Twins, Twins!!

(Montana Mommy)
When we found out we were expecting twins-and that there was one of each sex- my mind began racing with all kinds of questions: Would they look alike? Would they act alike? Would they get along with their older sister? And on and on. For the first few months, they were close in size and DID look a lot alike! Then things started to change… Baby Boy quickly got bigger and bigger, while Baby Girl stayed petite. Then the major personality differences started to emerge!
Baby Boy is very strong-willed and determined, like Big Sister. Baby Girl lets the other two take charge. She plays whatever they want to play and does it how and when they want. The only time she is more opinionated is when she is very tired-but isn’t that true for us all?! I guess I thought they would all be somewhat alike-but boy was I wrong! What was also amazing was how quickly Baby Boy became so interested in typical “boy things” like trucks, garages and fire engines, while the girls stick to typical “girl things” like dolls and purses.
Although they fight like cats and dogs off and on throughout the day, there are also so many amazing times where they hug one another if one is hurt or sad. They also are good about including each other in games they play. Each one takes on a different role, and I am excited to see how that continues throughout the years. As Baby Boy gets bigger than Big Sister, will their roles change at all? Will Baby Girl stay petite and laid-back? I love hearing other moms’ stories about sibling interactions, especially when twins are involved. Want to share?

Now that Baby Bear is one…

(Nor Cal Mommy)
To start the weaning process, we started right off with milk in a sippy cup at lunch time… but that didn’t go over too well. Baby Bear wasn’t used to the milk taste and definitely didn’t want it in a sippy! Ok, Cousin, what do we do? Her suggestion: Change one thing at a time. Duh! Ok formula in the sippy cup at lunch time. Still a no go. Ok, forget the formula!

New routine: Milk in the bottle breakfast, lunch, and dinner, then slowly integrate milk in the sippy cup starting with lunch, then dinner, then breakfast. After a few days, the transition seemed to be going better, although she didn’t drink nearly as much as she usually does. We are now at milk in the bottle in the morning, then milk in the sippy at lunch and dinner. Near success! Woo-hoo! Next is the pacifier weaning…the one I’m most afraid of! Luckily (and maybe not so much) we limit her sucker use to nap and bed time only. Hmmm…will that just take us back to the days of crying it out?

Breaking Up With Diet Soda (Pop)!

(Montana Mommy)

I just recently decided to give up Diet Soda. I used to drink one with lunch every day, and then somehow I started to have one with most dinners too. Not only that, but I found myself allowing my 5 year old to have a sip of it every now and then, which is just not ok with me! She has enough “junk” food in her life, she doesn’t need soda (or pop as some call it) too.

So why did I even feel the need to rid my diet of this stuff?

1) The artificial sweetener-all we hear these days is how controversial the stuff is. I’m sure you have all heard “it might cause cancer” etc. etc. If there is any question about the stuff, I am better off just getting it out of my diet.

2) The super-sweet drink may lead to an overall “sweeter tooth”. I already like chocolate enough; I don’t need to crave it more because I drink diet soda.

3) The caffeine headaches I got when I “skipped” a regular soda time were awful.

4) All that acid can’t be good for my already brittle teeth.

Will I ever get back together with diet soda? Oh, I am sure that from time to time a diet soda will be just what I “need”, but I highly doubt it will ever be a habit again! Now, I just have to get my food intake changed, so I can lose these last ten (give or take) baby pounds…anybody else trying to do the same?

First Birthday!

(Nor Cal Mommy)

Baby Bear’s First Birthday! My house looks like a tornado went through it! Wilted balloons, left over cake, toys and boxes, a pile of new clothes, dishes everywhere…and no energy. It’s 3 in the afternoon and I’ve yet to put on my face! It was fun though. Now it seems as though she’s officially one. Hard to believe…It is truly amazing how much babies change over the first year. And how much she will change over the next year and years to come!

Since before she was born, I told myself (after talking to other mom’s and doing some research), “When this baby turns one, we will wean her off of the bottle and the pacifier (better known in our house as a ‘sucker’).” I didn’t know at the time that they also switch from formula to milk. So here goes nothing! How will we ever get through the days and more importantly the nights?

Today My Three Little Ones Let Me Go Back to Bed!

(Montana Mommy)
5:55 am-What is that noise?... “Mommmmyyyy”
Which one is that? Seriously?! Ok, so I manage to get DH (Dear Husband) to go to our son’s room (for some reason, he can usually get The Baby Boy back to sleep easier than I can when it is waaayy to early to get up). But 5:55 am…that’s right on the edge of the point of no return…no return to sleepyland that is.

5:56 am-“Mooooooommmm!” Oh my gosh, it’s Big Sister, no way. The Baby Girl is definitely up now too. Yep! So I go into the girl’s room, and somehow, by the grace of God, I manage to calmly get them to go back to sleep. As I exit the girl’s room, DH is exiting the boy’s room. We say nothing and climb back into bed, praying for another 30 minutes of peace and quiet..

Today, our prayers were answered…we heard nothing again until 6:35, when my husbands alarm went off for work. Yeah!!

Why are our children’s sleep patterns such a huge issue? Before becoming a mother, I had no idea how much time and energy I would put into how much each of my kids would sleep (or not sleep as is sometimes the case).

Am I alone with these sleep issues? Is the answer really just about being cool, calm and collected when it is WAY to early to get up? Or do I just have naturally early risers? I will keep testing it out and see…