Flu Season

 The week of Christmas, both girls were sick. It wasn't a fun time. There was fever, congestion, runny noses, crying, coughing and phlegm (and with the coughing and phlegm, lots of vomiting). Times Two. I was so glad when the girls finally broke out of it and became their happier selves again - just in time for our weekend family trip. Except, on Monday afternoon, hubster got a call from his mom that she wasn't feeling well and if he could come pick up the girls early. So he stayed home and worked remote from work on Tuesday and Wednesday and in the meantime, Lily got sick yet again, with a fever. Charlie's nose became a faucet, but at least she was in her normal demeanor.

The girls received their first flu shots at their last doctor's visit and needed to get the booster flu shot 4 weeks later (booster is required the very first time a toddler gets their flu shot, but is not necessary for shots thereafter) which was scheduled to be on January 18th. However, I received a call that the flu vaccine was no longer being delivered to the Kaisers in Orange County except for the Kramer office in Anaheim. It would be hard for us to get the girls there during business hours. We might just end up considering this season a bust and start earlier next season.

Poor Lily looks and feels like she is shrinking. On December 21st when I took the girls in for their 18-month well baby visit, Lily weighed in at (a whopping) 19 lbs 8 oz. At 18 months. That's already a super tiny kiddo. I think some 6 month olds can take her on. Anyway, on Wednesday, hubster took Lily in to see the doctor because early that morning she had woken up and thrown up on her bed. The vomit was dark and we couldn't tell if it was blood or not, and couldn't remember if there was anything that dark she could have eaten that day. The doctor checked her out and said she was fine (aside from the fever part) and told him to just keep her rested, hydrated and watch out for any more vomiting. She had topped the scale at 17 lbs 11oz. I am hoping that is an error and that my little Lily did not just lose almost two pounds in a couple of weeks.

Charlie also looks smaller/thinner than before after the flu hit her the week of Christmas, but she is currently eating as well as ever (I often find her in the kitchen by the pantry snacking on crackers...) even though she doesn't seem to have regained her baby plump. Her nose is still a faucet.

Yesterday, Lily seemed to have broken her fever, but now the roseola has set in. It's not a pretty sight and when Charlie first had it a few months ago, I freaked out thinking that it could be measles. Well, momentarily freaked out because I know for a fact she had all of her shots. And she seemed okay and not itchy. So now it's Lily's first bout with it. I know it's common and I know she's okay and it's kind of a good sign because it typically comes at the end of a fever... but it still doesn't make it easy to look at your shrinking baby and not feel terrible at the rash spread all over her body, arms, legs and worse - face.

Lily has been so fussy while sick, and Charlie became fussy because of the attention we were giving Lily. Man o man. Daddy's out the second night in a row fishing so it's just me and the girls and after a lot of crying and rolling-around-on-the-floor tantrums, I managed to cuddle up with the girls on the couch and watch Disney Jr.'s new show, Sofia the First. I really like this one! I hope the girls like it too. I'm getting a little tired of Caillou.

Just Charlie

 

Lily and her mirror

It comes as no surprise that babies like... LOVE... mirrors. The other evening I sat there watching as Lily started intently into the little mirror of her exer-saucer thing, and then she started making faces like sticking her tongue out and then laughing. Love this little kid (and yes, her sister too)!

The 7th month, come and gone

 It's strange how I feel like I have no time yet all I have is time. It's not like I'm sitting at an office desk for 8-10 hours a day; I'm at home. But I guess that's what being a stay-at-home-mommy feels like - no time to do anything because you have to do everything!

Anyway, I can't believe the girls are already well into their 7th month of existence. It doesn't seem like that long ago, I was thinking about having kids and then I was pregnant and then I spent what seemed like the longest time of my life in the hospital trying to recover from surgery and then adjusting to having two new babies that we created.

