...

2010-06-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

I know. I haven't updated in a long time! The girls are doing great- talking so much! They are at a really fun age. Tonight they were running around, laughing and giggling so much. I couldn't help but think of when I was little and went to sleepovers with my best friend. And they will have that every night! Although, that could always turn out to be a headache for me. But seriously, it is awesome. They are so lucky to have each other. I am quite jealous, because when I was little, I had nobody. Literally. No brothers or sisters (until I was 7), and no kids lived in the neighborhood I did. In some ways it was good for me to be on my own, but I definitely missed out on some socializing. Anyway, this age is great!

What I really wanted to write about was school. Work. It has been a tough year. After about 3 years of being out of the classroom, I went back in. That was a bit of an adjustment at first, but I did realize I really like being in the classroom. It must be a control thing. I can run my class how I want when it is mine. When I coach other teachers, I don't have that control. Of course, it is always great to work with teachers who want to try new things, but at the schools I worked at, this was few and far between.

I love my students this year. They are very interesting. They are not as "tough" as the students at the first middle school I worked at, yet they do come from rough backgrounds. Before the year started, other teachers would talk about how "low" they were, but their test scores indicated that they really weren't that low. I was used to working with all Far Below, and Below Basic kids. However, most of the eighth graders exhibited behaviors consistent with lower scoring students. I worked really hard with all my students, as I always do. This year was a bit different though since I am in a K-8 school, and the class sizes in seventh and eighth grade are super small. My largest class has 20. That has allowed me to get closer to the students, which has really been great for some- most- kids.

One student came after the year started, she had been kicked out of another local middle school. She seemed fairly "tough" and her skills weren't that high, and she didn't like to read. Her turn around has been amazing. Somehow, the chip on her shoulder came off, she started trying and saw that she could indeed succeed, and she now loves reading! I turned a non-reader into a reader. That is the best thing I can do. She went from having all Fs and Ds to an A in English and Science and Bs in other classes. She is so proud of herself, and that is awesome to see. I think if she had stayed in a typical middle school, she would not have been this successful.

Many of my students claimed they didn't really like reading at the beginning of the year. By the second semester, most of them changed their minds. They got just as excited as I do when I would get new books. Most of them started getting As and Bs in their classes. They went from testing Basic to testing Proficient and Advanced. Not that I think the tests are all that. But they do have some merit and students do feel proud when they do well. I definitely did not teach to the test, and real reading, writing, and thinking is always key in my classroom, and I know this is why they succeeded. I don't think I have ever been so proud of a whole group of 7th and 8th graders as I am of these.

Bibs

2010-05-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Let's talk bibs. Ever since the girls were born, I have been on a quest for the perfect bib. When they started solids, I went with the Bumkins bibs. I had only heard good things about them, and they worked great- for awhile. Have a pocket to catch food, machine washable. Then M started being able to take off any velcro bib. Then I found J.J. Cole bibs at Babies R Us. I loved those! They were sturdier than the Bumkins, which was great for messy food, and they snapped! Also machine washable. However, they started stinking after awhile.

I thought I would have to always buy more bibs, and then I spotted the Circo brand at Target. They have a pocket, are sturdier than the Bumkins, but not as stiff as the J.J. Cole. They have velcro and I was worried about M. taking them off, but I decided to try them. What do you know? They worked! And I absolutely love them! They are a bit more waterproof than the other bibs, so instead of getting soaked after I rinse them, they are just a little wet, and the water just beads up on it. The velcro seems to hold better than any other ones I have tried, but that may change after a many uses. We will see. And the best part, they are cheaper than the other bibs! I paid $6.99 for two wheras, before, I was paying $5.99 or $6.99 for one.

I totally recommend these bibs, especially if you have twins. I was happy they came in a two-pack. It seems like everything comes in a three-pack. Unfortunately, I cannot find them online, so no link. Check them out at your local Target!

2010-04-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have been such a bad blogger! My excuse is that I'm busy. But that's only an excuse since I do find time to do other things.

The girls turned 2!! Thanks for the birthday wishes! I still can't believe they are 2 already! They are definitely acting like two year olds as well. Plenty of tantrums and asserting independence here. I am glad I have been teaching awhile because I do think it helps me understand some of their behavior better. Of course, some behaviors, well, I just have no clue. For example, M. has been hitting, pushing, and biting S. for no reason. I attended a positive discipline workshop and they talked about how if they are fighting in front of you, it is for attention, and they went into detail about this. However, they did not talk about when they wait until you are not looking or not in the room and start fighting! I still suspect it is for attention, but it is odd how she waits until I am not looking. And frustrating.

The birthday party was fun. We had a Hello Kitty theme. I will post some pics later.

2010-03-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

It is so exhausting working full time- as a middle school teacher- and raising twins. Wow. I feel like I can never catch up with cleaning, or anything else. Weekends are for running errands and grocery shopping. I am so looking forward to my break!

I honestly don't even know how I do it. I was thinking about it the other day. This week, Monday felt like it should be Friday. Worked all day, then took the girls to the doctor. S. needed an xray of her lungs. M. was diagnosed with an ear infection! That totally caught me by surprise! I'm thinking it just started though, because that night she started pulling at her ear. Then S. had to get a breathing treatment and we had to pick up meds for everyone. We didn't even get home until a little after 7 pm. Talk about exhausted.

It definitely doesn't get easier with twins- just different. Still, with all the melt downs (which are daily these days), I still like toddlers better than newborns! Some things are easier- they can feed themselves, walk to the car, but other things are more difficult- they are independent, stubborn, have melt downs for no apparent reason.

And then something so cute and heartwarming happens and you forget your exhaustion. I love having my girls so much.

2010-02-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

I just got inspired to write. I actually have a lot to write about, but am going to put what happened at school the other day on hold. I need to write about infertility. Infertility and being a mom.

Those of us who went through infertility, but are now moms, are in a unique situation. We now have kid(s), so perhaps some of our friends who are still dealing with infertility have been communicating with us less- which we totally understand. It's so difficult to see everyone around you getting pregnant and having kids when you are not. So we totally understand why they would want to distance themselves, although we do miss them. But then we also don't feel completely comfortable around moms who did not go through infertility. Yes, on some levels we can relate, but plenty of times we feel different from them.In a way it is sort of isolating.

I decided to write this because recently a friend created a group where we could go and "talk" online. Basically, reconnecting after awhile. I realized that I had been missing these people so much! I feel connected to them even if I don't know them very well. We will always have this connection, this shadow around us. Infertility changes you forever. For better? For worse? Neither? I don't know. All I know is that it has changed me profoundly.

2010-01-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

Luckily it was over pretty quickly. But that Friday was pure hell. I was changing diapers left and right! Saturday they had less, and Sunday it had pretty much stopped. It was very exhausting. Also the last weekend before I returned to work. By the time I went back to work on Tuesday, I was so ready!! I saw it as getting a break!

Last week, we had crazy rain storm! And since we never get rain, they don't bother to put drains in the blacktop on campus. So it was like a lake. Last night we even got hail!

The girls are doing great, and really talking so much.

2010-01-14T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what it is like to have TWO babies with diarrhea at the same time?? Probably not. It's not fun. First, I had to pick M up from school since she had it. Came home, and she had some more. She even puked! A couple hours after we got home, the school called and S had some as well! I'm not really sure just how many diapers I changed in the few short hours that they were all home and awake, but it was far too many.

Dinner was an elegant meal of saltines, cheerios, and banana, which Maya proceeded to throw up shortly after she ate. They were a bit crankier than usual, but not too bad. And they have been drinking fluids. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. I'm really not looking forward to the thousands of diapers I will have to change and the screaming babies who try to fight me as I change their diapers. I thought having one of them sick at a time was rough. Nope! This is way worse!

2010-01-12T20:48:00.001-08:00

I love this blog, and today's entry is hilarious!
999 Reasons to Laugh at Infertility #821 The real fertility acronyms

2010-01-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

This stage is so hilarious. The girls are talking more, know what they want- and don't want, are trying new things, and it makes for some very funny incidents!

Today, the girls were playing in the play room and I was on the computer. I hear S say, "puke, puke" and I wasn't really sure if she was actually saying puke- I'd never heard her say that before. Then I see her get her doll's clothes and she starts wiping the floor. I think, "Hmm, that's funny, is she pretending?" Then she turns around and I see puke on her leggings! Too funny that she knew what happened and she was trying to clean it up! Love it!

M has been obsessed with sitting on the potty. She says, and signs potty and tries to pull off her pants and diaper to sit on it. Of course, she never does anything on the potty, she just likes sitting on it. Well, the other day she was doing this, but she was pulling her shirt up. Finally, I decided to take off her shirt since she was trying so hard to get it off. I was occupied for a couple minutes then I look over and see M, naked, sitting on the potty! I think it took her about 30 seconds to get her pants and diaper off.

Every stage comes with new challenges, and there are plenty of challenges during toddlerhood, but I am loving it. So far, the toddler stage is my favorite.

Give Away on Multiples and More

2009-12-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

Wanted to let any other multiple moms out there know that they are having a great Melissa & Doug giveaway on Multiples and More! Here is the link
Mulitples and More M&D Giveaway

2009-12-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

I suck. I know. How long has it been since I updated??? Anyway, we are doing well! Being back in the classroom full time and taking care of twin toddlers takes up every minute of my time. I don't recommend it. I would love it if I could work part time. But that is just not a possibility right now.

