Ask Jamie: Big Boy Bed

Bridget asks:

Is Bo still in his crib? Have you thought about switching him to a big boy bed with a side rail? -- so he could get out of bed and come in the girls room with you, if he's awake. Instead of crying?

Bo is currently still in his crib. He has not tried to climb out and it has seemed safer and easier to leave him in the crib -- especially considering the many changes he's endured over the last several months.

However, I know that the time is drawing near when Bo is going to be going through many developmental transitions. Currently, he takes a paci at nap and night and that is a habit that we need to break. He also needs to transition out of the crib and begin potty training.

Luckily, for the most part, Bo is a very good sleeper. We've definitely been blessed in that regard and I am not looking forward to rocking the boat with the transition to a big boy bed on top of the crazy sleep that I am currently getting (or not getting as is truly the case) with twin infants in the house. I am concerned that he will want to be playing with his toys all night and then grouchy all day. I'm concerned he will not take a nap.

Most of of all, I'm concerned that he'll leave his room and wander the house and I'll be none the wiser. He can open the door and while we listen to the monitor all night -- our room is across the house and I don't always hear everything. We have put extra locks up high on all of the exterior doors -- but I'm still not thrilled with the idea of him being on the prowl throughout the house on his own.

Grandpa Jim is building Bo a custom designed car bed for his birthday in November. Currently, I plan to leave his crib in the room and set up the bed as well to gauge Bo's reaction to the new bed and transition him to the bed at his own pace.

What has been your experience with transitioning your children from the crib to a toddler bed? How old was your child(ren) when you made the transition? What worked for you? What didn't work? How did you keep them in bed and in their room?

Friday's Feature at Sticky Feet Part Deux is Ask Jamie. Feel free to email me or leave a comment with any question you would like for me to answer. Anything is fair game!

Mommy's Math Lessons

Bo x Clara + Anna / sleep = sanity level. The answer is quite low.

Two newborns are exponentially more difficult than one.

Subtract children (naps). Add large quantities of Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frappucino. Problem solved. For at least 20 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Colors

Last week, while Bo was napping and Aunt Jane was tending to the girls, I went for a drive around the area to look at the beautiful fall leaves. One thing is for certain, our new community has many places to observe natures beauty. I drove through Starved Rock and marveled at the phenomenal colors and took a few minutes alone with my own thoughts. I've always wanted to be in this area for the fall (still mourning that Halloween wedding...) and it is just as gorgeous as I imagined.

Whistle While You Work

Yesterday was a big day in our house. I actually left the house (to work). Katie was alone with all three kids for the first time in the morning and I was alone with all three kids for the first time while Mike as at work in the afternoon.

Yes, I actually worked outside the home yesterday -- for the first time in over a year. On Thursday evening, I received a phone call from the local community college asking if I could sub on Friday and Monday for a teacher who needed to be gone. I couldn't sub on Friday (I had rough drafts to grade in my online classes) but I agreed to sub today. Katie showed up early and I managed to make it out the door at 8:15.

It's so strange getting dressed for work -- it's been awhile since I've had to leave the house looking like a grown-up. I managed to find some black size 4 maternity pants that I wore when I was pregnant with Bo that actually fit and a decent looking sweater hiding in the closet that Mike promised didn't make me look pregnant... Yes, they are still maternity pants, but still, they are size 4 maternity pants. That's progress, right?? My closet desperately needs to be cleaned out...

Subbing at the community college level -- well, it's not exactly riveting -- especially considering I was given sub plans that consisted of one sentence. My sub plans at the high school were usually several pages!! Something tells me I'm much better suited for running my own classroom than subbing for others... And now, I'm behind with my online classes, but hopefully I'll manage to get caught back up today.

I returned home a little after 1 and Katie survived the day. The girls were up and fed when she arrived but Bo was not awake when I left. Katie managed to get him up, dressed, and fed (breakfast and lunch) and give the girls' each two bottles. Bo was down for his nap when I arrived home and the girls were ready to eat again. Overall, I would say managing all of that with three little ones means that Katie had a pretty successful morning! She said it went really well.

I guess it shows how much I trust Katie as I left my nearly 2-year-old and 4 week old little girls alone with her. Bo only had one babysitter outside of the family until Katie came along... and even then he was 7 months old and my mom was there!! It is a good thing I trust Katie -- it's going to be necessary for my sanity. :)

I managed with all three kids until Mike made it home from work. Bo woke up from his nap and was actually quite good for me during the afternoon. We sat on the couch looking at toy catalogs while I took turns holding babies. He loves looking at all the toys! He also requested to wear his pajamas (glow-in-dark webs and an orange spider) and I obliged. I figure I have to pick my battles and if he wants to wear his pajamas at 3 in the afternoon when we aren't going anywhere... well... that's fine by me. :)

Today I'm attempting to take on more around the house with all three of them -- laundry, a little cleaning, and I may even try to cook supper before Mike gets home. We'll see how it goes... ;)

Random question of the day -- I am in need of some quick foods I can eat on the go. The last two mornings I've had a Snickers bar for breakfast. That isn't going to cut it long-term. What are some of your quick, non-perishable, and filling grab-n-go snack/meal ideas?

The Memory Keeper

"Mom, what was my first word?"

Besides all of the traditional roles that I fill - mother, wife, daughter, teacher, friend, etc. I also fill a very important role for my children.

You'll never find Mike hammering away at the computer after the kids are asleep trying to capture the essence of a little boys quirks in a blog post. You won't catch him photoshopping pictures, editing video, working on birthday invites, making calendars for Christmas gifts, or writing milestones in the baby books. In our house, I fill the role of the "memory keeper".

