Last night went considerably well. The girls went down around 8:30 and Hannah started fussing around 11:30. I had just checked on her so I knew she was fine, and it never got very serious, so I just let her fuss and she finally fell asleep around 12 without me going in there. I heard Leah fussing/talking around 5:45 but again it did not get serious so I just waited it out and she fell back to sleep. She did fuss again at6:45 and this time I went in there and she had pushed herself up into the crib. I felt bad so I just got her up since she was awake at that point anyway. Hannah got up at 7:30! So not too bad I must say. Matt says to not get our hopes up too soon because I gave them both a dose of tylenol since Hannah has been drooling and biting at things a lot more, and Leah has taken to biting her lower lip so hard and so often that it is bruised. Ah, teething. So maybe their sleep was drug induced? Hopefully not.
As I write this Leah is down for her nap, and Hannah is screaming her lungs out in the other room. Stubborn child. Just give in!!!!!! You are so tired!!!!!! It will get better.
Thanks for the words of encouragement! I am not working much this week so this has turned out to be a good time to start this!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The first night...
So night one wasnt the worst thing in the world, but it was not good either. They went down well at 8pm. Leah had a little fussy moment but I thought she would easily go down again if i rocked her, so I did. Honestly, if I had gone to bed earlier I would be much better right now.
Hannah got up at 3:45. I changed her immediately, patted her, gave her the passy and lovey, and stepped out. She screamed. I went in after 5 minutes. She screamed more. 10 minutes. More screaming. 15 minutes. Still no rest. She did this for an hour and 20 minutes. Leah woke up at 4:30 and I did the same with her, but she did not cry as long. In fact, I think she played in her crib with her passy for a good while before falling asleep. By 5:30 all was quiet again. Hannah woke back up at 7 and I went and got her. Leah woke up at 7:15 and Matt gave her to me. So we ended up having some morning snuggle time because we all fell back to sleep until 8:45. I hope I did not negate everything from last night.
I got text messages periodically from my lovely sister telling me she was about to kill me, or go get a baby. Apparently, Hannah sounds like she is in Laura's bedroom.
We are going to do the same technique for naptime. I hope that they will both start sleeping well. Maybe tonight will be better. I definitely have a strong willed child! Listening to your child scream out for you is not the easiest thing to do.
Hannah got up at 3:45. I changed her immediately, patted her, gave her the passy and lovey, and stepped out. She screamed. I went in after 5 minutes. She screamed more. 10 minutes. More screaming. 15 minutes. Still no rest. She did this for an hour and 20 minutes. Leah woke up at 4:30 and I did the same with her, but she did not cry as long. In fact, I think she played in her crib with her passy for a good while before falling asleep. By 5:30 all was quiet again. Hannah woke back up at 7 and I went and got her. Leah woke up at 7:15 and Matt gave her to me. So we ended up having some morning snuggle time because we all fell back to sleep until 8:45. I hope I did not negate everything from last night.
I got text messages periodically from my lovely sister telling me she was about to kill me, or go get a baby. Apparently, Hannah sounds like she is in Laura's bedroom.
We are going to do the same technique for naptime. I hope that they will both start sleeping well. Maybe tonight will be better. I definitely have a strong willed child! Listening to your child scream out for you is not the easiest thing to do.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Letting them "Cry it out"
I am a pushover. I know it. I cannot help it. When it comes to my girls, I just want to hold them when they are upset, and see a smile on their faces at all times. But something has to be done.
Until a few weeks ago we have had no problems with the girls sleeping through the night. They go down around 8:30 after their bottle and Leah wakes up at 5:30 and Hannah wakes up at 7:30. I can totally live with this. Even when we took our little RV trip the did wonderfully. I read with the light on and walked past their pack n plays and they did not stir.
When we got back something changed. For two weeks now, with the exception of one night, they no longer like their cribs. One of them will wake up with a startled cry and not be willing to go back to sleep. (It normally starts with Hannah who I think is going through a little separation anxiety). Of course we have to run in at the first sign of it getting serious to prevent one baby from waking the other. I guess thats a struggle with twins who share a room. This method has worked until now. We have been taking said baby back to bed with us when patting doesnt work, just to get sleep and not wake the other. After an hour that baby can normally be returned to the crib.