Here is my typical day:
2:00 am alarm for hubby goes up. I nudge him, tell him to get up. This goes on for about 20 min.
4:30 am wake up, shower, dress
5:00 eat breakfast, drink coffee check emails in blissfull silence (most of the time)
6:00 wake the girls up, get them dressed and ready to go
6:15 out the door on the way to day care
6:35 drop the girls off and go to work, arrive by 7 am
I then teach middle schoolers from 7:30 am-11:57 without a break.
2:30 school is out and I usually have detention or meetings.
3:00ish drive home to pick up hubby so we both can pick up the girls. It is SO much easier to have him there. Otherwise, I have to wrangle them into the stroller which they do not like.
4:30 get home, have a couple minutes before starting dinner
5:00 feed the girls, and sometimes us at the same time
6:00 bed for the girls
Then I have a couple hours I can grade papers, plan, or spend time on the internet. Then I usually go to bed by 8:30 at the latest.

I do love my school breaks though. Right now is Winter Break, and it is great! Plus, even though I'm super busy with teaching, being back in the classroom is so much more fulfilling than trying to help teachers. I'm much happier even though I have no time.

The girls are doing great! They are talking so much! Sofia can say short sentences, sing parts of songs, count to ten, it is amazing! I was worried about Maya's language for a little bit, but she is really taking off too. They are so much fun right now when they aren't throwing tantrums! They can tell me if they like something, they like to help out by throwing their diapers away, they rock!

Responses to my last post

2009-08-29T12:28:00.001-07:00

Rebecca- I agree somewhat. I am not totally against unions, but it is so "funny" to me how the weak teachers tend to be the union reps as well. And she was one. I do think having protection against horrible admin is a must though. I have seen some really scary admin.

Jennifer- unfortunately since it is a small school, she is the only history teacher, so I will have to work with her somewhat. But that's fine. If she is rude to me, I'll give it right back. I really feel sorry for the students though. But, I'd rather deal with her than the crazies I had been dealing with in my last position!

I will take pics next week and post them.

2009-08-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

I got to see my new classroom today!! I was hoping for a room w/ a/c, but that didn't happen. That's ok, most of the schools don't have a/c anyway. But I'm just hoping it cools off. Today it is 10 am and already 98 degrees!

My room is huge and has a good amount of storage space. I also have a sink and water fountain in it, so that is very nice. The BSS told me I will be moving classrooms in February, and I am so grateful for him telling me. Usually, things like this don't get mentioned! I still need a lot of stuff in my room like bookshelves, a screen, document camera/projector, but hopefully I will be getting those. Worst case scenario I start the year with none of it. Which I don't want that to happen, but I will survive if it does. I am totally different from how I used to be at the start of a school year. Before, I would be stressing and wanting my classroom to look perfect before the first day. Now, I'm not so stressed. It will be functional and look nice, but if I don't have all the books out or everything in place, I'm ok with that.

The bad news is I just found out I will be teaching with a teacher who I have tried to work with for the past 3 years. She was at one of the schools I was assigned to, and quite honestly, she is awful. She is one of the worst teachers I have ever seen, and even worse, she has NO desire to get better. She is a union rep just so she can get days off- and she takes all of her union days. She goes to professional developments just so she can get out of the classroom and shows up late to the professional developments. She even was falling asleep one afternoon in one of them! She didn't like me because I have blond hair and blue eyes, and just simply refused to even try to work with me. Not to mention how awful she was to quite a few of my students. And now, I will be working closely with her. Joy. At least now we will be on equal terms and I don't really have to watch what I say to her. I mean, of course I'm not going to be mean or anything, but I will be able to be more direct. I just hope the year goes ok.

2009-08-19T13:18:00.001-07:00

Thanks for the reassurance Teridr! I did recently write down all of the words the girls are saying and repeating. If I include mom/mommy and dad/daddy, Maya is saying 4 words on her own. Now, she also used to say "dog" but she hasn't said that in a few months. Sofia, on the other hand, is saying about 9 words and repeating about 4 others, probably more since she tries to repeat a LOT of what we say! But I have noticed that Maya is babbling more. I'm not too worried, I have a feeling she is fine, but I am still going to ask about EI. Can't hurt!

Here are some new photos:
Still Rear Facing at 17 months!

I start work again soon! I am excited since I will be back in the classroom and at a new school, but I will miss my girls! I know I am going to feel like I am missing so much since they are growing and developing daily. But my new school is year round, so that means I get more breaks throughout the year, which is nice. It won't all be saved up for summer. I think I will like that, although in the winter I will have to work intersession (like summer school) to make up for the extra days I will need to work.

2009-08-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't updated in a long time! It has been busy around here. Toddlers are very active! We have to get out of the house at least once a day. Otherwise we all go crazy. One day a week we have a Babies Boogie class, which they LOVE! The other days we go to playdates, go to a park, go out to some stores- whatever- just to get out.

I like taking them to a park or a play date because then they can get out and run around, but taking them to a park by myself is a lot of work, and stressful. They always run in opposite directions. If I am with another mom, it is easier since it is an extra set of eyes and hands. So, we are pretty busy all day! If we are at home, they usually want me to read to them, play with them, hold them, or just sit in the play room next to them while they play. There is plenty of whining too! The computer area is in the playroom, but blocked off with a gate. The girls do not like it if I am sitting there! They want me to be on the same side of the gate as them. And this gate we have has these little areas that are predict size and shape for them to put a foot on and climb up. All day long I am telling them to get down and removing them. I say "Down" so often that now S. says "down!" and points down like I do. It's pretty cute. Especially when M. was trying to climb in the cupboard, and S. kept telling her, "Down!"

S. is saying and repeating a lot of words and sounds! She has a few words she can say on her own, and her favorite thing to do now is repeat words we say to her. Today, I wanted her to say "diaper". It came out as "biper" and was so cute! I'm a little concerned about M. though. She really is not saying much. She can say "mama" "mommy" "dada" "daddy"- but do those even count?? She says "Hi" and that's really all she says on her own. She has repeated "doggy" but not much else. She likes to sign though, so I know that is a good sign. At their 18 month appointment, if she hasn't started saying more words I am going to request Early Intervention. It certainly can't hurt!

Giveaway!

2009-08-01T07:20:00.001-07:00

Multiples and More is having a giveaway! You can win a gift certificate to a twin boutique. The boutique is owned by a MoM and has tons of great stuff! check it out!
Multiples and More Giveaway

2009-07-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

My day care issue is solved! I was really getting anxious. I interviewed a few nannies, and just didn't feel right with any of them. I then was going to visit an in-home place until a friend told me about her horrible experience with them! Then, on a whim I typed in to google day care and the city and this one popped up. I also saw that it is NAEYC accredited- which friends said are always good. So I visited and instantly felt like it was the right place. I loved the lead teacher, loved all the developmentally appropriate toys they had, and lots of books, lots of artwork. So I am signing them up! So glad that is taken care of and so glad I found a place I like! The only thing is, they only take 18 months+, and the girls won't be 18 months until Sept. 17th. So, they are calling to see if they can take them Sept. 1 since they will be turning the right age that month. I think I go back to work that same day, and I was hoping to drop them off before I started work, to get them used to it. Oh well.

2009-07-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone :) At least I'm not alone! S. could be cranky from teething. Her last 1 year molar is breaking through- ugh. Tonight was an experience! They were totally cranky ALL DAY. So I put them down, and of course there was screaming. But then I heard M. really screaming- which normally doesn't happen. So I go in their room, and what do I find? S. has M's paci!! I give it back to M., give them, kisses, say goodnight, and leave. More screaming. More M. screaming. Great. Go back in. S, once again has M's paci. So I separate them. M. went right to sleep and S. screamed for about 10-15 min. I really need to get to bed in case she thinks it would be a good idea to wake up.

Good ideas about posting an ad at the colleges. I will try that as well. I'm just so nervous I think about anyone I don't know coming into our house to care for them. But that would be so much easier than having to take them to day care early in the mornings.

2009-07-14T06:35:00.001-07:00

Not a good day today. I haven't slept much in the past 2 nights. Last night, S. first wouldn't go to sleep. I tried to lie down with her, but she just wanted to get up. Finally, she did get some sleep, but every time I tried to put her in her crib she would scream, waking M. up. So it was this nasty cycle all night long. I tried once again around 4:30 am to put S. down in her crib and again, screaming. Then M. woke up, screaming, and I freaked. Hubby was no help, but that's fine. He had just gotten home from working 12 hours and had to be up a couple hours later to take his snake to the vet. I decided to get them up and give them breakfast, let them play. They were tired by a little after 6 so I put them down and they are now, thankfully, sleeping. No, I can't also sleep right now. Hubby is in bed and has to get up soon anyway, so that would wake me up. I will sleep later.