I feel a heavy burden to capture as many moments of my children's lives as possible. To take pictures often. To remember to take out the video camera. To write letters to the children. To remember their first words, first steps, and all of the other things we have to look forward to as they grow older -- first friends, first boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.

This role is a large part of the reason why I blog. I eventually plan to turn the blog into books... it's on my "to do" list. It's interesting to look back at the little things in our lives that I've managed to capture in my blog posts that would never be remembered otherwise. It is amazing to look back at the blog and remember the details from when Bo was 6 weeks old. If I hadn't written that post, I would never remember those little details.

The blog keeps me accountable in my role as memory keeper. I take pictures every week for Wordless Wednesday. I'm inspired by others videos of their children to take out my own video camera and capture Bo saying "punkles" (aka pumpkins) for all eternity. I write about those first milestones in their baby books so when they have children they can marvel at the similarities and differences to their own childhood.

I also feel an overwhelming urge to be fair to all three kids. Bo has a head start on the girls. Nearly two full years where he was my sole priority. Tons of pictures, videos, tons of professional photos, a complete baby book, personalized picture birthday invites and thank you cards. It was fairly easy to make sure that all of his memories were kept.

With the girls, I still plan to do all of these things, but I am struggling to find the time. I still haven't written their names in their carefully selected baby books (similar, but not the same -- they are individuals!). I want each of them to have their own memories, but at this point, so much does seem to be lumped into "the girls," "the twins," or even "this one and that one."

They received baby gifts as a duo. Bo received gifts on his own. They receive cards addressed to "Clara and Anna". Whose memory box does that card go in? Birthday invites are bound to be together as well -- they do share the same birthday.

I want to do everything for the girls that I did for Bo. I want to breastfeed for a year, make homemade babyfood, have pictures taken every 6 months, and keep all of their memories. But it is different than it was with the first child. There is less time. And there are two of them.

How do you capture family memories? If you have more than one child, how has your memory keeping changed from the first child to the second? Do you feel this urge to be fair? If you have twins, how do you make sure you preserve individual memories as well?

Ask Jamie: Vaccines and Preventing the flu, RSV, and H1N1

Melissa asks:

I am in the midst of deciding on the Synergis vaccine for my twins who are a couple weeks older than yours. Has your doctor recommended it to you, and if so are they getting it? Or do they even need it since they weren't preemies? ... What will you be doing to prevent RSV this winter? Besides handwashing and limiting visitors?

Honestly, I had never heard of this vaccine before Melissa wrote me. The girls' doctor has not suggested this vaccine to me or given me any extra precautions to take besides the obvious. We are washing our hands a lot more than usual and using a lot of the anti-bacterial gel. The girls only leave the house when they absolutely need to at this point (doctor's appointments) and their exposure will be greatly limited.

Katie and Mike will be in and out of the house each day and Bo and I will be leaving some when we are able. While I know everyone is extra fearful of the flu this year, I don't think we can totally shut down our life and quarantine all of us until spring. We will be careful. We will take extra precautions. And I am glad that I chose a nanny situation instead of a daycare for the kids -- I definitely feel like that cuts their risk exponentially.

What is your family doing to avoid illness this year? What advice do you have for families like mine and Melissa's with small children?

Friday's Feature at Sticky Feet Part Deux is Ask Jamie. Feel free to email me or leave a comment with any question you would like for me to answer. Anything is fair game!

Aunt Jane

Aunt Jane holds Anna and Clara during her stay with us.

I've been lucky that I haven't been alone with all three children... yet. My mom was with us for the first week (and the previous 7 weeks while I was largely pregnant and had restrictions). Mike was home the first two weeks. And Aunt Jane (Mike's mom's brother's wife) has been here for the last two weeks. (And Mike's parents have managed to end up here every weekend for some emergency or another...) To say that we have appreciated all of the extra help is the understatement of the year.

Aunt Jane has been a great help while she has been here. She's cooked, cleaned, grocery shopped, held babies, burped babies, changed babies, pacified babies, rocked babies, stayed up nearly all night with babies, entertained Bo, fed Bo, read to Bo, dealt with our lack of a water heater, slept with a cat on her head, and tried her best to allow me as much time as possible to sleep and maintain my sanity.

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous before Aunt Jane arrived. We've never spent a lot of time together since she lives in Arizona but we'd been talking on Facebook for several months and she reads the blog (hi Aunt Jane!) so we had established a rapport online. It's actually been great. I feel like I know her a lot better -- and I am sure she feels like she knows all of us very well now. Maybe even too well. :)

If you'd like to come stay (and be tortured by our family!) we have plenty of room for you. And plenty of children to entertain and hold.

Bo and Aunt Jane read Bo's newest favorite book - Truck Driver Tom. "Tom Book" has been read about a million times in the last week. I finally gave in and ordered the book from Amazon yesterday for Bo's birthday. The copy we've been reading is from the library.

Wordless Wednesday: Fall

I realized this morning that I didn't have any pictures to use for this week's Wordless Wednesday. Maintaining the blog lights a fire under me sometimes and reminds me how important it is to capture as many moments on camera as I can. This afternoon, Bo and I went outside to play and enjoyed exploring our yard and looking at the pretty fall leaves. Fall is my favorite season and our tree-filled yard is full of interesting colors and leaves for us to explore. I have a feeling the blog will have several fall themed pictures in the days ahead... :)

One

I constantly find myself thinking "wow, this would be so easy if there was only one of them."