If I do not have to be at work, I try to soothe the cryer by rocking her, and that will get her to sleep easily... until she gets laid back in the crib where she freaks out and is then wide awake and screaming I swear in an attempt to waken her sister. So, she is removed from the situation and I end up with a baby in bed again.
Yes I know. This is the wrong thing to do. But as I have said we rarely had to resort to anything until now. So for the first time since they were born, the girls started off this night in separate rooms. We set up a pack n play in our office and Hannah is asleep in there. (Why Hannah? She likes to wake up and put herself in the sitting position, which she is not perfect at, and then flail herself back into the crib slats, so the pack n play is probably a good idea for her). We now have two monitors... our 200 dollar one that tells temperature in the room and sings songs, and our 18 dollar one that sounds like a mini helicopter/ocean waves. Joy. And tonight we plan on trying out the Ferber method. This is going to be very difficult for me. I am fine letting them fuss, but I have two very strong willed children who I think will scream and cry at the top of their lungs for hours if they are allowed to.
So heres the plan...
They cry. Go in and pat, give pacifier, and leave. Wait 5 minutes, repeat. Wait 10 minutes. Repeat. 15 minutes. Repeat. I am not going to wait longer than 15 minutes without going in there. I hope they dont make me wait that long honestly.
Hopefully they will be ok and Matt and I will be ok. This is not going to be fun and I am not looking forward to it, but I do believe at 7 months they are perfectly capable of self soothing, and being in separate rooms they can finally do that. Then they can return to the same room once more. (We may keep the pack n play up for emergencies.)
Oh, and my sister is going to love us, since her room is directly below the office where Hannah is. She is not happy with this at all.
Wish us luck! I will let you know how it goes!
Oh yeah, as a side note, I took the van to the fire department today and switched out the girls' pumpkin seats for their big girl car seats. We were struggling a little to get them strapped in those little carriers. It was a sad day. I remember when we had to add towels to the pumpkin seat so they would fit better. Brings a little tear to my eye to think of it now! :)
Until a few weeks ago we have had no problems with the girls sleeping through the night. They go down around 8:30 after their bottle and Leah wakes up at 5:30 and Hannah wakes up at 7:30. I can totally live with this. Even when we took our little RV trip the did wonderfully. I read with the light on and walked past their pack n plays and they did not stir.
When we got back something changed. For two weeks now, with the exception of one night, they no longer like their cribs. One of them will wake up with a startled cry and not be willing to go back to sleep. (It normally starts with Hannah who I think is going through a little separation anxiety). Of course we have to run in at the first sign of it getting serious to prevent one baby from waking the other. I guess thats a struggle with twins who share a room. This method has worked until now. We have been taking said baby back to bed with us when patting doesnt work, just to get sleep and not wake the other. After an hour that baby can normally be returned to the crib.
If I do not have to be at work, I try to soothe the cryer by rocking her, and that will get her to sleep easily... until she gets laid back in the crib where she freaks out and is then wide awake and screaming I swear in an attempt to waken her sister. So, she is removed from the situation and I end up with a baby in bed again.
Yes I know. This is the wrong thing to do. But as I have said we rarely had to resort to anything until now. So for the first time since they were born, the girls started off this night in separate rooms. We set up a pack n play in our office and Hannah is asleep in there. (Why Hannah? She likes to wake up and put herself in the sitting position, which she is not perfect at, and then flail herself back into the crib slats, so the pack n play is probably a good idea for her). We now have two monitors... our 200 dollar one that tells temperature in the room and sings songs, and our 18 dollar one that sounds like a mini helicopter/ocean waves. Joy. And tonight we plan on trying out the Ferber method. This is going to be very difficult for me. I am fine letting them fuss, but I have two very strong willed children who I think will scream and cry at the top of their lungs for hours if they are allowed to.
So heres the plan...
They cry. Go in and pat, give pacifier, and leave. Wait 5 minutes, repeat. Wait 10 minutes. Repeat. 15 minutes. Repeat. I am not going to wait longer than 15 minutes without going in there. I hope they dont make me wait that long honestly.
Hopefully they will be ok and Matt and I will be ok. This is not going to be fun and I am not looking forward to it, but I do believe at 7 months they are perfectly capable of self soothing, and being in separate rooms they can finally do that. Then they can return to the same room once more. (We may keep the pack n play up for emergencies.)