It's getting to a really bad point though. DH is going to see his cousin this weekend. He told me about it a month ago, but never reminded me until yesterday that he was going. He is taking Friday and Saturday off to go up there. At first I didn't mind, but now I really do. He has been away a few times this year. I have not. Whenever I do get to do something, it is only for a few hours. For example, I had a spa party the other day. I told DH about it quite awhile ago. Earlier last week I even reminded him, but he put it out of his mind. So, he had to go into work on Sat., the day of the spa party. I was counting on him not working so I could get the house ready and everything. But no. He had to work. He got home late and took the girls, which was great, and I had a good time at the party. But it was only for a few hours, and they returned right when I was getting my massage so all I heard during the massage was babies screaming. I have never been able to just get away, or even just stay home, with no worries of the girls. If we are both at home, I am the "default" caregiver. He does not take initiative to do anything and quite honestly, it is getting to me. Anytime we try to talk about things, he gets defensive, doesn't listen, and turns it back around on me. I'm sick of that.

Yes, I know we need to get counseling. We are planning on it.

On top of all this, I need to find a nanny. I cannot pay the crazy amounts that a lot of people are willing to pay. Looking on Craigslist, well, that just makes me nervous even though I guess I should just try it.

2009-07-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the comments on the naps! Lately, the girls have been taking 2 naps. 2 long naps! So for now, I will keep them at 2 naps, except for the day we have our music class! They absolutely love this class. At the end, they have a parachute and the instructor warned us that some kids get scared. I was thinking mine might get scared. I was wrong! S. totally loved the parachute. She was in the middle of the mat looking up and saying, "Ooh! Ooh!" It was so damn cute. M. also liked it, but wasn't quite as excited as S.

I won't lie, my break this time has been more challenging than spring break was. My girls have definitely hit toddlerhood! There are little tantrums frequently throughout the day. Sometimes I find them amusing. S. will lie down on the floor and start to kick her legs, but doesn't quite go full blown flailing- yet. Sometimes they are super clingy- I must be sitting in the actual play area with them. If I am on the other side of the baby gate, they do not like that at all. During this clingy time, they also both hang on me- which I do like. Needless to say I have been quite busy with them, and it is draining. That said, I absolutely love this stage. They find everything so exciting, so new. On the fourth of July, they had people blowing bubbles. Not just little bubbles, but large bubbles too. The girls were entranced with the bubbles and kept signing "bubbles" M. even woke up the next morning and the first thing she did was sign "bubbles"!

Having twins is so amazing and every day I am thankful for my girls. Every day I also think about my IF sisters. Even if I do not always write about it, know that you are in my mind always and I will never, ever forget the struggles of IF.

2009-06-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about naps. The girls are 15 months now, and have been taking 2 naps a day. Recently, I've thought that they may want to go to 1 nap. So I tried that for a couple days. They were so tired by the time they had lunch. So I decided to try 2 naps again today. Went fine! They took two 2 hour naps! And Maya would have slept longer, but I woke her after a little over 2 hours. So I guess for now we will continue with the two naps. Please share your experiences! How did you know it was time to go to 1 nap?

2009-06-23T19:53:00.001-07:00

You cannot believe the crap I have been through this week with stupid job crap. I don't even want to go into detail right now, but I'm still in limbo. The district sucks, principals suck, the way we have to bid on jobs sucks.

I will survive.

2009-06-19T19:18:00.001-07:00

I got another call!! So, I have an interview on Monday and this weekend I have to answer those interview questions. Busy weekend!

2009-06-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

HA! Of course now that I post that complaining post, I get an email from a school! I think some principals were just lagging. So I have a bunch of interview questions to respond to and submit. The good part is, I do much better with writing answers than interviewing in person and speaking about it! The downside is that there are 16 questions, and they do require pretty lengthy responses! I don't want to send them a book though!

Jen- it isn't about me costing more since I already have a job with the district. So, no matter where I go, I will cost the same. Now, they CAN screw up at the district office. They are the ones who put the lists together. A few years ago, they definitely screwed up. I was at a school that was "closing" and had to bid on jobs. I had GATE certification, but the district thought I didn't. So, they did not put my name on lists. Plus they always screw stuff up. I just hate it. But I am glad to know that I at least got on this list- and it is one of the schools that got ALL the names. Wish me luck!

2009-06-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a total complaining post, but I really need to vent.

I decided that I would bid on jobs, meaning I want to leave my current position of Literacy Coach. I know I've blogged a bit about it, but I just cannot stay with this program any more. It has gotten ridiculous. Plus, my commute is just way too far for my liking.

A lot of people retired from the district this year, so there were a lot of jobs posted. I bid on some elementary positions, some positions at K-8 schools- where the position was a 7th or 8th grade class, I bid on one literacy coach position too. So what happens is, you bid on jobs on the computer, HR gets lists together and sends them to principals. The way they did it this time was that magnet schools and schools that are really low performing got ALL the names. Higher performing schools first got names of teachers who had been excessed, and then would get names in order of seniority. I had already delivered my resume to schools so they could see my name and me resume before they got the list. Quite honestly, my resume is good. Damn good. I got NO calls. There is a small chance some of the schools have not started making calls, but most have. The more I think about how I have not gotten any calls, the more incredulous I get.

A couple of the schools I thought I had an excellent chance at because they are very low performing, and not in a "desirable" area. No calls. I don't get it. The other thing that is making me suspicious is that when you bid on a job, it sends you a confirmation email and also shows up on your web page. I got the emails, but only 1 application showed up on my web page. I called IT and they said I had applied for 13 positions (I really applied for 15), so I thought it was ok. Well, this past Tuesday I checked my web page and ALL the positions I bid on were up with an application date of Tuesday. So then I was worried that HR is just trying to cover their ass and say that I was on the lists. So I emailed someone in HR yesterday, who forwarded that email to someone. Did not hear anything today. If I do not hear anything by mid-day tomorrow, I'm going down there. I just want to know that my name did get put through.

Luckily, they are having another posting next Friday. Not as many jobs will be up, but hopefully something good will be on it. I just can't get over how I have gotten ZERO calls. I really hate how this is done in my district.

Photos!

2009-06-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

We had a photo shoot yesterday, and the teaser pics are up on the photographer's website!
Sweetface Photography

2009-06-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

I always have ideas for new blog posts- or even new blogs- and then I get home, get busy and totally forget! I need to at least sign in and start the blog entry when I think of it. I'm sure the ideas will come back to me though. I did have a thought to start an education blog. That is something I may just do. I have plenty to say about that topic! I am also likely going back to the classroom next year, so blogging about that would actually be useful for me. We'll see if I get around to creating it!

Today I went to schools I bid on jobs for and gave them my resume. I also found out that this year the principals are getting all the names on the lists. In the past, they have gotten the first 5 names, in order of seniority. So, that could often be a problem for newer teachers. Especially if you wanted a position at a school that was "desirable." I'm not sure that would have been a problem for me this year though. All of the schools I bid on are closer to where I live now. And all of those schools aren't in the particularly "desirable" areas. It just felt good to put my resume in. It also feels good to look at my resume and see everything I have accomplished. When you are living it, that's one thing, but to sit back for a minute, and really see what you've done- that's a nice feeling.

I feel like I'm starting a new chapter in my life. We live in a new area of town, the girls are toddlers (!!!), I am likely getting a new position, and most of the positions are at K-8 schools, which is a concept that intrigues me. I want to see how that works for students, and if it is any better than a traditional middle school.

I'm really looking forward to the summer. I can't wait to spend every day with the girls! We have tons of parks, the zoo, you name it, we have it! And they get so excited about everything. I love watching them! I can't wait to go to the zoo with them. I know they will absolutely love it.

2009-05-27T12:12:00.001-07:00

I know. I know! I've been MIA! I can't help it. Working full time, the opposite shift as your hubby, and being a twin mommy makes you busy!

The girls are doing awesome. They are 14 1/2 months. Holy crap! Time goes by so fast. And in the last 3 1/2 months, they have grown SO much! Both are walking very well now. They still fall, but Maya has not had any major spills like she used to! Sofia says, "baby" and I think she tries to say "dog." And of course, they both say the standard "mama" and "dada." Maya tried once to say "duck" but of course, she thought she was saying "dog" because she said it, then signed dog.

And talk about signing! All of a sudden, they are signing like crazy! When I take Maya downstairs for breakfast in the morning, I ask her, "What are we going to go do?" and she signs eat. They both sign "more," but it does happen to be Maya's favorite sign. Both also sign dog and cat. I have started signing milk again since they have been away from bottles now for 3 1/2 months! Also, they have tried to sign other signs while watching Baby Signing Times. Oh! How could I forget? When the song comes on, they sign "baby" "signing" "Time" It is so cute!

This age is so fun. And I think it is just going to get more and more fun!! They are hilarious with the things they do! And I love it when they crack each other up.

Here are some recent pics:

Sofia

Maya

Being silly

Sofia

Product Review: Munchkin Caterpillar Spillers

2009-05-01T21:30:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to be doing some product reviews on my blog!

For the first review, I tried out Munchkin Caterpillar Spillers. I was excited to get a new bath toy since the girls don't have many, and they love the bath. This bath toy is a set of cups that stack as well as interlock to make a caterpillar. They come in bright colors, which I loved, as did the girls. In fact, they preferred the bright colors to their other bath toy that is similar, but are pastel colors. Each cup has a different design cut out on the bottom, allowing water to spill through. Of course, this was a big hit with the girls!

2009-04-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ahhh.... testing season. It is the time of year when school is almost over- but not really. The testing begins and starts to fry the last remaining brain cells of our overworked students.