Obviously, I know that isn't completely true. Bringing a newborn home is never easy and many of my blog friends have recently brought home one baby with a toddler at home and still seem to find themselves slogging through a daily uphill battle. But, I can't help but think that just one would be so much easier.

If only I'd been pregnant with one... if only there was one to get up with at night. Only one to feed. One to bathe. One to diaper. You get the idea...

And then I remind myself -- it's never going to be that way. I have two newborns and a toddler. Somehow, someway, I went from an infertile who couldn't achieve a pregnancy to a Mommy of three little ones all under two years of age. This is the way it is suppose to be -- even though I haven't totally figured out why just yet. The 'powers that be' knew that if I would have had twins the first time I would never have tried again and they knew if I just had one this time, I would have also been done -- so instead, I have two at once. And all of the work and love that comes with it.

I feel like I am living my life in a constant 2 1/2 to 3 hour cycle. Feed the girls, attempt to keep them awake, play with Bo, try to get some work done, change diapers, try to remember to feed myself, and start over. All day long.

I've barely left the house during the last three weeks (I have accompanied the girls to their doctor's appointments, had the hospital stay with Clara, and I did take Bo to lapsit once for 45 minutes and managed to go to Kohl's for 30 minutes while Mike was grocery shopping and his Mom was here with the girls... so I haven't been totally homebound -- but it feels pretty close). And I've had help constantly since we returned home...

Next week, I'll be on my own except for Katie from 9-1. Somehow, I have to figure out how to take care of all three children, shower, feed all of us, work, and manage to leave the house occassionally so I don't kill someone. Any and all ideas and suggestions for how to do that are currently being accepted and are greatly appreciated. :)

Why I Hate Talking On The Phone

This post was originally titled "Why I Hate the Phone" but then I realized that isn't an accurate statement. I love my Blackberry. I love being able to check my email on the go, while feeding a baby, and with Bo on my lap. But I truly do hate when the phone actually rings and having to talk to the person who is on the other end.

1. It always rings when I am in the middle of something. And I know if I answer it, I'll end up losing my train of thought for whatever I'm doing. Or I'm changing a poopy diaper and I'll end up covered in poo. Either way, it never seems to ring when I can actually answer it and devote time to the conversation.

2. I do not want to talk to 99% of the world. Sometimes, I am brave and actually answer the phone when an unknown number pops up. Nine times out of ten the person on the other end of the line isn't someone with whom I want to converse. They are calling the wrong number, want to sell me something, or want to attempt to ruin my day in some odd way.

3. Chit-chatting. There are very few people that I am willing to randomly chit-chat with -- typically my inner circle is usually lucky enough for me to answer the phone if it is nearby. However, everyone in that circle already knows that I'm not a big phone person and usually they respect my wishes to not chat for four hours. They also know they can reach me much faster via email or text. Much appreciated. :)

4. Most issues in life do not require a lengthy phone conversation. Typically, what needs to be said, can be said fairly quickly. Usually, it can be said faster and more efficiently in an email or a text message. Are there times when you just want to hear the other person's voice? Absolutely. But usually, written communication is faster. With all of the various aspects of my life right now, efficiency is quite important.

5. I find it easy to be misunderstood. Some would say that voice tones and so forth make talking on the phone easier -- however, I find written communication much easier. I'm much less likely to put my foot in my mouth because I usually reread what I am sending before I hit the magic button. With the phone, what's said is said, and there is no rewind. With email, if someone misunderstands, you can always go back, quote yourself and try to explain. With actual spoken words I've found that oftentimes people think I said one thing when that wasn't really what I said at all -- and there is no way to prove it!

Hence the fact, that even if I know you, 9 times out of 10, I'm not going to answer my phone. Leave a message. If you really want me to call back, say so. If not, I'll be in touch. Only it might be via email. :)

Ask Jamie: Feeding and Routine with Twins

MissMVK asks:

What is your nighttime feeding strategy? If one gets up to eat do you wake the other to eat too or do you wait until she complains and needs to eat as well? Are you concerned about the twins waking each other (or Bo) up with their crying? I must say these two worries are very high on my list of things I can't quite figure out.

First, a shout out to MissMVK who has a son who is close in age to Bo and is currently expecting twins after IVF. We've been down similar roads and we share many similar worries regarding adding twins to our families and the impact it will have on our lives. She is a great mom and I know she is going to be an amazing mom to her twinkies as well. :)

I follow the principles outlined in two books -- Babywise and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer
to establish a routine for the girls. We are still in the process of establishing this routine as they are still very young and sleeping a great deal. The gist of the routine is a three hour eat, wake, sleep schedule during the day and then allowing the girls to go as long as they can at night before feeding. This is the same routine I used with Bo with a great deal of success. Bo woke once at night to eat from about 2 weeks on between 2 and 3 am with a bedtime of 8 pm and a waketime of 7 am. At 5 months we eliminated the middle of the night feeding and he has been a good nighttime sleeper since then.

With my Type A personality, I'm a very schedule based person and I function best when I have some idea of what the day will hold. This routine allows me to have a good idea of what we will be doing when and allows me schedule and plan Bo's day and other activities around the girls.

Yes, if one of the girls wakes to eat I try my best to wake the other. During this newborn stage I have had a few feedings where one of the girls does not want to wake up but for the most part I've been successful in waking them both and keeping them both eating at approximately the same time. I think this is important to stabilize their schedules and to allow me a bit of a break between feedings and some time to sleep at night.

At this point, the girls don't seem to wake each other. They actually seem pretty oblivious to the others presence. Their crying does occasionally wake Bo but he has a fan in his room for background noise that seems to drown out a lot of their sounds. Bo and the girls' room is separated only by a small hallway and a bathroom.

