10 Months - Double Digits!!

I remember every moment of that day exactly 10 months ago... just like it was yesterday! Yes - double digits... my babies are 10 months young today! I am starting to realize that I call my babies as kids more than babies. They truly are growing up and it is going by too fast. But, I can't stop myself from appreciating and loving every bit of them! Here is the latest update...

-Both RM & RT can climb stairs... we put them on the stairs when we got back, and they easily climbed up to grab the toys we had sitting a few steps up. Of course I am in no way letting them climb the stairs every day, but it was too cute to see them do it for the first time! :) They both crawl all over the place like crazy... they love to stand... RT very easily cruises around all our furniture.

-They love books... it's more like they love the pictures they can see in the books. They both can identify cats and dogs in a book.

-They love Puffs... RT will in fact bring over the container and will ask you to take some out for her. They will pretty much try everything from our food. We still haven't given them fish... and haven't really tried any other meat other than Turkey and Chicken. I started yogurt after coming back home.. RM seems to like it, but RT doesn't really seem to be very fond of it.

-They still drink milk 6-7 times in 24 hours with at least one middle of the night feed. RM takes 5-7 oz at a time and RT takes 5-6 oz. I was a little alarmed when I realized that quite a few kids their age consume milk just 2-4 times a day, but I guess each child is different. Before going to bed at night they can take in as much as 10 oz. When RT is hungry for milk or food, she goes... mumumum...! It's very cute!

-RM is getting his upper right tooth; so the tally so far is RM - 3 and RT - 2.

-We are yet to go see the Ped for their 9 month visit... it was delayed because of our trip. We go in on Jan 31st. I am hoping to discuss a few food related things with the Ped. One of them would be whole milk... I guess most Peds recommend starting off with it once the kids are close to 1 yr old.

-We go see the GI in the first week of February for reflux... I am hoping that we can start reducing their medication.

-We are planning on taking them for their first haircut this weekend (weather permitting). RT's hair is "out of control" and they need to be tamed a little bit. I wouldn't mind growing her hair, but she hates getting her hair washed and we end up shedding some tears in this process... hopefully with shorter hair things will be a little easier. RM's hair is starting to come down to his eyes, no matter how much you move them aside... they keep coming down straight - he has silky straight hair! So, I am hoping that some trimming (for both of them) now will get them in good shape for their birthday (not too short and not too unruly).

-We are still working on naps and night time sleep post jet lag! RT settled in 2 days ago and RM seems to be still adapting to the time zone. Sleeping in the crib is progressing slowly but steadily, they have been co-sleeping off and on after we get back... because everything just seemed so new to them.

-I am no longer pumping, I had to pump once (after a 10 day gap)... it was probably because we did the deed and I leaked the next day (some engorgement and blocked ducts). Oh and I still haven't gotten my AF back... I will probably wait for a month or two and go see my OBGYN if AF still doesn't arrive.

Any suggestions for some big kid toys? They seem to be liking complex toys now a days. I am considering getting a wooden activity cube (seen some good reviews) and possibly a rocking horse.

We have shortlisted the guests for the birthday party and it seems like it is going to be a big one! I guess once they start understanding more, birthdays are about their choices, and likes and dislikes... so this is one time I will get to decide the theme and the venue. :) We will be renting a place for the party, cause our house wont hold anything more than 20 people. I was calling yesterday to enquire about what options we had... and one of these places gave us a very good deal... so we ended up reserving it already! As mentioned in the previous post... I want to do a jungle theme... I have looked at a few cakes online and am hoping I can get one similar to what I have found. I am so excited!

And we are back!

It will be a week tomorrow and we are still overcoming jet lag! :) Well, it is probably almost gone though. To begin with the babes slept from around 0200 pm to around 0700 am the next day morning with wake ups in between to drink milk (and went right back to sleep)... no solids, no play! They napped in between again in the morning, basically it was a zombie land! But, we are more awake now!

The flight ride was in fact not as bad as I had anticipated. My mother accompanied us and that was a life saver for sure. The babes clinged and clinged, they had a bassinet, but RT would not sleep in it at all and RM slept in it for half the time. They both normally go to bed between 0800 and 0830 pm. But, the day we were scheduled to travel... oh my! They slept at their usual time, but then were picked up in an hours time to head off to the airport! They both stayed awake till 0200 am!!! I couldn't believe it. I guess they are growing up in a true sense. When we were leaving home 2 months back, they didn't care... if they had to sleep, they slept... no matter where and no matter when! But, this time there was a lot more excitement and a lot more curiosity! Which led to some fussiness for RT (due to lack of sleep). RM was pretty okay! Overall, I had expected them to cry their eyes out, but it was in fact pretty manageable.

The journey just shot their appetite for solids (none on the flight and none after coming home for few days). All they could handle was a few Puffs here and there! We are starting to get back on to morning snacks and lunch... afternoon snacks and dinner is still a no go!