I had the great joy of getting to experience test coordination. The Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) was administered this week. Only the schools participating in the project I work for take it. The other schools take Gates-McGinnity. This week they get the DRP. Next week, the CST. 4 days of that. Unless you are an 8th grader. Then you get 6 days. How lucky! You also have to remember ALL the history you've learned from 6th grade to 8th grade. When will test writers learn that middle schoolers can hardly remember what they did an hour ago, let alone three years ago!

In reality, my experience with coordinating went fairly smoothly. Most teachers were cooperative and understanding. But is it really the best use of a Literacy Coaches time to be sharpening pencils and organizing test materials for the school?? You would think "they" would rather have coaches working with teachers. To improve actual instruction.

2009-04-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

Universe? Are you out there? Are you listening? If not, LISTEN NOW!! Keep Nat pregnant!! What is happening is SO unfair. Beyond unfair. Keep the little bean in there and healthy! She deserves to have a child. She is a great person and a wonderful mom. Keep her pregnant, dammit.

If you are reading this, please go to Relaxing Doesn't Make Babies and offer your support and positive thoughts.

2009-04-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

I know! I haven't updated in so long.

I am on Spring Break! I so needed this break. It's pretty interesting- before now I never wanted to be a stay at home mom. Work is a nice outlet in a way. But Monday, my first official day on spring break, I kept thinking about how great it would be to stay home all the time! I know it would be less stress. Right now it is very difficult to run all the errands I need to. I also wouldn't have work stress. I've also had a great time with the girls so far this week. I really like this age! They have these cute personalities and are learning so much right now. I don't want to miss any of it. But, there is no way we can afford for me to stay home.

I did decided, however, that I am bidding on a new position. Part of it- well most of it- has to do with the crazy people I work with and for. I can't take them any more. I also found some schools that are only about 10-15 min. from my house, and a few of them are K-8 schools that will be adding 8th grade next year! Plus, these are schools that most people don't look to go to if they have some seniority. So, I'm hoping this is a good thing and I get a position at a closer school. At least I would spend less time commuting.

The girls are doing great! Maya is 19 lbs and Sofia is 21 lbs. Still 2 lbs apart! Sofia is a little taller than Maya- but not by much. I think Maya was 28 inches and Sofia was 28 3/4 inches.

I need to take more pictures. I cannot find my camera battery charger, so I haven't been taking any. I need to find it!

The girls have also started signing some. Today, Maya started to sign "more." I thought it was a fluke at breakfast, so at lunch I waited until her tray was empty and then she signed "more"! She also signs "milk," which actually means "Bottle" to her. And she can sign "all done."

Sofia signs "all done" and "milk" which I recently discovered also means "bottle" for her. We have been transitioning to all sippy cups. Sofia was doing great with it too! But then yesterday at lunch, she wanted more to drink- which was milk in a sippy cup. So, as I got her more milk in the sippy I of course signed "more milk." Well, she started screaming. And kept screaming, even after I gave her the sippy! I finally figured out she meant "bottle." I wrapped up lunch, took the girls to the playroom and quickly got Sofia a bottle since she hadn't stopped screaming. Then while I was giving her the bottle, Maya saw her drinking from the bottle and of course started crying for it! I was able to put Sofia down for her nap and then get Maya a small bottle and put her down for her nap. Exhausting! But, I learned my lesson. I am not signing "milk" for a very long time- until they have forgotten about bottles! I also hid all of the bottles because if they even see one, they go crazy!

The summer can't come fast enough!

2009-03-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just saw the comments on my post before the first birthday post. Honestly, I don't even remember writing it! It was that bad. Wow. Thanks for all the comments!

We cannot afford a night nurse. I'd rather pay for a housekeeper anyway! :) Oh, and we also don't pay for daycare. Hubby goes in a couple hours late to work, that is much cheaper than paying for daycare. However, it has been a huge strain. We have found a cheaper nanny agency and will be hiring a nanny next school year. Psychiatrist seemed to think my reaction was a normal reaction to babies screaming and getting no sleep. He is probably right! I've been much better since doing CIO and getting sleep.

First Birthday!

2009-03-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

The girls are 1 today. Wow! It went by so fast. The early days were really tough, and they seemed to go by slow, but then they also went by fast. I'm still amazed that my body created and carried two perfect humans. The girls are doing so well. Maya has taken some steps! Sofia is standing on her own for a bit. They are also starting to sign! Both can do the "all done" sign, and Maya today signed "more" after I signed it. They are at a really fun age right now. They like to try to copy things I do, they are getting a sense of humor, eating table foods- it's amazing!

On the sleep front, things are getting better. I haven't been posting much because I had been so tired and busy. Maya was waking every night wanting me, and about 2 weeks ago, Sofia started waking as well. I had a week or so of very little sleep. It was awful. It got to a point where one night I had gotten about 2 hours of sleep and had to call in sick the next day because I was so exhausted. I decided to once again try CIO. I hate doing it, but I NEEDED sleep. The first night was actually fairly easy, second night, not easy at all. It kills me to hear them cry. However, after about 3-4 nights, I am happy to report that for two nights in a row, Maya has NOT woken at all! Sofia still has, buy she quickly goes back to sleep. They are also sleeping later in the morning. And taking better naps. I think they needed sleep almost as much as I did! So while I hate CIO, I think it really was the best solution for us.

The birthday party went well! It was pretty stressful- we had a lot of people and a lot of babies! I invited two other twin families, so we had 6 1 yr olds (or almost 1), an 8 month old, 2 two year olds, and 4 older kids. Plus all the parents! It was crazy but fun. Here are some photos:

The girls in their birthday tutus

Waiting for cake

Pinata

Beautiful tutus made by my friend

2009-03-04T23:18:00.000-08:00

I haven't been keeping up with my blog because I've been so busy. I'm at a point now where it's all getting to me. Some nights are good, others I don't get any sleep. Like last night. I only got 2 hours at a time. Both girls were up on and off throughout the night. So of course I was extremely tired today. I went to a play date, pretty late, and I was hoping it would tire the girls out. I got them to bed at 7:30 and they went down easy. Only to wake again at 11. Both woke and were screaming. Then I start freaking out because I'm exhausted, and can't soothe both at once. I was able to get them both into their chairs and get them bottles, which helped, but by this point we were all crying.

I called hubby in the middle of this, but he wasn't any help. He's in a tough spot because he can't leave work really, but I also can't do this by myself sometimes. But I do think he blows it off more than he should. Now I'm crying again- he does a LOT, more than his share, but lately I just...can't. It's like I've given all I can give and I have nothing left for keeping up w/ housework.

I'm going to blame some of this on my psychiatrist. I'm now up to 50 mg on Paxil and obviously, it isn't working. I need to get on a different medication I think. But it's weird because I'll be fine on it and then something will happen, or maybe a series of things happen, and I just can't deal with it. And I'm blaming him because he doesn't do any therapy. It's all about the drugs- that's the only focus. Which now having gone through this, I don't think is effective.

2009-03-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

Fuck!

Nat, over on "Relaxing Doesn't Make Babies" got AF. SO UNFAIR. It really pisses me off. She is such a great person, and so deserving, and life keeps handing her shit. It's crap like this that confirms in me that all those organized religions are wrong. There is not some omnipresent being sitting up there controlling things. I do believe in energy and the power of thought, but dammit! It didn't work this time- when it should have!!

2009-02-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

And now, Maya is getting her second tooth! She is getting her other lower middle tooth. I thought that I was going to get lucky and the teething wouldn't bother them, but it's been pretty miserable around here- especially at night!

The girls have been very difficult to put down, and Maya has been waking, of course. But even harder than that, she has been squirming and not wanting to sleep even when I hold her!

Will update more later- very tired.

More teeth!

2009-02-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

When I took Sofia out of the bath yesterday, she was screaming, of course. I thought I saw something in her mouth, so I looked again and sure enough! Another tooth! Her upper right incisor tooth is coming in. She is getting her right lower front tooth, so if other teeth don't come in for awhile she may look a little funny :)

Maya does not have any signs of more teeth yet.

It's really amazing how much they've learned in only 11 months. It's just amazing.

Oh! I just looked over and Maya was sitting behind Sofia, who was standing, and Maya pulled her pants down to get a better look at the pictures on Sofia's diaper! How funny!

Anyway, it is amazing how much they have learned. I am so lucky.

2009-02-15T07:44:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy, no time to update! We are all doing well. I am pretty miserable at my job. I always thought I wanted to help teachers get better at teaching- and I still do- it's just no fun dealing with resistant people. It wouldn't be so bad, but I feel pressure to work with EVERYONE at my school site. And that is a lot of work, plus many teachers are resistant. Or, they like having you help them plan, but what they take away is not what you wanted them to learn. Or it is a bit different. I do love working with teachers who are eager to learn and try new things. That is very fun. It took awhile for me to let go and realize that every teacher is going to be different, and they are not going to do a lesson exactly like I would. And once I learned that, it got easier.

It also doesn't help working with people who are energy drainers and just mean. And I'm not talking about the teachers- I'm talking about other coaches who feel like everything is a competition. So, I will look at what positions are posted for next year. But with my schedule, who knows if I will take anything different.