And now they're 7 months old and doing 7-month old things. It's funny how you can see both of them slowly developing but for some reason, they are developing in different things. Back when Lily started rolling over, Charlie was playing with her feet. It wasn't until about a month later did Lily start grabbing her feet (although not too often) and Charlie was rolling to her side (just her side - she doesn't like being on her tummy much). And then Charlie started sitting up while Lily started rolling and wiggling all over the place (particularly backwards), but not vice versa. Charlie will sit and she'll want to stand, but she doesn't roll onto her tummy and she doesn't move around. Lily will always roll onto her tummy and over and over and over and wiggle backwards, but she doesn't sit up. It's interesting, watching two of your own kids growing up side-by-side and developing at a similar rate, but in completely different things. Makes me wonder how they'll be when they're older, what their interests and stuff will be. I do know though, that the girls seem to be having our tendencies. As I was laying there last night on the bed next to Lily, I realized that both of us tend to lay on our tummies while awake. When I'm reading or writing laying down, I'm always on my tummy - the hubster hates being on his stomach. He'd rather read looking up, with the book over his face. Charlie is very much like her father. 

So the girls' current growth is:

Lily: 14 lbs 1 oz - 3.0 percentile

Charlie: 16 lbs 9.5 oz - 31.8 percentile

Apparently the new car seat/booster seat laws in CA are something like the child needs a booster seat until they are 8 years of age and 80 lbs. What the heck? At this rate, Lily is never going to be out of a booster seat!

Merry Christmas!

 A few weeks later.

This was the first of many family holiday cards to come. I was so excited to finally create one! Looking forward to next year's already!

Shopping with twins

 It's not that bad. Shopping at the mall is pretty easy (as long as I don't purchase anything too large) because after each store I can stick the bag under the double stroller. The hardest part is that some stores are so tight, a double stroller might as well be a bulldozer.

Shopping at Trader Joe's is pretty easy too, since I'm never purchasing so much I can't carry it in my reusable bag that I sling over my shoulder.

Now, the grocery store and Target can be a little challenging. If I'm making a small purchase, again, no problem: I can use the under-stroller storage and carry a basket, although the stroller is kind of hard to maneuver with one hand. Another option I've tried is putting one baby in her seat in the cart and carrying the other in the baby carrier strapped to my front. That way I have two hands on a shopping cart and space in and under the cart for items.

But strangely enough, one of the easier places to shop with twins is Costco. Their carts are so large, I can fit BOTH car seats in the cart and use the bottom for items. Love that Costco!

Also, shopping in the morning is also the easiest/best because everyone else shopping are moms with babies/young children and they all understand. Sometimes that really helps you in your day: people who understand and are courteous. But it also probably depends on where you shop. I was at the Main Place mall recently and didn't get the door opened for me, pushing a double stroller, when the couple 5' in front of me also with a stroller, left. After looking at me of course. The door practically closed on my stroller. Meanwhile I'll be at Crystal Court walking by myself and turning the corner to see a couple of kids coming in through the door, to turn back to keep the door opened for me. I waved to let them know I wasn't exiting, and thanked them anyway.

Whoops. Went a bit away on that.

Waiting Game

 With babies, it will always be a waiting game.

The past week or two has been kind of rough. So much crying! Especially Charlie, who has semi lost her voice (which sounds cute in baby tones actually. Sad, but cute.) The "signs" say that the girls should be getting their first tooth soon, but who knows? The average baby gets their first tooth around 4-7 months of age, and of the babies I know, one little boy was at 4-1/2 months, his sister was at 6 months, our niece was at 6-1/2 months and our nephew was at 13 months. 13 months?! I hope I don't have to wait that long. I look forward to the girls' food experiences expanding soon!

So the signs we've been watching:
Drooling: check check CHECK!!!*
Fussiness: check!
Low-grade fever: check
Constant waking at night: check *groan*
Ear pulling: check (Lily)
Diarrhea: check (Charlie)
Coughing: check
Biting: check (moreso with Lily)

*excessive drooling began around 3-4 months and have increased. Didn't think it could but it has. The other night over the course of a half hour show, Lily soaked the entire front of her shirt with her drool, AND the back. If this isn't the teething drool, I'm kind of afraid to know what is.

So. Just waiting. Don't see any signs of teeth yet. But here's hoping!

Hoping mostly for the lessening of the above signs, that is!