I do worry that it will be more difficult as the girls become older but I'll keep you updated. :)

Sunny (Sunny is also expecting twins (BOYS!) with another little guy at home!) says:

I did have one question/correction when I was reading your post, though. When you say "exclusively breastfeed for a year" -- do you mean that they won't be getting any other liquids or solids for 12 months?

I should have been more specific. I do believe in starting solids in the first year. Bo started on cereal at 4 months and then we gradually worked up to include three solid feedings a day by six months. By exclusively breastfed I meant no formula or cow's milk for the first year.

I made homemade babyfood for Bo and I attribute many of his good eating habits to the wide variety of early tastes I was able to make for him. I hope to make the girls' food as well. Although it seems like it will probably have to be the middle of the night when I do so!

Friday's Feature at Sticky Feet Part Deux is Ask Jamie. Feel free to email me or leave a comment with any question you would like for me to answer. Anything is fair game!

Breastfeeding Twins

***Yes, this talks about breasts. If you don't want to read about it, now is the time to click away.***

Thus far, both girls have been exclusively breastfed. Only 49 1/2 weeks to go to reach a year! :) Both girls are gaining weight appropriately (Clara gained 10 ounces last week -- even with her vomiting issues!) and the doctor doesn't see any reason for me to supplement at this point.

I have found that breastfeeding is easier this time. I know what to do, what to expect, and prepared myself accordingly. I don't feel quite so overwhelmed by the whole process like I did with Bo. However, when I mention to most people that I plan to attempt to exclusively breastfeed the girls for their first year of life I'm usually met with a look that questions my sanity.

As I've written previously, Bo was exclusively breastfed for his first year and I hope that I am able to do the same for the girls. Breastfeeding can be such a taboo topic and it makes many people uncomfortable. I definitely know that I felt weird about it before Bo was born -- but it doesn't seem weird at all to me now that I actually have children. I know, breasts are typically linked to sex -- but this just isn't like that at all. Granted, my "nearly A's" are bigger than they've ever been but cleavage isn't really entertaining when it smells like sour milk.

Breastfeeding comes with numerous limitations and restrictions that wouldn't be an issue if they were formula fed. I often find myself wishing that men were able to take the breastfeeding role. Women just get to do all the fun stuff... (insert sarcastic tone here).

Obviously, I feel that the benefits outweigh the negatives. While I definitely know that formula is not the end of the world and that formula fed babies turn out just fine (both Mike and I were formula fed) I do believe that breastmilk is the ideal food for babies. I know that there are numerous reasons why parents choose to formula feed and I am not against formula or judgemental of those who take that route. I'm not sure I believe the studies that say that breastfed babies have higher IQ's or even necessarily greater immunity but I do believe that something that is natural does have some benefits to something that is processed like formula.

I'm not one of those crunchy granola types who believes that just because I am breastfeeding I'll have a closer bond with the baby(ies) either. Breast or bottle, I think the same nurturing, holding, and bonding takes place.

There is also the cost of formula to take into consideration. Several different websites use different estimates to determine how much money a family can save by breastfeeding. A close approximation based on many of those sites shows that by breastfeeding both of the girls for a year we will save nearly $5,000. That is a big chunk of change!!

Breastfeeding does have costs. I will consume more food and water in order to produce milk. Because I am pumping, there was the initial cost of the pump but I am using the same pump that I used with Bo (and I definitely will not be sad to say goodbye to that when this year is over!!). There is the cost of bags to store the expressed milk. And this time I have invested in a few nursing tanks so I don't have to show off my belly at every feeding. Even with all of those costs, it is still a significant savings.

Another positive that many people mention is that breastfeeding should allow me to lose the baby weight faster. I believe that I can eat more and still lose weight -- but I'm not sure that I actually lose the weight faster. It is nice being able to eat pretty much whatever I want and not worry about it at this point though.

Despite the positives of breastfeeding -- there are a lot of negatives. I either have to be home or be somewhere I can pump every three hours during the day for at least the first six months (after six months they will eat less and I'll be able to skip a pumping session without feeling like I'm going to explode -- hopefully...). This in itself puts a numerous limitations on what I can do and how far from the girls I can be at any given point.

Breastfeeding is time consuming (right now about 30-45 minutes every 2 1/2 or 3 hours) and until the girls start taking a bottle it is something that only I can do. Even when they begin taking a bottle -- I still have to pump to make up for that bottle -- so it doesn't really save me a whole lot of time but it does save me proximity if I choose to pump.

Breastfeeding also seems to take away a bit from my time with Bo. However, I'd have to feed the girls bottles if I wasn't breastfeeding -- so I am not sure how much the time I would actually save. Bo has been pretty good about allowing me to feed the girls. He'll bring his cars in the girls room, play with their stuffed animals, or bring me a book and sit on the ottoman while I read to him. Granted, I'm only feeding one at a time and the other one is usually in someones arms during this time. We'll see soon enough if I can manage to keep all three happy at once!

I think the biggest negative of breastfeeding is all of the hormones and the fact that I still don't totally have control over my own body. For as long as I can remember now (June 2006 to present) I have either been undergoing infertility treatments, pregnant, or breastfeeding. I have to admit that I am really looking forward to this time next year -- when I can finally be done with all of this and start to be normal again -- minus four million hormones. I'm really not sure I remember what that feels like...

Hard to believe I was still nursing Bo at this time last year!