We did consider hiring a nanny. A friend found someone who was good, and a great price. But it took us too long to get back to her and she now has a position. We may still look into getting a nanny for next school year. That way, Hubby could go back to working all his hours. If we can find one for a decent price, it would work. Then again, I know hubby loves taking care of them during the day, and I feel better knowing they are with him. Maybe it would be better to spend that money on a house cleaner. That would take plenty of stress off!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love seeing M and S's personalities come out more and more each day! It's so fun. I love in the morning when I put them in their cribs and I can hear them laughing and giggling at each other! It is so cute.

Sofia loves dolls and stuffed animals. She will sit there and "talk" to one for a long time. She is a little more laid back. She is content sitting and playing with one thing for awhile. S also loves music. They both do, but I think S likes it more. When any music comes on, she will rock back and forth and dance to it. I swear I've also heard her "singing"!

Maya, on the other hand, is always on the go! She wants to be in the middle of all the action, and wants any toy her sister is playing with. She is also hilarious. They both are, but Maya will do funny things on purpose to make you laugh. I really need to catch some of it on video!

I can't believe in about a month they will be 1! It flew by.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

I need some advice. I think I've written before about Maya waking at night. She wakes, and wants me to go and get her and bring her to bed. Which I've been doing since I like sleep. I have decided that it really needs to stop. I am not sleeping well, and I need some sleep! So I decided to do some Cry It Out (CIO) this weekend since it is a long weekend. Now, I am not a fan of CIO, but the only reason she is crying is for me to come and get her. I will also say that I am not going to let her cry for hours on end. I just won't do that.

Night 1 went great! I out them to bed in their cribs. Maya woke, I went and got her so she wouldn't wake Sofia. I rocked her for a bit and laid her down. She cried. I patted her back for awhile, but she kept crying. I got her a little settled and left the room. She cried for 10 min. and then was asleep! Of course I thought, wow! This is going to be easier than I thought! Well, of course that turned out to be false.

Night 2: Maya started crying, I brought her into our room to put in the cosleeper. I tried patting her back, she was crying. I left the room. She cried for about 20 seconds and was quiet. Of course, I started getting relieved- which I shouldn't have because soon after, she was crying again. On and off she cried for close to an hour. At the end, she was just getting too worked up and I knew it wasn't going to work, so I went and got her and went to sleep with her.