Oh, and my sister is going to love us, since her room is directly below the office where Hannah is. She is not happy with this at all.
Wish us luck! I will let you know how it goes!
Oh yeah, as a side note, I took the van to the fire department today and switched out the girls' pumpkin seats for their big girl car seats. We were struggling a little to get them strapped in those little carriers. It was a sad day. I remember when we had to add towels to the pumpkin seat so they would fit better. Brings a little tear to my eye to think of it now! :)
A lovely Mother's Day weekend
I have to say that my first Mothers Day being a mom was wonderful. (Yes I know I was pregnant last Mothers Day but this is different). Saturday I just got to play with my girls during the day and we went over to Matt's parents that evening. The got Jim N Nicks to go (mmmmmm) and it was fun watching the boys and girls "play". Walker and Eli are just growing so fast and I know it will not be long til the 4 of them are running around the house. Good thing Grammy and Dandy made a playroom for all of them or the house would be even more chaotic!
Sunday we got up and went to brunch with my parents at their country club. The food was really good, and Hannah and Leah sat in their high chairs like big girls and enjoyed some puffs. I think my dad just wanted to go there so he could show off his "dots" to all of his friends. It was cute. We were really worried about Hannah because she refused to nap (except for 10 minutes in the car) before we left, but she and her sister were little angels.
We went back to my parents and just visited for the afternoon. We took some pictures by their backyard waterfall that turned out pretty good. I realized that I really do not have many (if any) pictures of me and the girls - probably because I hate taking them.
It was a very enjoyable weekend to say the least.
Sunday we got up and went to brunch with my parents at their country club. The food was really good, and Hannah and Leah sat in their high chairs like big girls and enjoyed some puffs. I think my dad just wanted to go there so he could show off his "dots" to all of his friends. It was cute. We were really worried about Hannah because she refused to nap (except for 10 minutes in the car) before we left, but she and her sister were little angels.
We went back to my parents and just visited for the afternoon. We took some pictures by their backyard waterfall that turned out pretty good. I realized that I really do not have many (if any) pictures of me and the girls - probably because I hate taking them.
It was a very enjoyable weekend to say the least.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Playing in the pool
We recently bought the girls a little pool for the back deck. It is very small and cushiony which is perfect for them. They love it! I am trying to get them ready for when our neighborhood pool opens in a few weeks. They just splash and kick. Matt pointed out that the makers of such pools should not put such distracting designs around the edges, because it lures the girls to try to eat the side of the pool. Hannah enjoyed laying out. She takes after her mommy :)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
New accomplishments
The girls are now 7 months old, and they continue to surprise me! I will have some videos to add to this blog, but Matt has to get them off the camera first :)
Leah and Hannah both are sitting up so well now. Hannah is a pro at this point and Leah just got really good at it over 24 hours! They still fall every now and then, but every day they get better. Its a whole new perspective for them. They can sit up and look at the world! It truly is exciting.
Hannah really surprised me the other day when I laid her on her belly in the middle of the floor. I walked out of the room for half a second to return to her sitting up! Now it is a natural progression. She is on her belly, she lifts up high on her hands and feet, scoots her feet forward and falls back on her bottom. The only problem was she did this before she was perfect at the sitting up thing, so this whole progression ends up with her falling over. But over the past 3 days, she just sits and plays. She always gives me a big smile after she gets in her desired position, like "look what I did Mommy!" We are both so proud.
Leah just started "standing" while she holds onto my hands. Yes I know her sister has been doing this for a while, but as I have mentioned before, Leah has no problem letting other people do the work for her. Smart girl. But she got motivated and her knees no longer just fall out from under her. She also has started rocking on her knees. Its very cute to see them both doing this while looking at each other.
My little girls are growing up! Videos (eh hmmm, Matt) will be posted soon.
Leah and Hannah both are sitting up so well now. Hannah is a pro at this point and Leah just got really good at it over 24 hours! They still fall every now and then, but every day they get better. Its a whole new perspective for them. They can sit up and look at the world! It truly is exciting.
Hannah really surprised me the other day when I laid her on her belly in the middle of the floor. I walked out of the room for half a second to return to her sitting up! Now it is a natural progression. She is on her belly, she lifts up high on her hands and feet, scoots her feet forward and falls back on her bottom. The only problem was she did this before she was perfect at the sitting up thing, so this whole progression ends up with her falling over. But over the past 3 days, she just sits and plays. She always gives me a big smile after she gets in her desired position, like "look what I did Mommy!" We are both so proud.