Another 6-months photo set

 Heart heart heart... all I can say :)

(I don't know why posting blogs from my phone puts the photos all at the end and in random order of how I upload them... darn new version!)

December Daily: 19

 The "girls' 6-month well baby doctor's appointment" day.

The girls don't officially turn 6 months until Wednesday, but I decided to make their appointment for Monday in case it gets busier (for us) as it gets closer to the Christmas day weekend.

So the usual review of the girls' milestone developments, etc. The weighing and the measuring and then the exam and then the shots.

Lily's growth rate:
Head Circumference: 7th percentile
Length: 6th percentile
Weight: 8th percentile
She's so proportioned. Tiny, but proportioned. No wonder she and Charlie seem so drastically different.

Charlie's growth rate:
Head Circumference: 69th percentile
Length: 38th percentile
Weight: 43rd percentile

Ah, my girls.

And good news is, they aren't reacting as much to the vaccination this round as they did to the first two rounds. Which is good. A little fussy and a little warm, but no big fevers. What a relief!

December Daily: 17

 The "sit in the car all day with Emma" day.

Not really, but it felt like it. My sister and Emma came by this morning and we went out to lunch (just us three - left Lily and Charlie at home with their daddy who was having a catfish luncheon with some buddies with the catfish he caught last Sunday, and since I don't eat seafood, it was a good opportunity). It was overcast and sprinkling on and off so we ended up having tofu soup at BCD and then I stood in line at 85C Bakery for some baked goodies and drinks. Then my sister needed to stop by her friend's place in Irvine as I sat in the car with Emma. Then we drove over to that dreaded Walmart so that she could pick up the photos while I sat in the car with Emma. Then she stopped by the market for some groceries for herself and our mom while I sat in the car with Emma. Then she got a call from her hubster asking her to pick up food so she drove to a nearby food-to-go place while I sat in the car with Emma. Finally at my mom's house I got out of the car. Even snapped a photo of Emma and grandma in the backyard.

Finally got home in time for the girls' 6pm feeding and then had dinner and for a moment thought about getting ready for bed but then realized it was only 7:30 and not 11:30. So I get to clean up the hubster's luncheon. Yay me!

Not that exciting or eventful kind of day, but like I titled it, it was a sit-in-the-car-all-day-with-Emma kind of day.

And now I'm watching He-Man and the Masters of the Universe because I remember I used to love it as a kid and now for the life of me can't figure out why. It's a little disappointing, kind of like that time I watched Scooby Doo as an adult and got really frustrated at the show and found the decision-making of Scooby and the gang kind of idiotic. Realization: do not watch things I loved as a kid. I will be disappointed! But that's just me.

December Daily: 16

The "absolutely uneventful Friday" day.

The title says it all. Uneventful. Especially for a Friday.

Woke up achy as usual and still wearing my glasses. Made the bed, said good morning to the girls (who were both awake), made and warmed up their bottles, brushed my teeth and had a piece of toast, fed and changed both girls, played, sang and danced for the girls, did a couple of photo edits, entertained the girls again after their short 30-minute nap, heated up last night's pasta for the hubster's lunch, fed both girls their baby food and a bottle and changed them, made myself a quick at-least-it's-edible version of spaghetti carbonara with the leftover angel hair pasta, washed dishes and all their bottles, watched You Again with the girls on the couch as they took a 1-hr nap, fed them their bottles, entertained them for a bit, walked around with each of them while watching The Ellen Show (which I learned that Lindsay Lohan didn't show up for yesterday's episode so Paris Jackson filled in for a big chunk of the show (she's cute! And... Is Blanket his REAL name???)), wrapped a few presents while the girls were chilling in their bumbos watching me, made more formula and fed them baby food and a bottle and changed them, took turns passing them between me and their daddy, decided not to make dinner so sent the hubster out to pick up food, fed the girls their bottles, ate dinner, tried to get the girls to take a nap because they were both really cranky, and watched half of The Game Plan, checked and replied to some email...

And here we are. Both girls are finally doing their last nap of the day before I change them and give them their midnight feeding and put them to bed and then kind of clean up and wash their bottles again and get ready for bed myself.