I will try again tonight, but if anyone has any tips- please share! I was thinking maybe it would work better if I put her to bed in the cosleeper? That way I won't have to pick her up and take her to a new room. Maybe that will help? Any other tips, please share!
~~~~~~~~~

I will leave you with a video I shot of Maya chasing the cat around:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5iskmCVW5g

2009-02-03T19:24:00.001-08:00

Do you ever feel like you keep going and going and you just can't keep up? That's how I feel. There is a never ending stream of things to do. Just when I think I am catching up, more stuff piles up. Having twins and a full time job, and Hubby having a full time job, is very stressful. If you are pregnant with twins, do everything you can to either stay home or work part time. Although, I think if we worked the same schedule it would be a lot easier. As it is now, it is like we are each single parents. We only really see each other on Sundays. But our Sundays are filled with things we have to get done. It's exhausting!

The girls are doing great! This is such a fun stage! They interact with each other a lot, including grabbing onto each others onesies and pulling each other down from standing. Ahh, they love each other.

I have started planning their First Birthday party!!! Can you believe they are going to be ONE?!? I can't. People always said it flies by, but I didn't realize how fast it would go!

And now, some pictures!
Maya

Sofia

And this is what happens if you don't take the pictures fast enough

2009-01-28T18:48:00.001-08:00

YAY! There was a short (very short) piece on the news right now about how it is unethical to go ahead with the IUI cycle when you have that many follies!! FINALLY someone is reporting on the risks! The news anchor was surprised to find out that the doctor can tell about how many follies will be released. I hope more stories like this come out.

octuplets

2009-01-27T21:02:00.000-08:00

Of course you know I have to comment about the octuplets born today. I was not happy when I heard that news this morning. It just bothers me because in stories about Higher Order Multiples (HOM)they never talk about the real dangers and the real problems these kids face. The public always thinks it is a "miracle" when HOM are born. In a way it is. When they are all born alive and doing fairly well- yes, that is a miracle. Not a miracle someone could conceive that many, but usually an irresponsible RE when there are more than 4! I say more than four because it is possible to have two sets of identicals- which is not the fault of any RE.
It just makes me sad that I know these kids will likely have plenty of problems later on, if not now.

I thought I had a lot more to write about this, but I guess I don't. I just annoyed that the public only sees one side, and it is not reality.

2009-01-24T09:41:00.001-08:00

Thanks everyone :)

We should get counseling, but not sure when we have time to do it right now.

So last night, he told me something that had happened this week with his family. I think this added to his stress, but instead of talking to me about it, again, he bottled it up. I think maybe even if he got counseling separate from me, that would even help. I already go to counseling- and I think everyone should do that!

To the first person who commented, I do recognize my part in this and I mentioned it in my last post. And it was very much a vent, so yeah, I didn't say that much about my part in it. But honestly, I am sick and tired of getting blamed. Of course I have a part in it, but I'm also trying.

We will get through this, I know. We love each other, but we have plenty of work to do.

2009-01-23T15:51:00.001-08:00

Just to warn you ahead of time, this is a vent. A vent about DH. I don't really think I want advice or anything, I just need to vent.

It has been pretty tough with DH. Things would get better for awhile, then worse. With the move, came worse times. We are both working full time and DH works overtime on Saturdays. I've been working a little overtime too- not too much though. Between that and taking care of the girls, we never see each other and it is stressful.

The first rough time came with the move. After we got everything moved to the new house, he felt like I was doing nothing. Truth was, I was taking care of the girls at night. I unpacked as much as I could- as much as the girls would allow. And of course, being in a new place, they were pretty fussy. So we had a big blow out and I thought he understood that when I get home I have almost no time until after the girls go to bed at 6. Or 6:30 or later if they are fussy. Then I eat dinner, have about an hour if I'm lucky and fall asleep. Can't forget the middle of the night wakings! I have to deal with those as well.

So I thought we had things worked out, I was really trying to be nicer, and really trying. Well, today was crap! He had the nerve to ask me if he could purchase supplies to build his lizard a new enclosure and put it in the garage! Remember, he already has tons of snakes- which I am deathly afraid of. We have had a million conversations and the deal was he would get 1 room for his snakes. Well, right before we moved, before the house closed, he wanted a lizard. When he said "lizard" I thought he meant little. Lizard. Like a gecko or something. He brought it home and it was a monitor. Yep, smart on his part for not saying "Monitor lizard" because he knew I knew what those were. Anyway, it was going to be fine because it was going in the snake room.

Except that didn't work out because the lizard got sick. Of course it got sick because he bought it from the reptile shop he said he'd never shop at again- because the last thing he got from them was also sick. So, this lizard is in the guest bedroom. It has gone to the vet twince. Bye-Bye $50 that we need. Never mind that I have no clothes. Never mind that the girls need new clothes. So he found out he needed to put top soil in the cage. The first kind he bought stunk. And I mean REALLY stunk. Even with the door closed! He bought a new kind, which also smells, but not as bad. But it still sticks.

So today he has the nerve to ask to buy stuff- and remember we literally have NO money- to build this thing a new enclosure. I guess he thought I would like it in the garage, but no! This was not the deal! I am SO sick of it because it is always something else. He always says, "This is it! No more cages, no more supplies" and I buy it. A couple months later he has to buy more stuff for the stinking reptiles.

I don't care about the snakes- they are in that room, I don't see them, I have given up on that. But there is always something else. And it is like he has no respect for ME. Does he ever do anything nice for me? Does he ever say, oh go out and do something nice for yourself. I'll take the girls. Nope. Does he ever randomly get me some gift- nothing fancy, doesn't even have to cost anything! A nice note would be nice. But no. I seem to be last on his list. And I am sick of it.

After I got mad about the lizard- and I was pissed. I asked if he hed the girls. No, he hadn't. And it was 3:00. He doesn't quite like to stick to the schedule as much. Well, because I was mad I told him to feed them. No, I wasn't that nice because I was mad. Well, that just made him mad. According to him, I am ALWAYS mean to him. My tone is always bad. Sure, I admit, sometimes I am very matter of fact- especially when things need to get done. It's not that I'm trying to be mean, it just needs to get done.

What is really funny is that he doesn't like to be told what to do, but if I don't say anything, he complains that he didn't know what to do! I can't win! Also, awhile ago we had the agreement that when I got "that tone" he would NICELY tell me I ws doing that. He never did. He prefers to just get mad at me.

The other thing that really infuriates me is that he won't talk to me. We were mad at each other today and he just starts ignoring me. I CAN'T STAND THAT! At least talk to me. Finally he told me not to talk to me. No, actually, he told me to shut up. Nice. So, he never talks to me about any problems we have, and then he goes and blows up at me and then ignores me. Real healthy. I honestly don't know what to do anymore. I have TRIED. He only sees things from his perspective and he is always the one who has been wronged. He can never see how he hurts ME.

I hate to say it, but he reminds me of my dad. I don't think I've ever talked about him on here, but I did not have a good relationship at all with him. And even though I know they always say you find someone like your dad, or if you have alcoholic parents (which I did) you tend to find alcoholics or other people with something wrong with them. And yeah, that seems to be true. Granted, DH is not at all as bad as my dad. Usually, DH is great! But this problem we have is really getting to me. We need to fix it. And he just doesn't want to seem to. I'm not even sure how to fix it, but it needs to be fixed.

I'm willing to see my faults and try to correct them. He needs to do the same.

2009-01-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

We have TEETH!!!!!

I have been waiting, and waiting for the teeth to appear. I thought for sure around 6 or 7 months they were teething. I'm sure I blogged about it. Sofia was waking up screaming and only a cold paci would soothe her. And she was drooling SO much. Well, months later, and still no teeth! I was beginning to think they would never have teeth! Today I decided to feel their gums again, and I felt a sharp pointy thing in Sofia's mouth! Of course, I was so excited that I also had to try Maya's mouth. And this was really a feat. She does everything she can to NOT let my finger in her mouth. But I prevailed! Sure enough, Maya also had a sharp pointy thing! What is really interesting is that Sofia's tooth is on her bottom right hand side. Maya's tooth is on her bottom left hand side.

2009-01-18T07:22:00.001-08:00

Just a quick update. I have been so busy between unpacking, working, and taking care of the girls!
The girls are 10 months! I can't believe it! They are doing so well, and are so fun.

The house is coming along. We are slowly unpacking. Today we are going to clean the condo and show it to possible renters. I hope we find someone!

Work is work. I may go back into the classroom next year. I'm not sure. I do like the flexibility of this job, but I can't stand the people I have to work with all the time. I will wait and see what jobs are available, but I may have to stay put. I can deal for one more year. I think.

Someday I will post more pictures. I can't find my little point and shoot. I hope I find it soon!

2009-01-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

Rebecca-
I live in CA. I would love to lobby Congress, but yeah, I think I'd rather raise me girls ;)

Making progress on the unpacking! Kitchen is done (thanks Hubby!) and the girls room is almost completely done! Most of the boxes are unpacked. So nice.

The girls' room in the new house is much smaller than their old room. So, we had to put the cribs right next to each other, but now they are closer to each other, which is nice. So I put them in their cribs, hoping they would play, but expecting them to start crying for me. Well, they actually played nicely for a very long time! I think it helped being next to each other. It was very cute watching them "play" and "talk" together.

Sofia is trying soooooo hard to stand up! She desperately wants to, but can't get herself up past her knees yet. Did I mention she also started really crawling? About a week ago, all of a sudden, she started regular crawling!

I really can't believe in 1 week they will be 10 months. I know, I say this every month, but it goes by so fast. It really does.

I Hate Insurance Companies.

2009-01-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Remember a while back when I posted that I got notice in my pay stub that fertility treatments would no longer be covered? I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Not because I might want to get pregnant again someday, but I thought about all the hundreds of women, and men, out there who would now have to pay out of pocket, and some will likely not be able to afford that. What I didn't realize was that I would hear about this!

A friend of mine, who went to the same clinic as I did, and had her baby (singleton) on the same day as me, did not get notification of this change because she is on a year leave. She did not find out until she went to the RE to discuss her next cycle. Of course she was mad, and has tried everything to get it covered, to no avail. Luckily, I think she will be able to afford at least a couple cycles. But once again it brought to the forefront of my mind how many people will not be able to fulfill their dream of having children. It pisses me off! I'd really like to do something about it. I guess I can continue to blog about situations like this, but most likely I am preaching to the choir here. I will continue to also talk freely about my infertility struggles. Occasionally, I won't feel like going through the whole explanation, but I should. Perhaps it will educate just a few more people.

2009-01-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to check in and give everyone an update. We have moved into our house! Hardly anything is unpacked, but we are here and have been for a few days. You might be wondering why nothing is unpacked. Well, I figured moving would be more difficult with twins, but I did not realize just how difficult it would be! Last week, the first part of the week- actually from the day after Christmas to New Year's Eve- Hubby was busy painting 2 bedrooms and the entire downstairs. He also tiled the laundry room and the kitchen. I didn't start packing until last Tuesday since I wasn't sure when he would finish. Of course, after the girls went to bed and I started packing, inevitably, one would wake up screaming, demanding my attention. It was challenging to get anything packed.

Thankfully, on the day of the move a couple friends came over and helped us pack and move. I forgot to mention that right after Christmas the girls got sick. Sofia caught a cold first. But it was strange, because she would wake up in the middle of the night screaming. She wasn't hungry or anything- just didn't feel good! She was also super fussy during the day. So packing, and then unpacking in the new house has been a challenge! Things are slowly coming together now. Slowly.