Wordless Wednesday: Why I am not a photographer

This is the best picture I've been able to capture of all three kids thus far. And it took a lot of convincing for Bo to be this close to the girls!! Notice that half of Anna's head is cut off, Clara is crying, and Bo looks less than amused. One day group shots will be easier... right? :)

We Like to Keep Things Entertaining...

Clara and Anna in the hospital crib. I took this picture with my phone. (Which, btw, why do they tell you that your phone interferes with their monitors? Do they really think people believe that??)

On Friday, Clara ate breakfast as usual and both she and Anna spit up a little. We didn’t think much of it. They are babies. They spit up. However, the other feedings found Clara vomiting and she didn’t keep any milk down at all for the rest of the day.

After their four o’clock feeding, I was upstairs by myself (Mike and Bo were downstairs watching Cars) and after changing 2 very poopy diapers, being thrown up on 3 times, and changing Clara’s outfit 3 times, I took her down to Mike.

Mike came back upstairs and took her temperature under her arm. The temp was 99. That seemed high to us for an underarm temp. We tried to call our pediatrician but they were already closed for the day (4:45 on a Friday – who can blame them…). In hindsight, I guess I could have called the pediatrician’s home – but I hate to be “that person”. Mike and I talked and we decided to err on the side of caution. At 11 days old, throwing up complete feedings (this was throw up – not spit up) and a low grade fever seem to warrant some type of medical attention.

I decided to take Clara to the hospital while Mike stayed behind with Bo and Anna. I left the house a few minutes after 5. While I was at our local hospital last week for the girls blood draw, I’ve only driven in the area a few times. After several wrong turns, we found our way and Clara and I had our first experience with the local ER.

They took us back about 5:45ish and a nurse checked us in. They did a forehead temperature scan on Miss Clara and the reading was 101.8. I did all of the required insurance paperwork and then we waited… and waited… and waited…

Granted, there were several severe emergencies. Two people were life-flighted out while we were in the ER. And there was only one doctor.

The first time the doctor came in to see us he scared me. He said he wanted to see Anna too and that most likely we would have to be transferred to a hospital with a pediatric ICU for a full workup. Then he was called out to attend to another patient a nurse took her rectal temperature. The rectal temp was 99.1.

The doctor popped his head back in and said that the rectal temperature made him much less worried about the situation. He thinks that the forehead temperature scanner was broken. He told me that a true fever is anything over 100.3. He asked me to have Mike do a rectal temp on Anna and if it was under 100.3 then she would not need to be seen. Anna did not have a temperature, so that was a positive. (I should also mention that at this point we had no idea how we were going to get Anna to the hospital if she needed to be seen. We have two infant seat bases – both of which are in my car, which I had at the hospital. I couldn’t imagine leaving Clara at the hospital alone to go get Anna. But Mike didn’t have any way to transport both Bo and Anna safely to me.)

They took blood (from both arms…) and did a chest x-ray but everything came back okay. Eventually, around 9 pm, the doctor decided that we should stay overnight to have Clara observed – just to be on the safe side. He said that clinically she looks well and appears to still be hydrated, but that he would rather keep her overnight to be sure. We decided to have Anna stay here with us – since I am breastfeeding it would be pretty difficult for me to shuttle back and forth for feedings. I did start pumping this week and Anna did take her first bottle at the 7 pm feeding since I was in the ER with Clara but we would like to avoid milk supply issues if at all possible.

Around 10ish, Mike came to the hospital to trade cars and then brought Anna to the hospital (and brought me an Arby’s roast beef as I hadn’t eaten since lunch time). Mike’s mom made a mad dash to our house to stay with Bo during this fiasco. After we did all of the initial check-in questions I left for a little while to attempt to find a place with WiFi to finish my work for the day. The hospital is a newer hospital but apparently not up to date enough to have WiFi for patients to use. I ended up driving to the Starbucks parking lot. Unfortunately, my battery on my computer was dead so I had about three minutes to actually be online. For the first time ever, I did not meet my work requirements. I had two workshops that needed three posts. I’m going to get “dinged” and I’m not looking forward to it. It isn’t for lack of trying…

Mike went home at about 11 and I stayed in the room with the girls.

I have no idea why this picture is so small -- but it was also taken with my phone. The room was the size of our bathroom. In the picture, you see the oh so comfortable wooden chair they had for me. Also, directly behind that is the in room bathroom (which I refused to use). Above the toilet is the TV.

Around midnight, they brought me a cot to sleep on. Woohoo. Nurses were in and out all night – listening to Clara’s lungs and marveling at the two sleeping creatures in the big hospital crib. (Yes, I let Anna sleep in the crib too – it’s a big crib for two little ones who don’t roll!). We all assumed that Anna has already been exposed to whatever Clara had if it was contagious so there was no real reason to keep them apart.

Mike came to the hospital around 10 am on Saturday to allow me to go home and take a shower. I also tried to catch up on my work a bit but I had to be back at the hospital at 12:30 for another feeding. Mike sent me home after that feeding too but his patience was wearing thin and I wasn't home long. I sent him home around 2 and stayed with the girls until we finally saw the doctor around 4:30 and we were allowed to go home.

The doctor did have Clara have another chest x-ray before we went home. He said that the x-ray was a bit "streaky" but as long as we watched her closely for changes, she wasn't running a fever, and was eating, he wasn't concerned. He said that most babies have less fluid on their lungs by her age but it could just be one of those things. We will follow-up with our pediatrician on Wednesday and call immediately if anything changes.

Needless to say, I was exhausted when we arrived home on Saturday evening and went to bed around 8 pm. This meant that I had to haul myself out of bed more often for feedings -- but I was so tired I didn't care.