I was wondering how they would get accustomed to the new place again and they seem to be adjusting pretty well, I guess kids are more adaptable than adults! The house is a lot more baby proofed than all the places we visited in the last two months and hence they are a lot more free to move around than they had the opportunity to (in the last two months). And, they are enjoying the freedom! They are crawling all over the place, pulling up and standing... RT is cruising along the furniture too! What they are not enjoying is the fact that they are not able to step out of the house frequently. With the temperature dipping down to close to 0 degree F for half the nights since we landed here, there is no way in hell I am taking them out of the house... especially since it was much warmer during our vacation and the sudden transition would probably not be good! But, they are loving all the toys we have over here (I had taken quite a few with us, but of course not the bulky ones)... so that is keeping them busy for now. I was wondering what they would do with the swing, jumperoo and the rocker... I felt a little guilty... thinking that they wouldn't be used since the kiddos have grown up now and it would be such a waste. But, they are actually still liking them!

While we were away, the babes didn't really sleep in a crib and readjusting to the crib back home is a little challenging! We started off with letting them play in the crib to taking naps in the crib. We are trying to put them in the crib for the night, but it hasn't been 100% successful... it is really hard to tell how they will deal with it till the jet lag is completely gone!

I am also starting to plan the birthday party. I am thinking of jungle/safari theme! They both love being outdoors, they love animals and the theme can be neutral too... and not really commercialized (like any cartoon characters).

We will be celebrating 10 months in 2 days! :) Double digits!! More to come soon...!

And it Stopped!

1/11/11 was the last day I pumped. I produced 9 oz and then didn't pump. Now it has been 4 days since I last pumped and I seem to be perfectly fine... no engorgement or leaks! So, I guess this big chapter of my life is now closed. Sometimes I wish I had never stopped, but I feel free and not tied to a schedule. I guess I don't feel as bad about stopping, because the duo has been doing solids pretty well off late and that makes the transition easier.

We head back home in less than 48 hours. It is going to be interesting. The kids are mobile and have to touch and feel everything around them. It will be one crazy ride back! :)

E.I.G.H.T

Today, I pumped 8 oz of milk! Down from around a max of ~ 72 oz! Sigh!

I had started the process of reducing the amount of milk and the number of pumping sessions after the babies turned 7 months (they were on 100% BM till then - I am so thankful that I did not have supply issues!). Up until almost 8.5 months they were still 50% on BM and 50% formula. Around the time they turned 9 months I dropped down to just one pumping sessions in a day. And ever since then, I don't really feel engorged and my supply has dropped around an oz or two every day. I was planning on pumping till we returned home, but at this rate, I highly doubt that I will produce anything 15 days from now! Though, I still have a couple of 100 oz of frozen milk back home.

This is bitter sweet. I will never be the sole provider of nourishment for my babies. I know I brought this on (reducing the volume) and the kids will grow up, but it still hurts. I will probably cry the day I pump my last! Besides my babies, my life has revolved around my Medela! At the same time, I do look forward to having my body back and not being hooked on to a machine.

I want to note down what I did to up the supply and eventually cut it down. I will probably make a post about it soon.

Stages

Hmmm... where do I begin! Every time I see a new development in my twins - I realize that they have been through so many different stages in barely 9 months of their life.

They were helpless little babies who only knew how to cry when they were hungry... those were the days when they just fed, pooped, pee'ed and slept...

Then came their first smiles and recognition... they still kept us on our toes through the days and the nights. But yet they melted our hearts!

Then they started interacting with us, rolling over, grasping, cooing, holding their necks strong...

Then came the start of solids... they had no idea what the heck it was, but with time they got interested in what we ate... started developing a taste... some things they liked and some - absolutely disliked!

In the mean while they transitioned from rattles to toys that sing and speak, and now to toys that are more interactive and engaging. The speed at which they transition and learn is mesmerizing!

From frequent night wake ups to bad naps to teething... from giggling and rolling and sitting and jumping and plopping down... from being mischievous and doing things on purpose to being fussy to having a belly laugh... from trying to wake each other up, to crying when the other cries, to calling out to their siblings, to making fake coughing sounds! Aah... the list is never ending! Their moods can change so quick and there can never be a dull moment!

One thing I have learned is I can never go by a book. I started off with reading a few books on babies. They made sense but never always applied. I have realized that the babies have their own schedule and likes and dislike, and they have their very right to go at their own pace. Me trying to implement something on them is probably more stressful to me mentally than it is effective on them. Things have gotten easier as time has passed by. Things will keep changing and will be challenging as they get more mobile and inquisitive. Most things they are learning are natural and self taught, and I can only assist in smoothly transitioning them to the next stage of their life.

Sometimes I just sit and adore how much of a toddler they have become. They amaze me by their ability to understand, adapt and adjust ! And the biggest lesson of life they have taught me and are constantly refining is - patience! :)