I love the house! I am still amazed that we actually have a house! It's great! I love this neighborhood. It is so diverse, has all (almost) the shops I shop at in one location, has great schools, and some of my twin mommy friends live here!

2008-12-25T07:52:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

We are the official owners of our house! The loan was funded Tuesday. Yesterday, we had the place cleaned and got paint. Today, we will open presents- YAY! I am so excited for the girls! And then go to another twin mommy's house. There will be 3 sets of twins there!

The girls are doing so well. It seems like every day they are getting older and doing new things. Sofia has started to try to pull herself up, but she can only get to her knees. I wonder if her lower body strength isn't that good?

Even though we are broke, we are so happy! We have the girls, we have a house, and we have each other. It is truly a wonderful Christmas!

2008-12-23T06:10:00.000-08:00

The girls had their 9 month appointment yesterday. I can't believe they are 9 months! And they are getting so big!
Sofia: 20 lbs, 28" long!
Maya: 18 lbs, 27 3/4" long!

It's also crazy to me that they have stayed exactly 2 lbs apart since birth. Overall, they are both in the 75th percentile.

Last night, I'm pretty sure they both slept all night! Hubby was home at midnight, but Maya stayed on her crib all night. That's a first!

The loan didn't fund yesterday because the stupid escrow company did not get their paperwork in on time. Ya know, when something like that happens, I really think they should give us something. Like paying for cleaning! Anyway, the realtor said that it would fund today. I sure hope so! We will be moving stuff over this week, so hopefully by the end of the weekend or so we will be all moved in!

2008-12-21T06:33:00.001-08:00

I have been super busy! At least I am on Winter break now!

Last Wednesday, we signed the loan documents for the house. We were hoping the loan would fund that Thursday or Friday. Nope. So, I have been so stressed out all weekend. It should hopefully fund tomorrow. The lender's agent said we needed a couple more documents. We just have to initial an updated document and then submit our 401ks again. Which I thought was weird since it's not like they have changed on a week or so. I'm trying to find out if they can have you sign documents and then not fund the loan. We were also preapproved. Please keep your fingers crossed!

The girls are 9 months old now! 9 months!! I can't believe it has been that long! Honestly, the first few months are such a blur for me. They are a lot of fun right now, and I am loving it! The girls will make each other laugh and it is so freakin' cute! My sister in law has been in town, and it has been great! She is a huge help! Of course, others do not understand about keeping twins on their schedule, but we have survived. I do need to talk to DH after she leaves though. He felt like she needed to be doing something all the time. I understand that, but the girls were so off schedule and so cranky. There needs to be a balance! But we survived, so it's not that big of a deal.

I have figured out that I am having anxiety. I had been thinking it was just my depression, so we upped my dose of P.ax.il, which did help the depression. But then I realized that I have been anxious. Of course, waiting to see if our loan gets funded does not help! So I will likely get an anti-anxiety med as well, I'd like to just take one, but I'm not sure if there is one that treats both anxiety and depression. I think they use P.ax.il for that, which is not working for my anxiety.

2008-12-13T06:56:00.000-08:00

The cutest thing happened this morning! Maya woke up- she was in the co-sleeper next to the bed, which is actually a play pen now. She stood up, was talking, and then started playing Peek-a-Boo with me!!! She would duck down for a minute, then pop up and I would say "Peek-a-Boo!" and she would do it again! So cute!!!

I cannot believe they are almost 9 months! That is just crazy. It goes by so fast. I swear time speeds up as soon as you have kids. It speeds up a little when you become an adult, then speeds up more as you get older. Then, you have kids, and it is on fast forward. It really makes a case for slowing down, not stressing about work so much, and just enjoying life.

Here is a video of Maya standing and getting down:

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On the home front, literally, Friday we rushed around getting some document signed because they want to see another tax return. But, even though we rushed around, it was still too late to get it in. Oh well. So we might have to wait a couple extra days. We are still hoping to close by the end of next week.

2008-12-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

I work with idiots!

Yes, I already knew this, but I was just reminded again. We are leading professional development sessions and I had to get some hand outs ready. So I was having problems formatting one of them and getting paranoid because the one person was not emailing me back on how to fix it. So I emailed the ones I had to the other co-worker so she could print out what I had so far and make her copies. Ahead of time. Like normal people. Then I fixed the other one and sent it, only to realize that I labeled two different handouts the same number. So I asked the one who was making copies if she could fix it. Not hard. Change the 3 to a 2. She emails back and says that she is confused. Can I fix it and resend all of them! Really? You already have the files!

Then she sends me another weird email saying that I needed to do the handouts for the English session. She wasn't sure if I thought she was doing that or what. Um, hours before I had sent the English handouts. All of them. On one email.Sometimes I just want to bang my head against the wall. And watch. She will be late tomorrow because she was making copies. Even though I sent them at about 1 pm today. You know, I should have just made the copies myself!

I think it may be time to go back to the classroom.

2008-12-08T19:39:00.001-08:00

Well, a lot has been happening! We are in escrow for the house! We should close sometime next week. Of course, I am still nervous they won't fund the loan, and I think I won't stop being nervous until we have the keys in hand. So, I don't think I ever posted details about the house. The first time we looked at it, I didn't like it. I think that there was some stuff in the house and I just didn't like it. We then looked at other houses and put other offers in. Then we got a call saying the offer on that house was accepted! So I agreed to go look at it again, but I told hubby that I probably would still not like it. I was wrong! I did like it. I don't even know what I didn't like to begin with. Sure, it needs some work. The carpets need to be cleaned, but our realtor said they would be cleaned. It needs paint too. But really, it is just cosmetic stuff that can be fixed over time. It is a large house and the price we got it for is really good.

Details:
1900 square feet
4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths
living room, dining room, family room, and a bonus room upstairs which will be the play area! There is also an eating area in the kitchen.
The backyard is a good size, especially for San Diego.
Great area, great schools
garage w/ storage cupboards already installed

I am very excited!
---
Ok, here are pictures! Now, it needs some work- we will be tiling asap and painting. The paint color downstairs actually looks better in the pics than in real life! And I didn't get good pics of the extra bedrooms b/c they are small, so I'm not posting them.

Living room when you enter

Dining room that is attached to living room

kitchen

Family room. I'm standing in the kitchen taking the picture

Ugly runner on steps that I hope can be taken out. I'm standing in eating area off the kitchen

Coming up steps- bonus room

Standing in bonus room, view of rest of upstairs, the 3 extra bedrooms and bathroom

master bedroom

master bedroom- yes, walk in closet! Separate tub and shower!!

Backyard

It wraps around the side and the side area will be our dog run.

2008-12-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone :) I especially love the "growth" comment!

I have a plan. I started recording my food in weight watchers. I did it a few years ago, and it worked, so I'm doing it again. I also am going to leave work early 2 days a week and go do cardio at the gym. I'm also getting a post-partum yoga dvd from netflix and will do that at least twice a week. I've had it with my weight. I don't even have many work clothes!

The girls are doing so well. They are 8 1/2 months now!! For awhile Maya has been crawling, pushing herself to sitting, and pulling up. I was getting worried about Sofia (I know, don't compare) but she was army crawling. For the last couple days she has been trying to push herself to sitting, but it wasn't working. Well, today, she did it!!! I was very proud of her!

I was also worrying about Maya because she wasn't eating much. It was a struggle getting 24 oz. of formula in her. She also wasn't taking much solids. Well, today that changed! She had 29 oz. of formula and ate plenty of solids! Maybe she is hitting a growth spurt.

I just realized tonight that we NEED to get out of our stupid condo. I realized that the annual HOA board meeting was tonight and I needed to go so I could vote and vote for a new board president. I had forgotten to mail in my ballot, so this was the last chance. I hauled the double stroller down our stairs, figured out a way to get both babies down the stairs, put Maya in, then started putting Sofia in. Well, Sofia's strap needed to be loosened and I've only used the side by side one other time. So I couldn't figure out how to loosen the thing!! It was taking me forever, and by this time both babies were screaming. And the neighbors were wondering what was going on. Finally I figured it out and put Sofia in. Of course they stopped screaming when I started walking.

We got to the steps (there are a few steps throughout the complex and NO disabled ramps) and as I was trying to figure out a way down, I realized that if I went down, I would need a way back up. And there was no way that was happening, so we went back inside the condo. By this time I was sweating profusely, very tired from hauling the babies around, and starting to get a headache. And also upset that I wouldn't get to vote.

So, yes, we need a house. It is just getting so ridiculous here!

ARGH!

2008-11-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

I have been doing so well- even in a good mood despite being busy every single day of my break. Then today I went to the store to get Turkey Day stuff, and it was bad enough the store was super packed. But when I was in the check out line, I got the dreaded question. How far along are you?

ARRGGHH!!!!!

Whenever this happens I'm tempted to go into a full blown explanation:
I had twins, 8 months ago. Both hubby and I work full time, opposite shifts so I have zero time to work out, not to mention that I have PCOS which makes losing weight very difficult. Plus I have diastasis which makes me look pregnant, so back off!

But no, I said, "I just had twins." Of course then she asks, "How old are they?" And I reply, "8 months" of course realizing that 8 months is NOT just having them. I'm going to blame celebrities. Aren't they good to blame for everything? I mean, Angefreakinlina was stick thin the day after she gave birth! And they say she is still breastfeeding?? NO WAY, because there is no way to keep your supply up without eating plenty.
J Lo looks like she never had kids, let alone twins! And it's not just xelebrities! I swear sooooo many twin moms in my twin group are also skinny right after having them! True, many of them did deliver early. I try to remind myself of that. I kept mine in baking until almost full term. It's just so frustrating!!! And really?? Who asks how far along you are to a stranger?? I have only considered asking when it is very obvious. Like, a perfectly round belly that you know is a preggo belly. UGH!

I never thought I would ever consider plastic surgery, but honestly, a tummy tuck sounds very nice- and it would fix my diastasis which is really what bothers me most.

Of course, I should be eating better too. I'm not completely blameless, but it is difficult.

2008-11-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

I finally uploaded some new photos!

Maya is so funny. She loves animals. Whenever our dog or cat come around, she stops and looks at them, and usually smiles. It is very cute! Sofia is also intrigued by the animals, but not quite as much as Maya.

I can't believe how big they are getting!

In other news, an offer we put in on a house was accepted! We are in escrow. Just think good thoughts for us that we actually get the loan. We were pre-approved, but they can always change their mind.

Sofia, 8 months:

Maya, 8 months:

Maya can pull herself up to standing!

Chillin' in the carseats

2008-11-21T19:31:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile! I have been super busy at work and then at home- with non-sleeping babies! I'm not sure what is going on with them. Maybe it is because they are learning so many new skills at once. Maybe they are teething. But, I always think they are teething and there is still no sign of any teeth! Is it even possible to teethe for so long without having teeth pop through?

Usually from about 6 pm-9 pm the girls sleep very well. After that, they start fussing and waking. Their paci falls out, they fuss. I go in and replace it- even though they are able to put it back in, somehow they forget this when they are half asleep. Then around 11 pm one, or both, wakes and starts crying. Loudly. Maya I think cries because she knows I will come in. She instantly falls asleep when I hold her. But when I try to put her back in her crib, she screams. I have been ending up with Maya in my bed. Now, I do like this usually. However, when she sleeps with me I have to hold the same position- so after awhile it is not the most comfortable thing. But I do love sleeping with her!

When Sofia wakes, usually nothing can calm her down. I usually end up feeding her, and I do think she is hungry. Usually after I feed her she can get back to sleep. Sometimes it takes awhile though. The other night, both were screaming at the same time. Hubby helped me, so that was good, but I really don't like hearing 2 screaming babies at the same time. I hate it because I can only soothe one at a time, unless Hubby is helping. So, I haven't been getting much sleep. I usually first sleep for about 2 hours, then wake for an hour or so, then get more sleep, 4 hours if I'm lucky. I had a brief period of heavenly sleep, when the girls were sleeping through the night. I think I even wrote about how lucky I was they were such good sleepers! I spoke too soon.