Thus far, Clara is doing really well. No fever at all. Very alert and eating well. No issues at all with Anna. Hopefully it was all just one of those fluke things. But we'd definitely rather be safe than sorry.

P.S. Don't have your little girl dressed in her brother's blue sleeper when you take her to the ER. Everyone thought she was a boy. :)

P.P.S. Happy Due Date to the girls!!

Barren Bitches Book Tour: It Sucked and Then I Cried by Heather Armstrong

Heather Armstrong is the writer of the infamous "Dooce" blog. She has achieved the blogging pinnacle -- making her living (and a rumored six figure salary per month) by writing and posting photographs on her blog.

I have read Heather's blog for the past three years and feel like I personally know Heather, Jon, Leta, Marlo, as well as Chuck and Coco. Heather allows her readers into her life and shares not only her amazing photography but her keen wit and heartfelt writing captures many readers.

Heather's book, It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita, reads much like her blog. An easy flow of ideas mixed with emotions and humor that draws the reader in and made me want to keep turning the pages. This probably wasn't the smartest book to read when I was 8 months pregnant with twins and about to embark on the newborn period again -- but I found myself nodding my head in agreement and reading lines out loud to Mike. He didn't appreciate Heather's humor...

The questions...

The author talks about how she imagined her future children before becoming pregnant:

"When you're childless and young and hopeful, you have this idea of what your children are going to be like, and you make mental notes when you see other kids in public. You say to yourself, "My kid will be cute like that," or "My kid won't ever throw a tantrum in public like that little demon." I had always envisioned a sweet little princess who looked just like me sitting quietly in a high chair, her pressed velvet petticoat creased perfectly as she sat and waited to be handed things in a timely manner. And then you grow up and have kids and realize that YOU HAVE NO SAY..."

Before starting to try to conceive, how did you imagine your future children? If you now have children, how did your expectations fit reality?

Having children has been totally different from the fairytale world I envisioned before becoming pregnant. After Bo's birth it quickly became obvious that life as I knew it had totally changed and I had to change my life to accommodate his needs -- 24/7. I wasn't prepared for how much life would change. I wasn't prepared for how much responsibility would be on my shoulders. I wasn't prepared for how much I would love him.

Before Bo was born, I imagined that life would go on as normal. I'd go back to work. Bo would go to my mom's during the day. I thought I could easily still keep up with everything else I was doing and trying to do in my life. And I was wrong. It took me awhile but I realized that I was going to have to make many major life decisions and change many of my priorities if my main goal was to be the best Mom possible.

And so I changed. I changed from full-time to part-time at my job -- eventually quitting altogether to teach from home. This was something I never dreamed I would do...

I also had visions of a perfect little boy. Who cuddles with me in bed watching the latest Disney flick. Instead, I have Bo -- who will only watch Cars -- and even then has to be busy doing something else at the same time. :) I never imagined how much work having a child would be...

Dooce talks about her postpartum depression in the book and what it took for her to fight it, what are your thoughts on that and your experiences, if any, with postpartum depression?

When I go back and read my blog posts from the few months after Bo's birth, I think I did experience some postpartum depression.

There were many days when I felt completely overwhelmed and my resentment towards others in my life during that time period was very high. Why on earth did Mike get to go to work every day? Why am I the one getting up every night? There were lots of thoughts about how hard others thought their life was... but I knew mine was more difficult. There were also lots of worries -- about something happening to Bo that I just couldn't shake.

Eventually, it was better. Each month that passed I felt like I had a better idea of what I was doing as a mom and Bo became more and more fun. I figured out how to balance the rest of my life with motherhood and that helped too. I learned how important finding time for a shower was and I no longer take those 15 minutes for granted!

I will say that even though we have twins this time, I don't feel the same sense of overwhelmed that I did when Bo was born. I at least know what to do with newborns now. I know about breastfeeding, etc. However, with Mike going back to work on Tuesday, I know the resentment is going to be something I struggle with again. The fact that he will be able to leave the house every day -- doesn't have to work in an environment where at least one child is typically crying -- and has the freedom to do things like go to the grocery store or the gas station without any small children are all aspects of his life that make me envious.

To battle this, I know that I need to leave the house some evenings when Mike comes home -- as difficult as it will be to do. I need to go out on my own -- even if it is just to go to the Dollar Store to buy a loaf of bread. I need to make time for myself. I also need to make sure that I sleep whenever I am able. That said, I'm worried about the balance of my work and the kids. I feel the burden of wanting to be able to "do it all" -- clean house, dinner on the table, take care of three kids, and work. And I know that I can do all of that too -- the trick is doing as much as I can without killing myself in the process.

Heather Armstrong writes candidly and unapologetically about all aspects of her life - the good, the bad and the ugly. What, if anything, in your life that would you like to be as unapologetic about? What's the first step you could take? What's holding you back?

I am not as candid about many aspects of my life as Heather is -- but I still try my best to showcase my true self in as many ways as possible. I don't cover things up about myself to try to appear a certain way -- but at the same time -- as my friend Mandy commented on one of my posts this summer -- this is my reality. This is how I see the world. And no, it isn't how others always see it -- or how they want to see my life -- but it's my view of my life and I think there is something to be said for that too.

I do try to think about how what I write will impact others, but at the same time, this blog is about what I think. Not about what others think or what they think of me. The only thing that holds back my writing is myself.

Hop along to another stop on this blog tour by visiting the main list at Stirrup Queens (http://stirrup-queens.com). You can also sign up for the next book on this online book club: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

Ask Jamie: What's the Difference??

Rachel asks:

I am sure the girls look different to you, but how do you tell them apart?