Typical 8am - 1am day. With occasional interruptions around 5 and/or 6 and/or 7am when one or both girls will wake up and cry and after you give them their pacifier they'll usually fall back asleep. But it does break the sleeping block. Despite all of that, and despite how tired I still am, it's true - its a heck of a lot easier than the first 2 months!

December Daily: 13

 The "I've officially crossed into the next stage of life and will now program all my radio stations to only KOST and talk shows" day.

Just kidding about the radio thing. I do need my gangsta rap.

Just kidding again. Kind of.

After an attempt at Main Place mall today (another UGH I guess I have outgrown this place moment), the girls and I stopped by the mailbox to pick up yesterday and today's mail. I reached inside and suddenly came face to face with the announcement that I am in a different stage of life - way different.

I received my first issue of Parents magazine today! The only magazines I have ever subscribed to were Architectural Record (school days... actually not just school days but my first two years of college days) and InStyle (why not? It suited me much more than say, Glamour and definitely Cosmopolitan).

I have to admit, I was confused for a moment when I saw the magazine. Strange, I know, considering that the two little rugrats by my side everyday should be a clear realization that I am no longer just one half of a married couple or that I am no longer a "young adult" or heck... sometimes I have to remember that I'm not a TEENAGER anymore! But I do forget, because each day goes on like the one before with only the tiniest of change. After awhile a lot has changed, but the progress is hardly noticeable. Maybe that's why I forget that I'm in my early 30s and not early 20s.

Anyhow. My point? Something along the lines of... somehow without realizing it, I got older. I guess?

And I don't have just my first child - I have TWO! I skipped that "first child" phase altogether!

December Daily: 21

 The "Happy 6 months to us!" day.

Today is exactly that: my itty bitty girls are 6 months today!

December Daily: 9

 The "Let's celebrate grandma and grandpa's birthdays today" day.

My mother-in-law's birthday is this week and my father-in-law's birthday is next week, so we typically have a dinner in both of their honors in between. Today was this years celebration.

I bathed and dressed the girls early and put little beanies on their heads to try to flatten their hair a little...
It worked. Kind of.

After a long dinner of soup, noodle soup with chicken and egg, broiled brisket with veggies, papaya salad, sticky rice, beef and potato curry and steamed rice, fruits and flan... did it occur to any of us that we didn't even take a photo. Oh well. We'll have Christmas coming up soon. But I did nab this picture of cousin Darren winter a) helping his Uncle Kyle unpack or b) learning early. I watched as he grabbed a bottle from the box, pull it out and display it for me. Oh, what will happen next.

December Daily: 8

 The "I'm so grown up now, I just had family photos taken for Christmas cards" day.

I had seen a great sounding deal on Living Social and decided to get it. It was for a 1-hour photo session with 15 photos. We met with her this morning at a park in Long Beach and try as we may, the girls kept their serious faces on. Oh well, it was a nice morning out and I hope we get something nice. I'm excited to see the photos. It might not be until Monday though.

In any case, wouldn't you know it? As soon as we got into the car to leave, they started smiling, the punks.

December Daily: 7

 The "Look ma, no socks!" day.

I like to put socks on the girls because well, they like to kick their blankets off at night (or since it gets bundled around their middle, kick UP their blankets so their legs and feet end up exposed) and since it's colder at night these days, I always have the girls in pants and socks.

With Lily, it's pretty simple. Socks - check. With Charlie however, it takes a bit more thought. I can't put socks that are too tight on her because her legs are so chubby, the tight socks causes little red spots to appear on her legs. And I can't put on socks that are too loose because she'll kick them off. They have to be just right.

Lately, she's gotten better at kicking her socks off. Today, I discovered why: she wasn't kicking them off - she had learned how to take them off.

What to do next... tights?

December Daily: 4

 The "my baby is a genius!" day.