Even though I'm getting little sleep, I am really enjoying the girls right now! They are doing so much. Maya, like I said before, is crawling. She also now can pull herself to standing, and it is her favorite thing to do. If I am sitting on the floor with them, she crawls right over and pulls up on me. I also think she was giving me kisses today! When she was standing, her face was in front of me and she would bring her head close to me and put her mouth on my cheek. Then, I would give her a kiss, and she would do it again! It was so freaking cute! Both girls are saying "baba."

Sofia is army crawling. She is also still rocking back and forth on her hands and knees, but to get around she has learned army crawling works best for her. She can also sit, but hasn't figured out how to put herself in a sitting position.

I have plenty more I want to write about, but I'm too tired at the moment to write. And a baby is screaming! To be continued...

2008-11-09T03:08:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to write, just haven't had time! I figured now was a good time- at 3 am. I am up because starting at 2, Sofia has been awake. From 2-3 I kept going back to bed, now I'm going to stay awake a little just to make sure she is asleep this time.

Last Tuesday was the election! How exciting! I am so glad Obama won. I have a new hope for this country and the country's future. I believe Obama is the leader we need right now. As for Palin, as much as I don't like her, the McCain campaign is really blaming everything on her, and that's not fair. The latest is that they are blaming her- only her- for the hate that was incited at rallies. I'm sorry but it wasn't just her. McCain was at some rallies too, and he did not speak up. Advisors were at the rallies, and nobody told her to stop. They are all to blame.

I am very disappointed in my state though. California passed Proposition 8, which will amend the constitution, defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Thankfully, they have already filed a lawsuit against it. I don't think you can amend the constitution to take away rights. Hopefully it will get over turned. This proposition is all about hate. The people who voted for it may not agree with same sex marriage, but why are they pushing their beliefs on everyone else? Many conservatives don't want others' beliefs pushed onto them, so why do they frequently do it to others? It's not hurting anyone, it's not interfering with your life. Makes me so angry.
---

Maya is crawling all over now! I need to post a video of it. Also, she has been pulling herself up to kneeling and today pulled herself to standing! We need to really get on the babyproofing!

I am super tired, and I think the coast may be clear so I can go to sleep. Goodnight.

Halloween!

2008-10-31T16:20:00.001-07:00

Ok, here are the girls in their costumes:

2008-10-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy!! My English professional development went really well- and I got a private email from my boss saying how good it was, and in her email to the 3 of us, she also said how strong the lessons were I did! Yay!

Maya is now 16 lbs and Sofia is 18 lbs!

Here are a ton of pictures!
Here is the family at the pumpkin patch

Maya, her 7 month photo:

Maya, newborn:

Sofia, 7 months:

Sofia, newborn:

The girls, together, 7 months

Feet:

Sofia loves to read!

Maya is getting better at sitting:

What choo talkin' 'bout, mom?

I fed them frozen waffles in the mesh feeder. Sofia loved it:

Maya didn't

My toy, no MY toy

Uh oh, we got caught

Lots of stuff

2008-10-21T18:42:00.001-07:00

I have been inspired to write. I've been thinking the past few days about things I wanted to write about. Yes, in the middle of giving a professional development to teachers, I am thinking about things I want to write about.

Work
The past two days I, along with my two co-workers, have been presenting professional development to content area teachers. Monday we had a session with science teachers, and today we had a session with social studies teachers. Do you remember how I had problems earlier in the year with my co-workers? Yes, these are the same ones. I am working with English and social studies teachers, and the co-workers are working with science and math. Also remember that originally I was supposed to be working at 3 schools, but the one co-worker basically said that was not going to happen. I expressed my concerns over her having too much on her plate, but the boss left it. Well, she hardly ever comes to the main school I work at. I was quite pleased that I got a total of 13 teachers at the social studies session. They only got 5 science teachers between the two of them. Next week is math and English. I have about 20 or so teachers coming. The math session only has a handful- probably around 5 or 6.

The sessions have been going well and the teachers- even ones who have been resistant in the past- are quite open to these ideas. It's been great.

I came to a realization the other day. Ive been doing a lot of thinking about what I might do next year, and had been thinking of going back into the classroom. As I thought about it, I realized that at any job there will be political crap. That's the part I hate. But any job you have there is that political side. I think it is inescapable. Therefore, I need to do the job that makes me happy. Honestly, teaching students as well as teaching teachers makes me happy. If I teach teachers, though, I can have a larger effect of students. I had been frustrated by my first two years of coaching experience. I was not put into the best situation and I did not have the support I really needed. This year is different. I feel more comfortable coaching, and it's just different than before. I think being attached to two schools helps. When you are attached to one school, they do tend to take you for granted. Plus there were other admin issues for the past two years. So at this point, I think I will continue to coach. I love helping teachers. So that is where I stand at this moment. Of course, that could always change.
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Politics

Most of you know, I care deeply about politics and am liberal. Very liberal. So of course I want to write more about the election! This is one thing I do miss about not being in the classroom. I loved election years with my students. Anyway, I found this article about the McCain campaign-Palin specifically- asking people for money for the campaign. Not directly, of course, but still asking for money. And yet, he wanted to accept public financing...

And here is a piece about Obama's legislative record:

This is the first time I have ever donated to a candidate. I just donated another $10 to Obama's campaign today. I think he will be an excellent leader.
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My favorite topic- My GIRLS!

They are doing great. Maya is lunging forward in order to get items. She is trying to place her hands so she is crawling, but she doesn't know quite how to move her legs, so she lunges. I think I caught this on video, so I will have to post it. Sofia is rocking back and forth, but she is quite content staying in one spot. She also rolls to get to items, so she has her own way of doing it.

Sofia is loving solid food. She likes everything I have given her! Maya, on the other hand, is more like me. Sigh. She now isn't always sure of the food. But she does seem to like fruit a lot more than veggies. I keep offering the veggies in hopes that eventually she will get used to them. I do not want her ending up as picky as I am. I firmly believe I ended up being so picky because my mom did not continue to offer a variety of foods. I have gotten better at my pickyness, and am definitely not as bad as I once was. But I'd rather offer lots of different flavors and textures to my kids.

Once again I will say this- I love having twins! Yes, it is a lot of work. But it is so worth it. I can't imagine just having one. I am so lucky. It is so great to see their completely different personalities developing, and they have each other. They are starting to interact more and more, and I think it is great. Growing up I never really had anyone. I was an only child until age 7, and in my neighborhood there were no younger kids around. Plus, each house had so much property that neighbors were far away. It definitely was not like a typical city, or even suburban, neighborhood. I always wanted friends who lived near me, or siblings close to my age. It is so wonderful that they have each other.

2008-10-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was a nightmare! Sofia woke after sleeping for about an hour and a half. She woke up screaming, and nothing would calm her down. I usually can get her calmed down, but not this time. I tried feeding her, and she ate, and it quieted her until she stopped eating. Then the ear piercing screaming started again. I started to get pretty worried because there was nothing I could do for her. It reminded me of the early days when they would scream and I would get upset. I called my hubby, crying, I was so frustrated, upset, and worried. Of course he could do nothing- he was at work. Finally, I got Sofia to sleep after one hour of screaming. I thought I was in the clear, but no. She woke after about 10 minutes. I gave her motrin, but that never helped. I gave her a cold pacifier and it worked for about 1 minute. I tried playing with her and that didn't even help. Again, somehow, she finally calmed down and went to sleep. As soon as she was calm, I laid down with her and we both fell asleep. I moved her to the co-sleeper when I woke and went to bed. Even though I had some work to do, it didn't get done since I only had a little while to eat my dinner before she started screaming.

I was worried about her, so I called the pediatrician in the morning. The nurse called me back, and that was a big waste of time! I wish the doctor would have called me back. The nurse asked a bunch of questions and then told me to go to 2 naps a day instead of 3. Also, put her to bed later and feed her cereal at night. Give her Tylenol before bed. Well, that was a waste. She is not going to have 2 naps a day. That just won't work. She gets very tired and really needs her naps. I did try putting her to bed a little later, but that is not the cause of the problem. I was afraid it could be an ear infection, but the nurse said that no fever and no ear pulling = no infection. And that is not true because I know plenty of people whose kids have had ear infections without either of those symptoms.

Last night was better. As soon as she started waking and fussing, I replaced her paci with a new, cold one from the fridge. That seemed to help, so I do think it is teething.

Please, wish me luck getting through this stage!

2008-10-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

It feels like I haven't posted in a really long time- and I think it has been a really long time! I have been so busy and tired.

The girls are teething. Getting them to bed is a nightmare, and then they continue to wake up during the night. Sofia has been waking more, and staying awake and screaming. I finally gave Sofia Motrin last night and it seemed to work a bit. But she was up at 9 and 12:30am. Both times I fed her as that was the only thing that would calm her down. After I fed her the last time, I had to hold her upright against my chest and she finally fell asleep.

Tonight, I fed them at 5- they didn't eat too much, and I put them to bed since they were acting tired. Well they never really fell asleep and were full on screaming by 6. So I fed them 4 ounces which they ate and then they went to bed. I will try to feed them later tomorrow, but they always get hungry at 5!

Still no crawling, but Maya is very proficient at moving backwards and turning, which gets her to where she wants to go. She is trying to move forward, and it is so funny because she just lunges forward. I really need to get it on video!

Sofia still just rocks back and forth a little. She has no motivation to work on her crawling. But she does love her jumperoo!

Throughout the week I keep thinking of things to write about and of course I don't write them down, and then I forget what it was I was going to write. I keep meaning to write, but by the time I get them down, eat, watch a little tv, check email, it is 8:30 and I am so tired! It's 9:00 right now and bed is calling me. I've wanted to go to bed since about 8.

Next week I will be going to a psychiatrist. I thought it would be a good idea because I'm not so sure the Paxil is still working. Dr. O increased my dosage but said he wouldn't increase it anymore, I would have to talk to someone. Even after the dose was increased, I still get depressed on the weekends. It can get pretty bad sometimes. I don't want to do anything and just want to stay home. I also get more irritated. Now, I talked to my psychologist about it and it could be depression, but it could also just be from working and taking care of the girls. I really think it is depression though. It feels like it. So this psychiatrist seems really good, we'll see next week after I go to the appointment. I just hope we can get the meds right.

I will post some pictures later on. I am just too tired right now, and need to hopefully go to sleep- unless a baby wakes up!

2008-10-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in awhile, so I thought I would. I've been busy, of course. I'm exhausted, but the girls are doing great! They are so cute and funny- I love seeing them grow!

The girls are still just rocking back and forth, no crawling yet. They still aren't sitting up. Maya can for a little bit if I prop her up so she is leaning forward. Still no "mama" or "dada" but they are babbling and laughing away.

I'm pretty sure they are teething. They have been cranky and biting on things. I don't feel any teeth yet though.

We did get preapproved for a loan- much to my shock! I thought there was no way we would get preapproval now, but we did! So we may be buying a new home. That would be so nice. I am a little nervous about renting our condo out though. But we need a house. This place is just way too small.

It's 8:15- time to go to bed!