Actually, the girls look totally different to me and I haven't had any trouble telling them apart. They both have very different shaped heads which makes telling them apart relatively easy. Clara was "Baby A" and her head was way down in my pelvis for a very long time. Needless to say, it is a bit abnormally shaped at this point and she favors one side of her head. We are having to watch this closely and prop her head as needed to try to even out her head. There is a slight possibility that she may need physical therapy or even a helmet -- but we are hoping that isn't the case as her head has already seemed to begin straightening.

I also find that their features are different. Anna looks more like Bo. Anna also has hair that is a bit lighter than Clara's. Anna's hair is stick straight and I think Clara might have a bit of wave or curl in hers at this point.

I can't tell their cries apart on the monitor yet -- but I'm sure it is only a matter of time. The girls are called the wrong name often. That will happen a great deal I'm sure -- even if it is totally obvious that they aren't identical. I think it is fairly typical for sisters to have that issue -- but probably even more common for twins. All the more reason I want to try to establish that they are two separate people from an early age and not simply "the girls" or "the twins".

Kathy asks:

Will you, Bo, Mike, Katie, your Mom and In-Laws all get the regular flu shot this year?

Bo received his flu shot on Thursday and Mike will receive his at work soon. I have never had a flu shot and probably will not get one this year either unless the doctor recommends it. If the twins doctor would like to give them the flu shot, they will have it. I am not sure about Katie, my mom, or my FIL but I know my MIL has received the shot as well.

The girls (and even Bo and I) will not be leaving the house a great deal so I am not too concerned about their risk. I'll encourage Mike to wash his hands when he gets home from work but he works more with the others in his office than he works with the public now, so hopefully his risk is lower than it was previously.

At this point, I do not see the need for for the girls, Bo, or I to be vaccinated for H1N1. However, Mike has said if the shot is offered to him, he will take it.

SuperFizz asks:

How did you decide what to name each of them? I know you'd had the names picked out but did you decide when you saw them?

We knew for weeks Clara was presenting and if born vaginally would be the first twin born. Early in the pregnancy it was established that the first girl born would be Clara and the second one born would be Anna. Once we knew that Clara was presenting it was established that Clara was on my right and much further down and Anna was on my left. We've been referring to them by their appropriate names for months.

For more information on the girls names and how they were decided and who they were named after you can click here, here, and here.

Friday's Feature at Sticky Feet Part Deux is Ask Jamie. Feel free to email me or leave a comment with any question you would like for me to answer. Anything is fair game!

He's my Little Man

There's nothing quite like having two newborns in the house to remind me of just how grown up Bo has become. I can't believe he is nearly two when I can remember so perfectly those early days with him. It seriously feels like he was born just a few days ago -- but when I go to pick him up and we carry on a conversation it quickly becomes clear that he is no longer a baby. He's a little boy and he's all personality.

Every day I am more and more amazed by so many of the things he does and by how much he understands. He carries on conversations. He can count to ten. He says, "please," "thank you," "welcome" appropriately. He knows many of his colors. He even understands some more abstract concepts that I didn't think he would grasp until he was much older.

One of our neighbors brought over some food a few days ago and I as I was writing down her phone number I asked how to spell her name. She was spelling it and suddenly Bo pipes up with "B" "O". "B". "O". I guess he thought I asked him how to spell his name. :)

Bo stirs the cupcakes with Grammie.

Bo puts the cupcake liners in the tin.

Bo puts sprinkles on the cupcakes.

He's been great with the girls. He is fairly gentle and hasn't tried to run them over with cars yet. He understands the difference between their things and his things. He always wants to say hi and see them in the mornings. So far, it's been a smooth transition. Granted, I haven't been alone with all three of them yet -- that will be the true test.

Bo pets a goat at the orchard we went to the Saturday before the babies were born.

Bo picks the pumpkin he wants to bring home.

Yesterday, Bo and I went out on our own together for the first time in a very long time. I took him to the local public library for a weekly program called "lapsit". Bo had never been around that many kids at one time and totally did not know what to think. He also didn't completely grasp the "lapsit" part of the activity as he wandered around the room. Definitely skills we need to work on...

Lapsit consists of a few stories, a few songs, a craft, and a snack. Bo seemed to enjoy himself and loved gluing a squirrel and leaves on a piece of paper. The glue stick was absolutely fascinating! Snack was half a graham cracker, an apple slice, and two tablespoons of milk. Um... is this what normal toddlers eat for snack?? If so, it's no wonder I have a monster child.

One of the many tidbits of advice I've been given is that I still need to make a true effort for both Mike and I to spend one-on-one time with Bo (and eventually with the girls as well). At this point, Wednesday is typically one of my easier work days so I am hopeful that while Katie is here to watch the girls I can devote Wednesdays to Bo. It will take some extra planning and night work on my part, but I think it will be worth it and a positive event for Bo and I to look forward to every week. We may not always do something exciting. We may go to lapsit. Or to the grocery store. Or to McDonald's for lunch. Just something that Bo and I can do together to remind him that he's my special little guy.

Bo and Daddy. They even walk the same.

Even when he is fussing and throwing a fit, I feel so lucky to have him. He's my little man. Even with the addition of his siblings, I still find that I love him more and more each day.

One of my friends sent me this quote last week -

"If you think my arms are full, you should see my heart."

True enough. True enough. :)

Wordless Wednesday: One Week Old

I dressed the girls in their "Twin A" and "Twin B" shirts and Bo in his "Big Brother" shirt today to attempt to capture a picture of all three of them together. I quickly realized that this is a pipe dream at this point in time and put the girls together in the Boppy. Don't they look cute all cuddled up? "Twin A" - Clara - is on the left. "Twin B" - Anna - is on the right.