Leah just started "standing" while she holds onto my hands. Yes I know her sister has been doing this for a while, but as I have mentioned before, Leah has no problem letting other people do the work for her. Smart girl. But she got motivated and her knees no longer just fall out from under her. She also has started rocking on her knees. Its very cute to see them both doing this while looking at each other.
My little girls are growing up! Videos (eh hmmm, Matt) will be posted soon.
RV trip to Columbus GA
Its been a little while since I have posted, but every night I have been trying to upload pictures and my internet goes down. I finally got them all done so now maybe I can tell a little about what we have been doing!
Two weekends ago the girls and I went to Columbus Ga again to see my grandparents. This time we traveled in luxury. We went with my dad in his motor home. I was a little nervous about this trip honestly. I didnt know how much room we would have, even though the RV is large. When you add 2 pack n plays and all their stuff (and I packed minimally) then where can anything else fit?
We met my dad with our truckload of things and strapped the girls in on the couch of the RV. They seemed pretty happy!
They got a little fussy and I was exhausted from having people over way too late the night before, so about 30 minutes into the trip, we all went to the back and took a nap in the bed. When they woke up we were in Columbus. Way to travel.
Once dad got everything set up, we went outside and the girls enjoyed some playtime on a big blanket under the awning. After playing a little while they decided they wanted an outdoor snooze and took a nap in the shade.
Dad went and got Grandmother and she came to visit outside on the pretty day. We then all went to their place so granddaddy could see them, and his face just lit up. No pictures of him this time though, he did not want them at all.
They did well both nights we were there sleeping in the pack n plays. I actually was able to enjoy a book while they slept.
We went over to the assisted living Sunday to visit some more, but they took such a long morning nap (on the floor of the RV) that we did not get there until 1:00! I just hated to wake them! They played very well over there and I have to say they looked very cute in their Elmo outfits Aunt Laura bought them. :) They took their afternoon nap on the floor in the extra bedroom. :) I was thankful..
Hannah had to show of her new ability.
Aunt Eva came to the motor home to vist, and got some Leah time
Overall the trip was pretty enjoyable. They stayed in their pumpkin seats the whole ride back and just slept. I read my book! (A great book by the way - suspense thriller called "Tell no one") Dad really got some quality time with his granddots and it is always good to see my grandparents! I think we will have to do that again!
Two weekends ago the girls and I went to Columbus Ga again to see my grandparents. This time we traveled in luxury. We went with my dad in his motor home. I was a little nervous about this trip honestly. I didnt know how much room we would have, even though the RV is large. When you add 2 pack n plays and all their stuff (and I packed minimally) then where can anything else fit?
We met my dad with our truckload of things and strapped the girls in on the couch of the RV. They seemed pretty happy!
They got a little fussy and I was exhausted from having people over way too late the night before, so about 30 minutes into the trip, we all went to the back and took a nap in the bed. When they woke up we were in Columbus. Way to travel.
Once dad got everything set up, we went outside and the girls enjoyed some playtime on a big blanket under the awning. After playing a little while they decided they wanted an outdoor snooze and took a nap in the shade.
Dad went and got Grandmother and she came to visit outside on the pretty day. We then all went to their place so granddaddy could see them, and his face just lit up. No pictures of him this time though, he did not want them at all.
They did well both nights we were there sleeping in the pack n plays. I actually was able to enjoy a book while they slept.
We went over to the assisted living Sunday to visit some more, but they took such a long morning nap (on the floor of the RV) that we did not get there until 1:00! I just hated to wake them! They played very well over there and I have to say they looked very cute in their Elmo outfits Aunt Laura bought them. :) They took their afternoon nap on the floor in the extra bedroom. :) I was thankful..
Hannah had to show of her new ability.
Aunt Eva came to the motor home to vist, and got some Leah time
Overall the trip was pretty enjoyable. They stayed in their pumpkin seats the whole ride back and just slept. I read my book! (A great book by the way - suspense thriller called "Tell no one") Dad really got some quality time with his granddots and it is always good to see my grandparents! I think we will have to do that again!
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