I know she can do this. I've seen the before and I've seen the after, but I've never seen the process. The first time I noticed it was sometime in early October, so she was just past the 3-month mark, I guess. 3-1/2? I know it was before 4 months because I used to take the girls for walks during the day when we didn't have the second car yet. Anyhow, I had packed the girls in the stroller and pushed them out the door. I went back in to let Jasper out (we're learned we can't trust Jasper when we take the girls out the door - he wants a family trip. He'll sneak and rush out the door and run through the apartment complex to the parking lot and sit next to our car... not kidding!) and hear Lily getting fussy. I came back out the door and looked at her because she was quiet again, but now sucking on her pacifier. I didn't give her the pacifier, I had stuck it on the side like I did with Charlie. I was a little confused for a moment and she just stared at me. I finally understood. I was a proud mama, but I needed to see her do it.

Since then, she likes to pull her pacifier out and hold on to it and chew on the side, or hold onto the sucking part and chew on the little handle.

Today while we were at the mall waiting for their daddy, I sat watching Lily. I watched as she picked up her pacifier than was sitting on her lap, and sure enough she turned it around and slowly it went towards her mouth. She missed, put kept pulling at it until voila! She had her pacifier and sat happily sucking on it. I was so happy to have see it! And the pulled her pacifier pit and looked at it, then put it back in... I got to finally see her do that - and twice in a row!

Proud mama!

Mama and babies, self portraits

 I love how the iPhone has that additional camera on the front of the phone so you can see the photo you're taking of yourself and not having to keep re-doing the photo using trial and error methods. Although sometimes those are the great ones!

This evening before their daddy came home, both girls were irritable so I pulled the two onto my lap. Both, at the same time. It wasn't easy, but it can be done.

Five months strong

 Last Monday the 21st, the girls turned 5 months old. It's amazing how time seems to fly when, at the same time, it seems to stand still (because I'm still so tired).

On Saturday the 19th, grandma and grandpa watched the girls while mom and dad went to go watch the newly released Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 with some friends - YES, we are Twilight nerds. Including the hubster. Who read the series surprisingly fast. Especially for someone who doesn't like to read. And then he had a dream that Edward was "his boy" and there you go - while the women of the world were imagining that Edward was their boyfriend, he was imagining that Edward was his BFF. Ah, I love that guy.

Anyway, after the movie we picked up the girls and went to a friend's son's 4th birthday party that included a creepy crawly man. Well, to be fair, he's one of those guys who puts on a creepy crawly presentation for parties and events and whatnot that includes roaches, spiders, really big spiders, snakes and lizards and the like. Creepy crawly stuff. Because Liam - the birthday boy - is really into spiders. This is one of those times I'm super duper glad I have two girls instead of boys. Unless my girls are going to be into insects and stuff then I don't know what to say. So anyway, it was kind of a chilly night and though we had the girls dressed for the occasion in jeans and sweaters and beanies, I think they might have caught a cold because the next day, I noticed  Lily had kind of a runny nose and a little cough. And then Monday - the day of their 5th month birthday - both girls were completely congested. I felt so bad. Lily wasn't too bad, but Charlie, she sounded terrible. Even her cries had that stuffed nose/congestion sound. So per their pediatrician's suggestion, I squirted some saline up their nose and tried sucking everything out. Charlie doesn't mind it so much, but Lily... I might as well be pulling her fingernails out the way she cries. Thankfully, it didn't get any more beyond that, and the girls are sounding just fine now. I hope they are officially over their first cold.

Mornings with Lee-Lee and Char-Char

 Every morning, I get the girls up at around 8:45-9am and give them their first bottles of the day (the 12noon and the 6pm feedings also include baby oatmeal+some baby food fruit that I've been trying to feed them since they turned 4 months). I usually feed Charlie first (she tends to finish a bit faster than Lily) and then change her, lay her on our bed next to me while I feed Lily (so that if she gets fussy, I can reach her). After Lily (aka Lee-Lee, Little Lily, Silly Lily, Peanut, Sweetpea) is feed and changed, I also lay her on our bed, both in the center with pillows around them and about 2' distance between the two, as I put their bottles away and grab a slice of peanut buttered toast for myself.

This morning as I walked back in, they had both scooted together as it looked like they were holding hands and conspiring - always conspiring! but I suppose that's how it's going to always look when you've got two little ones.