Post-Partum Weight Loss

Those of you that know me, knew this post was coming... You just probably didn't realize it would appear this soon. :)

Losing my baby weight is a big deal to me. I don't want to be the woman with two 10 month olds is still asked when she is due. I want to feel comfortable in my own skin. I want to be able to wear my old jeans and do so comfortably. These are very lofty goals.

With Bo, I gained a lot of weight during the pregnancy. I weighed in at 187 pounds before I gave birth to Bo. I did manage to lose the weight and managed to reach about 130, while still breastfeeding. However, I jumped back on the infertility roller coaster just one week after I finished breastfeeding and ended up at about 137 at the end of my IVF cycle that conceived the twins.

Last week, I weighed in at 182 pounds before the girls births. Almost 10 of those pounds were gained in the last two weeks of the pregnancy and were obviously water weight. Nearly 14 pounds was the girls themselves, not including the placentas and all that jazz. This morning, exactly one week post-partum, I weighed in at 152 pounds. I'm counting this as my "starting weight" since I have obviously lost a lot of the water weight and can now see my ankles again.

I still have a significant stomach but it does seem to be becoming smaller each day. I was the lucky winner of a Belly Bandit over at Two of a Kind Working on a Full House and I am anxious for it to arrive to see if it helps any with the belly issue. We won't talk about the skin on the stomach in this post -- that's a whole other issue...

Don't fret, I don't plan to start actively trying to lose weight at this point. I will at least wait until after my 6 week checkup. I won 3 months of free Weight Watchers online on another blog right after I found out I was pregnant, so I have been saving those months. Does anyone know if exclusively breastfeeding twins warrants more points than exclusively breastfeeding a singleton? And if so, how many?

Currently, I just can't imagine counting points. My milk isn't totally established yet and my hunger is overwhelming. I am struggling to eat and drink enough to keep up with it. I look forward to when my milk is more regulated and I can start to gain a little control over the eating. I also need to work on the mint issue. The mint cravings have not gone away. I am currently eating 4-6 mini peppermint patties a day plus at least 2 rolls of Breathsavers. I think I have an issue and an intervention is going to be needed to break the habit.

Once the twins have a more solid schedule, I hope to be able to fit in some time on the treadmill that we purchased just days before I found out I was pregnant. Hopefully I will be motivated to do it by all of the blog reading I can do with my surf shelf. I've been trying to keep up with blogs on my phone but I still have over 700 unread posts. Treadmill time will be a great time to keep up with all of you!

Eventually, I'd like to join the local Y (with 2 hours of free childcare per day!! woo!) but the girls have to be at least 6 months old and I know it will be awhile before I will feel comfortable leaving them anyway.

My goal weight is 125 pounds. This is a healthy weight for me and one where I feel comfortable. During my pageant days I weighed about 110, but I honestly don't feel that was a healthy weight for me. (BTW: Have any of you seen the Beauty Pageant episode of Parks and Recreation? Pretty funny stuff...) If I weigh 125 I'll easily fit into all of my clothes and I should be pretty healthy as well. (I'm 5 feet 4 inches).

Why am I posting all of this here? Mostly, to enable all of my blog friends to keep me accountable. Don't let me become that woman that lets her weight plateau and wears the same ratty sweatpants every day (clean sweatpants are important... :)). When you see the tweets where I am debating stepping on the treadmill or pondering eating a whole peach pie, support would be appreciated. :)

What did you do to lose the post-partum weight? What worked for you? What advice do you have for me and others at this stage of the game?

Our First Week in Photos

One week ago, we became a family of 5!

Jamie and Anna, right after birth.

Clara and Anna meet for the first time outside the womb.

Anna poses for a picture in the OR.

Anna is born.

Clara warms up in the OR.

Becky and Kelly meet the girls.

Kelly and Anna.

Jamie with Anna, Mandy with Clara, getting ready to go home on Tuesday evening.

Aunt Manny with Clara.

Aunt Manny with Anna.

Grammie plays and cuddles with Anna and Clara on Wednesday morning.
Grammie and Anna.

Bo counts the babies with Grammie "one, two!"

Bo checks out Anna.

Bo helps Daddy put together his "Big Brother Present" - a kid sized table and chairs for the kitchen.

Anna - 2 days old - on the quilt that Grammie made for Clara.

Clara and Anna - 2 days old.

Jamie and Clara - 2 days old.

Mike's Uncle Dan meets Anna on Wednesday afternoon at our house.

Mike's Grandpa Anderson holds Anna for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.

Sherri and Jim (Grandma and Grandpa) meet Clara and Anna on Wednesday evening.

Daddy gives Anna her first sponge bath at home on Thursday morning before we head for our first doctor's appointment.

Daddy gives Clara her first sponge bath on Thursday morning.

Grammie dresses Clara and Daddy undresses Anna during their baths.

Bo comes in after playing outside with Nanny Katie to check out the girls baths.

Clara gives her signature "Popeye" look while in Grammie's arms.

Mike has his arms full of babies on Friday evening.

Bo relaxin' in the front room on Saturday morning.

Sherri with both girls on Saturday evening.

Sherri with both girls -- love Anna's eyes in this picture!

Clara hanging out on the blanket on Sunday afternoon.

Both girls asleep on Sunday afternoon. Clara in yellow. Anna in pink.

Bo plays in the landscaping on Sunday afternoon.

Bo loves to play in the mulch!

Mike with all three kids before we headed out for our first walk on Sunday afternoon.